Happy Birthday Venus Williams

That's right Venus Williams - we didn't forget you on your big day!  Have a wonderful birthday and if you ever feel like celebrating with us in NYC, you are more than welcome!

Celebrate Your NYC Birthday at Co-Op

One of our most popular summer birthday party hotspots here in New York City has been Co-Op at the Hotel on Rivington, located at 107 Rivington Street in the LES.  Birthday guests have raved about the hotel itself, often booking out a sweet before coming down to dance the night away to some incredible music.

Co-op is known for its artwork on the walls, featuring a colorful array of portraits that draw the eye.  The bar itself is well-stocked, and features a variety of speciality cocktails that will excite the taste buds.  The management of the venue is top-notch, and guests at the venue often speak of their appreciation for the pleasant demeanor of the staff.

The music also top-notch, and you had better bring your best moves if you are coming here to dance.  Despite the laid-back lounge feel, you will still find some great energy on the dance floor, and the good-looking crowd loves to dance the night away until the lights come on at 4am.  If you are looking for a great spot to celebrate your NYC birthday, then we can definitely recommend Co-op.

If you are looking to book a great birthday party, then make sure to visit Co-op on our website and book your amazing evening today!

Rooftops in the Summer - Perfect for NYC Birthdays

In case you have not been outside lately, we have some exciting news for you if you are planning on celebrating a birthday in NYC - summer is here!  Although this past winter was relatively mild in the Big Apple, nonetheless we are excited to greet summer and to begin one of our favorite pastimes - partying on our favorite rooftops.

One of the most beautiful things about Manhattan is the skyline at night, however it can be very difficult to enjoy this beautiful sight if you are stuck on the first or second floor of an establishment.  There is something less than satisfying about looking upwards through a vast array of buildings in hopes of catching sight of the moon or some clouds, which is why one of our favorite things to do in the summer is to celebrate high above the worries of every day life in the city.

However, before you head off to enjoy your favorite rooftop spot, we encourage to think of a few things - especially if you are planning a birthday party where your guests will all be expecting to spend an evening drinking and carousing to their hearts content with their favorite person - you!

For starters, it is always important to consider the capacity and size of the venue.  After all, rooftop spots are hot in the summer, and you can be certain that a large crowd is going to be coming out to celebrate the majesty of beautiful weather and cool clothes.  Therefore, it is imperative that you consider both the timing of arrival and size of your crowd before picking a venue.  In the summer, we highly recommend advance reservations and bottle service in order to ensure both that you have a space to serve as a "home base" and also to ensure that there is a nice guest list that helps to ensure that your birthday party guests can all actually get into the venue.

Next, you have to consider the dreaded "R" word.  Yes folks, we are talking about RAIN!  Although beautiful weather can make a rooftop night memorable and incredible, terrible weather can do just the opposite.  The last thing you want to do is to be crowded into a small space designed for half the number, and this is likely to happen if your venue doesn't have adequate space available in the event of rain.  We always advise doing a weather check, again ensuring you have a nice space regardless of the weather, and sometimes we even advise having a nice backup venue - just in case.  Nothing ruins a party more than soaking wet clothes, ruined hair and make-up, and friends that are angry and upset who "just want to go home."

Last, but certainly not least, we always recommend using a party planner such as your truly (My NYC Birthday) to ensure that the entire night goes off without a hitch.  After all, it is your birthday, and if you want to celebrate on a rooftop overlooking Manhattan, then that is exactly what you should be able to do while maintaining your sanity.  A quality birthday party planner can ensure that you have a good time, no stress, and no hassle - which is the perfect birthday present to yourself.

So remember - Birthday NYC + Summer = Rooftop - and so long as you follow our advice, you will have a fantastic evening and be the envy of all of your winter birthday friends.

We Do More Than Just Birthdays

Although we are best known for our commitment to making each and every birthday in NYC absolutely amazing, many people do not realize that we are also a full service events company that is capable of putting together any type of corporate, alumni, community, or school event, ranging from fifty people to five thousand.  Now, don't get me wrong, helping people with New York birthday planning is definitely our first love, but there is still something very satisfying about putting together an event for hundreds of people.

