The NFBC Will Be At The Stewart Hotel In New York In 2018

[Tom Kessenich]

We're happy to let everyone know that our New York events in 2018 will be hosted at The Stewart Hotel in New York City. The hotel is near Madison Square Garden and Penn Station so close to the Hotel Pennsylvania where we hosted the NFFC event this year (and will return to in 2018). We're happy to have this great location finalized and we can move forward with our 15th season of events in the Big Apple.

Check out the link below for more info about the hotel:

https://www.stewarthotelnyc.com/?utm_so ... s_tracking

Here is the New York Schedule of Events. We can certainly add other events where there's interest. Someone mentioned a Super League on Saturday night. We'd be up for that if others want it. Anyway, here's the tentative schedule:

NEW YORK
Friday March 16
9 am ET $1,300 Auction Championship
2:30 pm ET $2,500 Auction Championship
4 pm ET $1,300 Auction Championship
8 pm ET Ultimate League (15 Teams)

Saturday March 17
1 pm ET Main Event
6 pm ET $750 RotoWire Online Championship Plus
6 pm ET $1,300 Auction Championship

Sunday March 18
9 am ET Main Event
1 pm ET $1,300 Auction Championship
1 pm ET $750 RotoWire Online Championship Plus

[Tom Kessenich]

Greg went through a detailed explanation about our decision to go to the Stewart Hotel in the Las Vegas Venues thread and I wanted to provide some additional comments here for those looking to return to NY or play there for the first time.

I'll begin by saying our top choice for baseball this year was to return to the Hotel Penn due to a sensational experience there with the NFFC this past September. Unfortunately, they didn't have available space but my contact there worked with me to help secure the Stewart Hotel and I couldn't be happier. The reasons why are simple:

1. It's more affordable. As Greg said we simply could not continue to host our events at the Hilton. Their pricing had become outrageous and last year it became unbearable so we had to find an alternative moving forward. It was either that or we no longer host events in NYC which, as Greg said, is common practice in the high stakes industry with every company except ours. The Hotel Penn stepped up and we went back there for the NFFC and people LOVED IT. We provided free WiFi (something we could not afford to do at the Hilton), the ballroom was terrific and the food outstanding. For those of you who know NY players in both sports please ask them for their thoughts about the Penn this year. I had people coming up to me the entire weekend and afterwards saying how much fun they had, how great the food was, how ideal the location is etc. I expect nothing less from the Stewart Hotel.

2. Tying into point 1. By finding a more affordable location that also provides a first-class atmosphere we not only can continue running events in NYC but do not have to add additional fees onto you the players who come there. In our estimation that's a rather significant incentive rather than paying outrageous fees just to be closer to Times Square. The reality was if we were going to do that we would've had no other choice but to make you pay more to justify the expenses. Greg nor I wanted to do that and neither did anyone at SportsHub. Fortunately, we have found locations that will prevent that from happening.

I understand people may be unsure about a new location after the past several years at the Hilton. I get it. But I think it's unfair to say it's going to fail or think the sky is falling because we're going to a location that isn't Times Square in big, bold lights. We're not trying to be cheap but we have to be intelligent. We want to continue to offer a great live event experience like we always have but we can't just throw money down the toilet foolishly. So there is a balance and it's one we've dealt with for a long time in NY but one I now feel is entirely manageable thanks to locations like the Penn and Stewart.

If anyone has any questions or concerns about our new New York location feel free to contact me. I'll be happy to discuss more about what we're doing, why we're doing it and how nothing we're doing will make your live event experience any less enjoyable than it has been every year since 2004.

Sound good?

[King of Queens]

Thanks, Tom. I checked it out and The Stewart looks just fine:

https://www.oyster.com/new-york-city/ho ... art-hotel/

I am aware of the time and attention that you give to finding draft venues that are suitable for both the customers and the bottom line. Please know that your efforts are appreciated.

