How Columbia University Pivoted a 300-Person Event in 30 Days

In the world of academic events, finding the right venue can be a game-changer. With the growing emphasis on accessibility, convenience, and participant engagement, selecting a location that meets all these needs is critical. 

Rachel Yarmolinsky, Senior Program Director in the Division of Ethics at Columbia University's Medical Center, has experienced this firsthand. Responsible for organizing a series of large-scale congresses that focused on the ethical, legal, and social implications of research in genetics and genomics, Rachel discovered Convene as a reliable partner for events, appreciating its logistics, attentive service, and conducive networking spaces. 

After hosting the 6th ELSI Congress – ELSIcon2024 at Convene 117 West 46th Street in New York City, she found the venue exceeded expectations regarding accessibility, hospitality, and overall attendee satisfaction. We had the privilege of speaking with Rachel about her experience and how Convene played a substantial role in the success of her event.

What types of events are you responsible for, and how many do you organize annually?

I work for the Division of Ethics at Columbia University, which is in the Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics at the Irving Medical Center. Our division was awarded a grant to fund three international scientific congresses, including ELSIcon2024, which was focused on reimagining the benefits of genomic research for a core audience of researchers, scientists, and scholars. Due to Covid-19, the first two congresses ended up as virtual meetings, while the hybrid conference hosted at Convene in June had more than 300 in-person and 75 virtual attendees. 

How did you learn about Convene?

After more than a year spent in organizing this conference, we unexpectedly found ourselves seeking a new venue only one month out from the publicized dates. I sent out dozens of emails to event spaces in the wider NYC metropolitan area, well aware that finding a suitable space for a 3-day hybrid meeting for over 300 people just a few weeks away was looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Among the very few emails I received back, Convene 1117 West 46th Street was the only venue with the space and dates that actually met all our needs. 

I immediately went to look at the space and it was fantastic, exactly what we needed to host the event and very conducive to networking which was a major plus for us. The sales team and then the event team worked closely with us to ensure that all of our programmatic and contractual specifications were accommodated. 

How did Convene help you achieve your event goals?

The team at Convene listened to what we needed and set up a program to provide a safe, welcoming, and effective meeting space. The team was available to troubleshoot and address all issues as they arose. Our only challenges were technical in nature, and the team worked to fix them both in the moment and to prevent further issues. Overall, Convene runs a welcoming and professional conference venue which I can highly recommend.

What accessibility considerations do you incorporate into your event planning?

We are very focused on ensuring accessibility at our events. We require a fully accessible space without any steps, easy access to all the meeting spaces, a lactation room, several private spaces for attendees to access, and the ability to provide American Sign Language interpretation and live captioning for both our live and virtual attendees. Convene enabled us to implement all of these.

What aspects of your event did attendees appreciate the most?

I especially want to commend the kitchen and food service - everything was healthy, delicious, and beautifully displayed. The hospitality was outstanding. Networking was a pleasure as The Gallery and Living Room spaces gave everyone room to sit down together over coffee, breakfast, and lunch. Having access to unlimited snacks and coffee at the Nourish snack bar each day added to the ease of networking. Our attendees commented on how convenient that was.

What was your favorite part about doing your recent event with Convene?

My favorite part about hosting my recent event at Convene was how conducive it was to bring people together. This is the first in-person meeting for this group in years and everyone was eager to meet with colleagues, old and new. We wanted to get trainees together with each other and with senior people, and we wanted everyone to be together and have time to talk. The space at Convene 117 West 46th Street was perfect for that in a way that we hadn't seen elsewhere. It truly enhanced the conference.