This weekend in New York City, we are planning and sponsoring an event for international law students who are pursuing advanced legal degrees at institutions all across the United States.  Beginning on Friday, these students will be in NYC to network, interview, and job search with a wide variety of international employers.  This event is a very intense two-day affair, and this "job fair" is very competitive.  Due to the sheer number of opportunities for accessing employers, it is likely that the number of students coming into the city this weekend will exceed one thousand.

As you can imagine, these students are not all work and no play, and on Sunday evening (yes, just a few days prior to the job fair) we were approached regarding setting up an event on Saturday evening for all of these students.  This was definitely something we were interested in doing, and we really wanted to help out, but based on the numbers and the short timeframe, it was a tall task.

First and foremost, we had to find a venue that could host such a large number, and that was willing to do so on a Saturday.  This might not seem like that difficult of a task, but when you realize that most New York venues make almost all of their money on Friday and Saturday nights, you then understand that reservations, the normal weekend crowd, and any other events are already taking up space at the venue, and they often do not have the room to randomly add between five hundred and one thousand people to their already packed venue.

Lucky for us, we have lots of experience in working with a variety of venues, and are also very familiar with floor plans and options for spaces, so we were able to come up with a nice plan that involved rearranging a space and creating room for an extra five hundred people.  It required some sketching, several meetings, and some long phone conversations, but we got it done.

Next, we had to plan for the addition of such a large number of people to the normal crowd of Saturday night partygoers.  Planning isn't just a matter of space in the venue, but  also includes such considerations as the number of servers, bartenders, security, other staffing, door people, and entry-control.  The whole point is to ensure that people have a good time, and no one enjoys sitting around all night, hoping desperately that their other friends can get in, or worse, standing around outside waiting to get in.  People also tend to enjoy actually being able to get a drink once they are inside, so as you can imagine, these types of staffing issues are both significant and important.

After taking care of all of those things, then we had to ensure that all of the people coming into the city for the job fair actually knew about the event.  This is one area where social media has really helped ease coordination challenges, and by working with people from each school we were able to get the invitations out, ensure that everyone knew about the event, and also to monitor the number of attendees to ensure that our planning for the event was on target.

Currently, we have almost five hundred confirmed attendees, and the number seems to be growing by the hour, leading us to deal with new challenges.  Some people might find that daunting, but we actually love the incredible amount of work that goes into an event like this.  Not only is it extremely satisfying when the actual event comes together and goes off without a hitch, but more importantly, there is nothing better than seeing the joy on people's faces when they attend a well-planned and well-executed event.  Since this happiness is the whole reason we got started in the event planning business, it makes it easy to work hard dealing with new challenges because we know why we do what we do, and we care about seeing those happy faces during a great event.

Saturday is just a few days away, and we will keep on working to make this event incredible.  As the number keep growing, so does our excitement!  It is going to be a great evening.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  We hope that you all rang in 2012 in style and wish you all the best for the year ahead!

In terms of us, we have a lot of exciting plans and changes upcoming that guarantee that we make celebrating your birthday in NYC easier, better, and more exciting than ever!  We will continue with our commitment to ensuring that your celebrating is absolutely amazing, our services will of course continue to be absolutely free, and we will continue to work to maintain our ranking as the number one birthday party planning service in the Big Apple.

One of the first big changes that we have upcoming is the addition of ten new venues to our website in the month of January.  Adding new venues is a big deal for us, because it takes a long time for us to really review the entire experience of a night at any particular place, and because our standards are quite high in terms of what we want to provide for your birthday experience.  We are very excited to be offering these exciting new venues to our fans and loyal customers, and have high expectations that the addition of these new venues is going to make our service better than ever.

Speaking of our website, we are excited to be launching My NYC Birthday version 2.0 in the month of January as well.  Although our original site provided all our customers with everything that they needed for the optimal NYC birthday experience and was extremely user friendly, we wanted to give it a facelift from our retro 90's original site and truly modernize it for 2012.  Look for a redesigned user interface, menu changes, an on-site blog, a new photos section, and much, much more.  We have put a lot of time and effort into planning out the redesign, and we think that it will great for all of our fans.

Also in terms of birthday parties, 2012 is looking like the year that we celebrate planning our 1000th birthday in New York City!  We are not sure when that will happen, but expect a big party with a free open bar to celebrate (we have always been big fans of the words "free open bar").  We appreciate all of the support from fans, friends, customers, and local businesses, and are very excited about reaching this milestone.  It is amazing to watch a dream become a reality, and we could not have done it without each and every single one of you.