See you in March!

[Tom Kessenich]

Thanks, Tom. I checked it out and The Stewart looks just fine:

https://www.oyster.com/new-york-city/ho ... art-hotel/

I am aware of the time and attention that you give to finding draft venues that are suitable for both the customers and the bottom line. Please know that your efforts are appreciated.

See you in March!

Thanks Glenn. Appreciated. I Face Timed with my contact and saw the ball rooms at the Stewart. Everything looked good. I have no concerns and see no legitimate reason to be concerned.

As you know, I've been working hard the past couple of years to find a location that not only met our demands but our customer's as well while also not putting a ridiculous dent in our budget. That has not been easy which is one of the reasons why we've often struggled to find one location and stay there, especially in Manhattan. The cost there simply is not conducive to continue running our events. That's just the bottom line. I told you and some other NFFC New York players that very thing after our 2016 event. At that time, I thought we would be going to the Penn for 2017 NFBC but that didn't work out. The Hilton had space and we returned but, quite simply, it was a financial disaster. I flew from there to Vegas for our second week of events and told our new boss there was no way we were going back to the Hilton at that price. It was completely ridiculous.

So we went to the Penn for the NFFC, the event was terrific and we'll go to the Stewart for baseball and I see no reason to expect anything less in March.

[rickerbockerNFBC]

I honestly don't get it. The Stewart looks nice enough. The rooms are affordable. And the location isn't horrible. I'd much rather draft in NYC while not paying fees to do so than stay at the Hilton. Just my 2 cents. I'm very much looking forward to the live drafts this year.

[JohnP]

I ask you......

Stewart or Sheraton?
Honking taxis or suburban serenity?
New York deli or Chicago Deep Dish Pie?
Yuengling or Goose Island 312?
Shark infested waters or regular Joe home league?
MtM and his entourage or a pair of Morgans, a bellowing Coz, a pair of Brinkmans (with own 50" screen), and a peering Diedrich?
New York skyline or a landfill? Ok - that one is close.
Sirius XM.....we have that one covered too....Rotowire DVR a Chicago regular.

[COZ]

I ask you......

Stewart or Sheraton?
Honking taxis or suburban serenity?
New York deli or Chicago Deep Dish Pie?
Yuengling or Goose Island 312?
Shark infested waters or regular Joe home league?
MtM and his entourage or a pair of Morgans, a bellowing Coz, a pair of Brinkmans (with own 50" screen), and a peering Diedrich?
New York skyline or a landfill? Ok - that one is close.
Sirius XM.....we have that one covered too....Rotowire DVR a Chicago regular.

In Chicago, we don't complain, let alone write scathing MB novella's, we adapt. Diedrich refuses to go to an eye doctor & can't read the draft screen? He simply brings his binoculars to the draft. A laptop is too small for the duo of Team Brinkman to see?They simply bring an enormous stand-alone LCD screen. Not enough coffee for Vince Clemente? He brings his own starbuck-sized coffee container. Not enough beer for Jay Lyons? (audience shouts: there is never enough beer for Jay Lyons) He befriends the hispanic bartender who barely speaks english who let's Jay have free reign of the bar to grab his own beer at will. Shit for Chicago they really should just hold the draft in a circus tent instead of a conference room.

[Doctor Who]

Tom, Hilton sucked as far as customer service last year in the rooms department and I think I even remember telling you everything was so expensive there. The location was great yes, but that was about it for me. I was more worried about you and I drinking during these events as know we had drink tickets at the Hilton last year and know they were charging insane prices per beer. I look forward to exploring around the new hotel, and if Andy already has his Irish bar on lockdown, then I doubt I will see much of a difference between my redbull and vodkas. Thanks for calming my stupidness of seeing that a cash bar would be there instead. You guys continue to worry about us while taking crap from some of us, so thank you for still trying to give us the best experience possible even if we are dumb-dumbs like me sometimes!