It seems like a new event space opens every hour, but it’s rare to find a true attention grabber. Convene found five particularly distinct venues that opened in the last 12 months.
One World Observatory / New York City
“See forever” is the motto of One World Observatory, the 102nd-floor public and event space atop New York City’s One World Trade Center, now the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The soaring, tri-level venue, which opened earlier this year, offers 360-degree views and 9,000 square feet of flexible space for up to 300 people. Catering is provided by Legends Hospitality. oneworldobservatory.com
Tejo Power Station / Lisbon
Built in 1909, Lisbon, Portugal’s Tejo Power Station supplied the city with electricity for decades. It closed for good in 1975 — but the complex’s brick-and-iron buildings were repurposed into an Electricity Museum in 1990. In 2016, a suite of galleries and meeting rooms opened as part of the growing MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology). The station’s industrial-style Turbine Hall can hold 200 people for theater-style events; its conference room accommodates 50; and the neon-colored Condenser Room is an atmospheric spot for events of up to 60 people. maat.pt/en/campus
MMousse Church Attic / Amsterdam
The attic of the former Armenian church in Amsterdam’s Nieuwmarkt neighborhood has been converted into meeting space by MMousse, a genre-defying Amsterdam design collective — and it certainly inspires. Nestled beneath the church’s curved ceilings are customizable worktables, chaise lounges topped by colorful pillows, and windows that offer views over the city’s medieval rooftops — as well as let in oodles of light. The room is offered through Spacebase, an aggregator of creative meeting spaces in Europe, and can fit between five and 80 people. convn.org/mmousse
Artistry Floor at the Petersen Automotive Museum / Los Angeles
Once a Japanese department store called Seibu, the Petersen Automotive Museum is now home to a stunning collection of vehi-cles, from Bugattis to BMW Art Cars. Last winter, the Miracle Mile museum unveiled a bumper-to-bumper, $90-million renovation that added multiple levels of event space that intermingle with the museum’s exhib-its — including a 16,000-square-foot Artistry Floor with a projection wall. Renowned L.A. caterers the Drago Brothers provide food and beverage. petersen.org/private-events
Cantilever Room at the Henry B. Gonzáles Convention Center / San Antonio
San Antonio’s Henry B. Gonzáles Convention Center debuted a $325-million renovation last spring that touched almost every part of the venue. While an outdoor pizza kitchen and a riverside Grotto are among the highlights, when it comes to more traditional meeting space, Room 220 — the 4,000-square-foot Canti- lever Room — is a particular feat. Per the room’s name, cantilevers suspend the tropical-hued space in such a way that it seems to float over Market Street. Partition walls and a variety of furniture allow the space to be configured in multiple ways, while built-in screens along the walls make the entire room “programmable.” sahbgcc.com/facilities/cantilever-room