All of this and more in 2012, and we are so very excited to make this an incredible year for those that we care the most about - you!  When you celebrate your birthday in New York City, remember that My NYC Birthday is number one for a reason.  We are passionate about what we do, and are goal as always it to make your birthday absolutely amazing!  All you have to do is blow out the candles, and we will take care of all the rest!  

Thanks for making 2011 a great year for us, and we are looking forward to another great year.  Best wishes to you and yours in 2012!

New Year's Eve in New York City

Well folks, it is almost that time of year!  You know the one, where everyone eyes the clock out of the corner of the eye as they celebrate the past year while looking forward to the next one - that's right, New Year's Eve is just around the corner!

Even though helping people who are celebrating a birthday in NYC is what we are best known for, we also happen to be pretty good at coming up with some great NYC New Year's Eve parties as well, and we guarantee that there is something for everyone who is looking to have a great night and ring in the new year in style.

Recently, we have been getting a lot of questions about how New Year's Eve is different than most nights in NYC, and so we thought we would help out and share a few key things things that you should keep in mind when celebrating in the Big Apple.

First and foremost, you should be aware that you will likely not be celebrating at any major hotspot or club without buying a ticket, and the smart thing to do is to buy them in advance.  Even venues that do not normally charge a cover will likely require tickets, and if you wait until the last minute you run a very high risk of not getting into your favorite venue to party the night away.  Our advice: Buy your tickets in advance.

Advance tickets, beyond being good for getting you in the door to start with, have some other perks as well.  Unlike almost every other day of the year, most clubs, bars, and other venues will have long open bars instead of charging per drink on New Year's Eve.  Three hours seems to be about the minimum, and we have seen them run for up to seven or eight hours in some cases.  The best thing about having a ticket for these great parties is that it means you really only need to worry about bringing money for tips and coat check (don't forget that it is winter and the last thing you will want to do is keep up with a big coat all night), and can plan ahead a bit for the cost of New Year's partying.

Another difference is the cost of bottle service.  Although normally bottles can be a bit on the expensive side, at New Year's Eve parties you will often find that they have dropped a bit because the tickets automatically spread the cost amongst each individual.  The reason is quite simple - the VIP and Ultra VIP tickets that provide access to tables and bottles operate on the assumption that there will be a certain amount of people in these areas - so for example, there might be a minimum requirement of eight people in a VIP section, and those people would then have the cost of multiple bottles spread out across each of their tickets.  This can be very helpful for those looking for great bottle service who are not looking to spend a lot of money.

Inevitably, after I mention open bars and bottle service back-to-back, I immediately get the question, "If there is an open bar, why would I want any type of bottle service?"  The answer is simple, and comes from the fact that VIP access and bottle service go together like peanut butter and jelly.  For starters, these New Year's parties are extremely crowded with long lines of people waiting to get in, and VIP or Ultra VIP tickets ensure that you have an opportunity to bypass the lines out front.  If you have spent any time in New York City during the winter, then you know exactly how valuable this can be, as escaping the cold and wind will be worth almost any price after a few minutes outside.  Second, the crowds awaiting entrance outside are actually worse inside as people attempt to get rid of coats, mingle, and get drinks at the open bar, resulting in some unfortunate overcrowding in these areas.  Being in a VIP section helps you avoid this. Also, if you are partying for seven hours, it is almost certain that at some point you are going to want to take a breather and have a guaranteed place to crash and enjoy your drink.  VIP guarantees that you have such a place, while most general ticket holders will be relegated to standing room only.  Finally, VIP access allows you a premium place to see and be seen, which is a large part of the fun when ringing in the new year.  Plus, for those singles out there, a VIP section is always a nice place to invite a new friend to visit.

Finally, you should keep in mind that New Year's Eve is not your typical night out in New York City, and that people tend to dress a bit more upscale than you might normally encounter.  For most people, this won't matter much, but if you are a person who prefers to dress down a bit, you may want to check out the venue in advance and ensure that your style will not cause you any problems at the door.  The last problem you want at the last minute is getting turned away because you cannot meet the dress code.  A simply solution is to just look your best, dress to impress, and get ready for a long night full of fun!  After all, you want to greet 2012 looking your best!

