Site Inspection
A Work of Art: ‘Warehouse Hip’ Venue Enters Boston Event Market
by Rachel Globus | Published in January 2007 Departments
This year, a little bit of New York is coming to Boston — and the local events community is abuzz with anticipation.
Longwood Events, a Boston-based event planning and management company that also owns several other popular event venues, is opening up a new space, Artistry, that speaks to event planners’ inner artiste.
The company’s owner, Jim Apteker, says it has a “warehouse hip” feel that’s straight out of the Big Apple.
“We always say that New York is two to three years ahead of Boston,” he said. “It’s something that Boston hasn’t seen. We’re always taking a gamble.”
That gamble is paying off.
Bryan Rafanelli, who saw the raw space during pre-construction several months ago, has already booked the space for several private parties in first-quarter 2007.
Event planners are “in the business of transforming spaces all the time, and what’s great about [Artistry] is it’s really designed and built to change,” he said. “It feels to me like a space without a lot of rules, so it feels like we’re going to be able to play with it.”
Located in south Boston, Artistry boasts 22,000 square feet that will be able to accommodate up to 1,200. When the space’s renovation is complete in April, it will retain an industrial-chic aesthetic, with concrete floors, exposed brick walls, original wooden beams, sandblasted glass and high ceilings.
Despite the renovations, the company is doing 40 tours per week, said Apteker — an unprecedented pace.
Boston’s Zoo New England jumped at the chance to use Artistry for its fundraiser Zootopia! 2007, according to David Hirschberg, vice president of institutional advancement. “When Artistry was announced, we jumped at the chance to be one of the first to hold our event in this brand new space,” he said. “While it is true that the space is currently raw, Longwood Events’ reputation for excellence is all we need to know that our event next June will be spectacular.”
For more information, visit www.longwoodevents.com.
About the author: Rachel Globus
Rachel Globus is the former editor and education director for Event Solutions.