Glasshouses co-partner Jack Guttman has built his career on prodigious, one-of-a-kind projects. But twelve years ago when he developed the Chelsea Arts Tower, someone suggested he turn its airy penthouse into an event space. “I asked, “What’s an event space?”  Then he understood.  “Here I had this penthouse with an outdoor terrace overlooking the river, and it appeared to be different than anyone else’s venue.”  So he built an event space. Corporate and social clients flocked to  Glasshouse Chelsea , and Guttman was encouraged.  “I’d been in the construction and development business, and that’s not the most friendly business in the world,” he says. “This is a business where everybody was happy!”

Before launching Glasshouse Chelsea, it needed a run-through. Luckily, Guttman was about to get married. “We wanted to make sure everything ran smoothly from an operations perspective,” he recalls. And his wedding designer also experimented.  “He must have had twenty-five eight-to-ten foot throne chairs.

At dinner, all the tables had feathers coming out of them — 4-ft  blooms of feathers everywhere.  It was a riot.” Today, Glasshouse Chelsea hosts events from fashion shows to corporate receptions to bar mitzvahs, all with slick modern interiors, iconic views of NYC and the Hudson, and built-in production infrastructure.   That’s a big piece of the brand as a whole,” says co-partner Alex Holiday.  “Many other event spaces must be utilized as-is with ornate architecture that would conflict otherwise with a transformative vision. The beauty of our spaces are that they give people unlimited flexibility.”

Later this year, a project six years in the works will come to fruition and will set the bar for event production in New York.  Incorporating everything they’ve learned from running Glasshouse Chelsea, Guttman and Holiday have built  The Glasshouse : a brand-new, high-tech, 75,000 square foot space with towering 20 and 40-foot ceilings and outdoor terraces overlooking the Hudson. It will be the largest waterfront penthouse event space in the city, and then some. “We’ve taken things to the next level,” says Guttman. “We’ve built in everything we could possibly build into an event space. Nobody would need to bring anything other than food, decor, and the guests.”

Poised to be the leader in technological sophistication, the interior design of The Glasshouse includes remote-controlled lighting capabilities and WiFi, with two separate catering kitchens and movable partitions. And, in a dream scenario for designers, an abundance of rigging points for lights, speakers, decor and whatever else that can be imagined.  Several green rooms and a luxury VIP suite equipped with temperature control and a separate entrance create privacy. Says Holiday:  “It’s the most rider-friendly place in the city by far.”  Staffing lockers and 16 coat-check stations round out the vision. Says Guttman:  “From start to finish, we’ve created an unparalleled guest experience from a hospitality perspective.”

With its futuristic technological capabilities and capacity for building both laterally and vertically, the possibilities for The Glasshouse are limitless.  For example, product launches. “We have conduit that goes down to the street, so you can have live television events,” says Holiday. “This could be the East Coast version of the Moscone Center.” The space has already become sought-after for Media Upfronts,  NewFronts and Fashion Week, providing a much-welcomed permanence.

“So many people have come to us and said the stability of having a location they could book year after year is what’s appealing,” says Guttman. “We’re making multiple-year deals.”  And then of course, there’s the location. “Because of how quickly the West Side is growing, including with Hudson Yards, we’re seeing a node of event spaces. I think a lot of symbiotic relationships that will form because of that,” says Holiday. “For example, during the large events that happen at the convention center. During those week-long events, our location is perfectly situated to host events that can be branded, customized, experiential.  Instead of being just one in the crowd at the Auto Show, you can present a customized experience during Auto Week.”

Experiential marketing, or engagement marketing, is now a permanent part of the lexicon.  In recent surveys, 80% of marketers believe live events are critical to their company’s success (Bizzabo).  77% of marketers utilize experiential marketing, believing it vital to brand strategy (EventTrack) to show not just what your business offers, but what it stands for.  What used to be a luxury for Fortune 500 companies has now become a necessity, a proven effective tool for brands to maximize their interaction with clients in a real-world situation, with tangible returns. And whatever your vision, the flexibility of Glasshouses venues can bring it to life with precision. Molding your experience to a venue is now a thing of the past. Think of Glasshouses venues as a blank slate, with extraordinary capabilities: Dream your event, and it will come.  With a side of killer Hudson River views.

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