In short, all you need to remember to make your last night in 2011 an absolute blast is that you should get your NYC New Year's Eve tickets in advance, that there is likely going to be an open bar at whatever venue you choose, that there are many advantages of VIP status, and last but not least, the importance of dressing to impress in order to avoid any problems at your party spot of choice.  If you keep all of these things in mind, you will be all set to have a great time as you welcome the year 2012 at a great venue, partying the night away with friends in the Big Apple.

For more information, check out the number one destination for New Year's Eve in NYC!

Sometimes Easy Things Become Difficult

About five minutes ago, I was preparing to write a blog post about how nice it is when everything comes together and every single party goes off without a hitch.  Now, don't get me wrong, part of being the best New York birthday party planning service is that we have to be quick on our feet, expect the unexpected, and react quickly to changing circumstances, but part of what we do best is planning out the perfect event.

However, no sooner did I prepare to write than I noticed my phone begin blinking rapidly.  Now, we always have someone on-site, but part of being the best in customer service means always being available for every client on a personal level, regardless of who we have on staff.  So, despite it being after midnight, I knew that it was important to move quickly and respond in a manner that reflects our commitment to people.

The first issue was a relatively simple one, where the door guy failed to check the list properly.  It is amazing how something so simple can undo hours of planning and throw a wrench in things, but luckily we were able to get it taken care of on-site quite quickly.  This one was especially troublesome though because it was one of our VIP clients and good friends, and that is absolutely the last person we want to have any type of issue at an event.  Sorry Jessica, you know we love you!

The next issue was a relatively simple one as well, and involved someone asking where to go to get their complimentary bottle.  It was a simple manner to send them to the right person, and the party was extremely happy and thankful for our quick response.

One thing I have learned is that you can plan perfectly and cover all the bases, and things still will not always go according to plan.  I think that is the point in time where a company can truly distinguish itself from the competition by reacting in a quick, professional, and courteous manner.  Issues will arise and mistakes will happen, but taking care of the customer always has to be the number one priority.

Birthday in the Snow!

For those lucky people celebrating their birthdays on Saturday, they got an extra special gift for their party. A surprise early snow caught most of New York City off guard, and everyone taking off to party at a variety of Halloween venues.  It was definitely cold going for all of those out in their Halloween costumes.

We had a birthday party coming in from New Jersey that got a surprising amount of snow (over 12 inches), compared with NYC's meager 3 inches.  Instead of going home after a great night of partying, they ended up enjoying an evening in a local New York City hotel.  This was probably a smart move after the New Jersey governor declared a state of emergency.

Although all of our weekend birthday parties enjoyed a lot of great partying in fun atmospheres, it did seem like the cold weather kept a lot of the city home.  This was surprising, as the Saturday falling close to Halloween normally experience some of the city's craziest crowds and sexiest costumes, as all of venues in the city run at near capacity.

Trick-or-treat NYC, and get ready for what looks to be a cold winter.  No matter how much the temperature drops, we will keep on delivering the best NYC birthday parties!

Planning a Friend's Birthday

One of the best, and worst things about being in the birthday planning business is that your friends will often call you up and seek your advice and assistance in having a great birthday.  And, to be quite honest, one of the reasons that we do what we do is to help our friends do just that - have great birthdays.

However, just like in any occasion where you mix business and pleasure, your favorite friend can sometimes become your worst client, and this is often the fault of both parties.

Some simple advice can alleviate problems on both ends - appreciate the friendship, but treat the birthday like a business.  For the party-haver, f your friend is an attorney, you definitely appreciate that work is work, and party planning should be no different.  If you ask someone to plan your birthday and events are their speciality, respect their time and don't abuse the friendship.  If you are the party-planner, keep the same thing in mind.  Just because someone is a friend, you should never take advantage of that and treat their party with anything less than the utmost professionalism.

Always be a professional, and you will find that business and friendship can mix quite well.

Birthdays and Holidays Falling on the Same Day

One of the questions that we get every Halloween is what to do about a birthday that falls on Halloween.  People seem concerned about whether they have to have a costume party, or whether their birthday will get  lost in the spirit of the American tradition of trick-or-treating, costumes, and all of the crazy Halloween fun.  

My answer to this is that you should celebrate your birthday always, regardless of what holiday is happening around the same time as your special day.  Your birthday is a very unique day in your life, and no matter what else is happening in the world, you should take the time to recognize and enjoy your birthday.

And, just because it happens that your birthday falls on or near a holiday, that does not mean that you have to absolutely theme your birthday in-line with the holiday.  I mean, if you want to do so, you can have a great Halloween-esque birthday party, but at the same time no one expects you to dress like a turkey if your birthday is near Thanksgiving, nor show up as a candy cane if your birthday is near Christmas.

Like any other special day, make your birthday your own.  It is your special day, and you should do what you want.

Founder's Birthday at Crimson

Saturday, October 8, 2011, we celebrated in style with our founder at an exciting nightspot - Crimson!  The party was an absolutely incredible success, with over 400 people coming out to wish him a happy birthday and enjoy an hour of sponsored open bar.  From 10pm on, the line stretched around the block, and all of those who were waiting to get in were not disappointed.

We set up in the upper VIP section, which was right next to the DJ booth.  This was an ideal spot, as it allowed us to see the amazing crowd partying with us on Saturday night.

Things got pretty wild throughout the night, as we were popping bottles of vodka and mixing up delicious drinks to share with all of our guests as we danced the night away.  The crowd was a great one, full of fabulous and fun people, and the party lasted until 4am, and every single minute was great.  If you missed this event, then you missed out.

If you are celebrating a birthday in NYC, then make sure you reach out to us so that we can help you have a similarly awesome party!

Update on our October 8th Party at Crimson in NYC!

If you haven't heard the great news, we thought that now would be a good time to share it.  Not only do we have an awesome venue for our launch party and founder's birthday celebration, but we also have a really amazing DJ to spin for the evening. It is now confirmed that we have DJ Jay Dabhi aka Lil' Jay (of 92.3 Now FM fame), providing music for our exciting NYC Birthday bash!

Little known fact: Lil' Jay began DJ'ing at the age of 14, and acquired his nickname from the time period where he used to stand on milk crates to reach the turntables.

So, if you already did not have enough incentive to come out and party with us at Crimson on Saturday, October 8th with the no cover and free open vodka bar, you now have yet another reason - we have DJ Jay DABHI rocking the turntables and spinning all night long.  The music starts at 10pm, the same time as the open bar, so make sure to arrive early and plan to stay late.  We are going to be partying all night long until 4am, so make sure you take a nap and come out well-rested!

TGIF!

One thing that we absolutely love about Fridays here at My NYC Birthday is the excitement that comes with knowing that the weekend is going be full of fabulous birthday celebrations!  There is nothing better than looking at a weekend calendar and knowing that you have played a role in helping so many people have great memories with friends and families as they celebrate a NYC Birthday.

As summer winds down, Fridays become even more important, because they remind us of the limited amount of time that we have left to celebrate at great rooftop venues like Hudson Terrace, Empire Hotel, Bar Basque, Rare Bar & Grill, and so many others.  Even though we will be celebrating with many friends at these venues during the winter months, we will definitely miss the thrill and excitement of celebrating under the night sky and partying with friends.

The weather might be changing, but our great services will stay the same or get even better.  My NYC Birthday will always be focused on customer service and providing the optimal New York City birthday experience, and we will always be striving to improve our website, client interaction, and event planning skills in order to better serve you.

"You blow out the candles, and we take care of the rest!" has been our motto, and sums up exactly how we feel about your special day.  You shouldn't have to worry about anything other than blowing out the candles, and that is what we always strive for - the perfect evening for you.

TGIF, because we live for the weekends and celebrating special occasions with you!

Our Big Birthday Bash! Launch Party!

It is hard for us to believe that the time is finally here for our Launch Party/Founder's Birthday Celebration!

Saturday, October 8, 2011, we will be celebrating in style at Crimson, located at 915 Broadway Street (corner of 21st Street), and we have all kinds of great things planned!  First and foremost, we will be taking care of everyone's cover charge the entire night.  The cover charge is normally $20, but we will be handling it all night!  Just say that you are there for My NYC Birthday, and we will take care of the rest.

Second, we are going to be having a special DJ in on Saturday.  You do not have to worry about the music, because we guarantee fabulous beats all night long.

Last, but not least, we are providing a free vodka open for one hour!  From 10 to 11pm, we are going to be providing you with unlimited amounts of vodka made any way that you like, so make sure to get there early and party with us - FOR FREE!

We are looking forward to seeing you out on Saturday, October 8, at 11pm, as we celebrate in style!

Whiteout Party

The end of summer is an interesting time for birthday parties and nightlife in general, so we thought we would do something very special this evening to say goodbye to summer.

Tonight, we will be celebrating the end of the season by hosting a Whiteout Party at Pranna with our friends at The Blaq List.  For those who are interested in having a great night and partying in style, we will be hosting an open bar from 10 to 11pm, and we will have three different DJ's cranking out the hottest mix of music all night long.  We will have all three floors of the venue open, and it looks like it is going to be crazy party.  The venue is expected to reach max occupancy, so we are recommending that everyone comes out early and well-rested - the good times are going to go all night long!

We will see you tonight at Pranna, located at 79 Madison Avenue between 28th and 29th Streets.  Bring your friends, and get ready for the time of your life.

Mondays

For most people, Mondays are a dreaded day.  It is hard to say goodbye to the weekend and start the work week, and the thought of that alarm going off on Monday morning is enough to make most people shiver in revulsion.

However, I see things a bit differently.  For me, Monday is a great day for two reasons.  First, it gives me a full opportunity to review the entire weekend in terms of parties and events, and provides a nice opportunity for introspection and learning.  If all of the New York birthday parties that we planned went off without a hitch, then it is a time to pat myself on the back.  If there were any bumps on the road, Monday provides an opportunity to review the issue, and then work to get it resolved so that it never happens again.  Most of the time it is something truly minor, but by going above and beyond and focusing on the little things, My NYC Birthday is a company that strives to make every experience perfect.

The second thing that I really like Monday is that it typically means the start of a brand new week of birthday party planning.  It is great to start receiving new emails and phone calls from people who are seeking help in having the perfect party or event, and it feels so great to be able to answer all of their questions, provide insights and advice, and to work with them to plan out the perfect evening.

Some people might hate Monday, but as for me, it is a day that I look forward to each and every weekend.

New York Birthday Venues: How Do We Choose?

I wanted to provide a quick update to anyone who was curious about some new venues that we will potentially be working with in the upcoming future.  Next week, your favorite NYC birthday company will be considering the addition of several new venues, and it never fails after we add a new venue or two that we get asked the question, "How do you choose which venues to add?"

The answer to this question is complex, and depends on a variety of factors.  First and foremost, our main concern is making sure that our client who is celebrating their birthday is going to have a good time.  We want to ensure that when we plan everything out to perfection that the venue executes on their end as well. For us, this means that each and every birthday party guest is treated like the VIP that they are, that the venue has a pleasant staff, and that the venue is professional, safe, and fun.  If a venue cannot be all those things for our guests, then we do not work with them.

Another important thing for is a positive working relationship.  It is very important that the venues maintain open lines of communication, are open to feedback, and are willing to accommodate special requests upon occasion.  After all, this is the same level of courtesy and service that we provide for them, so it is important that we receive the same thing in return.  Just like when we were kids, the golden rule still reigns supreme in the New York birthday world: Do unto others as you would have them do to you.

We also like to spend some time at venues on different evenings before working with them as well.  This helps ensure that we have a very good idea of what the vibe, music, and culture of the venue is like from the moment someone walks in until the moment that they leave.  This helps us match our birthday parties up with the correct venues for their wants, needs, and desires.

Exciting times are ahead, and we look forward to updating you soon on the new venues that will be joining our exciting lineup of top NYC birthday clubs, bars, and lounges.

Why I Love Being a New York Birthday Planner

I really enjoy being a New York Birthday planner.  There is something great about helping people have a fantastic birthday, and I love providing a personal VIP service for all of our wonderful clients at My NYC Birthday.

One of the things that I find particularly rewarding is being a resource for people who are unfamiliar with the clubs, bars, and lounges in the city.  It feels great to be able to provide comprehensive information about every venue that we work with, and to be able to answer practically any question that is asked.  It also really helps keep me on my toes, because sometimes there is that question that I do not know the answer to, and it always seems to come from someone who is either new to the city or visiting.. The level of customer service that I believe in means that I am going to find out the correct answer and get back to the client quickly, and it is always great to learn something new and know that it is going to allow me to be able to help other clients in the future.

Another thing that I find particularly rewarding is helping extremely busy people have great birthday parties.  Whether it is a graduate student, banker, lawyer, mom, dad, or any other person who lacks spare time, my extensive knowledge of New York City nightlife allows me to really provide something that they would never be able to put together for themselves.  The amount of time that it takes to find venues, find out information, compare pricing and seating options, send out invitations, and all of the other vast array of things you have to do in order to plan your own birthday makes it hard for these busy people to put together an event that they will be happy with.  However, by being there for them and providing top-notch customer service, expertise, and asking the right questions, I can accomplish for these busy people what they cannot do for themselves: Planning the perfect NYC birthday party!

Something that I have become more appreciative of as My NYC Birthday continues to grow is the ability to negotiate discounts and deals for our clients.  One thing that I really love is being able to provide complimentary bottles for larger parties.  It is especially great to be able to help struggling graduate students who are living on loans to be able to have the kind of birthday that they cannot afford for themselves.  In addition, by having a good grasp on the pricing of each venue, I can help someone find an affordable spot that works for their friends' budgets as well.  Of course, it is definitely fun to plan a party that has a "the sky is the limit" budget, but there is something extremely fulfilling about helping a small budget look huge.  Everyone wants to feel special on their birthday, and I like making that happen.

My job is taking care of people, and it is something that I love to do.  There is something magical about ending each weekend knowing that you have helped people create memoriess that they and their friends will share for the rest of their lives.  I genuinely care about each of my clients, and it is always my hope that they will become something more as we work together.  The person that starts out as a stranger often becomes a friend, and that is perhaps the most rewarding aspect of working as a birthday planner.  I get to meet a wide range of people from all walks of life, am able to help them have incredible birthday experiences, and then have the opportunity to gain incredible new friends at every step along the way.  Planning NYC birthdays is what I do, but helping people have amazing memories and experiences is my passion, and I am extremely happy to say that I love being a New York birthday planner.

New York Birthdays: Cupcakes and Bottles at Pranna

After the last post, I thought this would be an appropriate picture to post after the discussion about bottle service in New York City.

This picture is from a birthday party at Pranna, and shows a delicious assortment of cupcakes with some bottles, mixers, and ice in the background at private table on the mezzanine level.  The picture was taken at a birthday party thrown in March, and is a nice illustration of the perks of bottle service.  The birthday girl has her own VIP area, delicious cupcakes for all of her friends, and of course great bottles to enjoy as she celebrates in style.  Pluls, she has a great view from her table, which sits high above the dance floor and looks down upon the DJ as he spins an awesome selection of Top 40 and hip-hop.

If you are celebrating your New York birthday, and want to have an experience that will truly make you feel on top of the world, cupcakes and your favorite alcohol certainly will not do anything but help you have a great evening.

New York Birthday - Bottle Service in a Nutshell

We often get calls at our New York birthday planning service asking us, "What is bottle service?"  This sometimes catches us by surprise, as bottle service is a mainstay aspect of NYC clubs and lounges, and has been for some time.  However, for those who are curious, this blog post discusses what bottle service actually is, and some of the costs associated with it.

"Bottle service" is the term given to VIP treatment at trendy hotspots and lounges where a person elects to purchase at least one bottle (but often more) of liquor.  Besides the bottle, the purchaser receives a premium seating area and table, and one-on-one attention from a staff member who will be responsible for delivering the bottle, glasses, and any associated mixers and chasers. 

In New York City, you can expect to pay a pretty penny for bottle service, and prices often start around $300 before tax and gratuity.  At some of the top venues, you may find yourself paying more than a $1,000 for premium liquors and champagnes.  Many first-time visitors or relative newcomers are surprised by the costs, but bottle service is considered a sign of status, so you can expect to pay accordingly.

On the other hand, bottle service can often provide some unique benefits that make it worth the high price.  Typically, bottle service means free, expedited entry into a club for the purchaser and his or her guests.  In addition, there is something special and very cool about bypassing the line and being escorted to your premium table that has to be experienced to be understood.

One of our customers' favorite things about our service is that we often offer complimentary bottles to large parties (normally at least 25 people), where we handle the cost of the bottle and let our clients handle the gratuity.  If you are having a birthday party in New York, make sure to check us out to enjoy this unique service that we offer.