Shackman Associates

What Shackman Associates does

Shackman Associates, operating as The Shackman Group, Inc., is a New York City-based destination management company (DMC) founded in 1992 by Karen Shackman. The firm provides end-to-end destination management and special event services for enterprise clients, covering accommodation booking, transportation coordination, hospitality staffing, venue selection, event design and production, entertainment, and on-site management for corporate meetings, incentive travel programs, conferences, and private events. Its service portfolio follows a platform-plus-modules architecture: a core DMC and special events foundation is augmented by add-on experience modules such as themed team building, wellness programming, private shopping, and evening experiences including Broadway, speakeasy tours, and yacht events. The business is differentiated by decades of in-city vendor relationships and a curated access advantage to high-demand NYC venues.

The company serves three primary customer segments: corporate clients (the dominant segment, including global Fortune 500 firms across financial services, technology, healthcare, consumer products, and automotive), professional and trade associations running conventions in NYC, and companies seeking incentive travel experiences. Customer engagements are project-based, with proposals and pricing quoted per engagement and varying by attendee count, scope, and customization; no subscription, platform, or self-serve channel exists. Distribution is exclusively direct enterprise sales supported by inbound from industry referrals, search visibility, and association memberships across ADME, MPI, SITE, FICP, WBENC, and NYC Tourism + Conventions/PCMA.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees, with international reach achieved indirectly through the Global DMC Partners network rather than via owned international offices. The company holds a Pandemic Compliance Advisors certification and operates as a privately held, founder-controlled entity with no disclosed outside capital, subsidiaries, or M&A activity. Technology is not a material component of the offering; the firm operates a Wix-hosted website and LinkedIn/Instagram social presence for marketing and lead generation but does not disclose any proprietary event-management platform, API, or AI capability.

Name

Shackman Associates

Legal name

The Shackman Group, Inc.

Website

https://shackmanny.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Shackman Associates is a New York City-based destination management and special events company serving enterprise corporate clients, associations, and incentive travel groups with end-to-end event planning, venue sourcing, and on-site management since 1992.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Management Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Accommodation Sourcing & Contracting (Room Blocks, Allotments) (THAHADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer/User Conferences & Client Advisory Boards (THAHAMAD), Company All-Hands, Town Halls & Leadership Offsites (THAHAIAB)

Keywords

• Destination management services
• Corporate event planning
• Special event production
• Incentive travel programs
• Meeting coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Destination Management Services: The company generates revenue through professional services fees for destination management, special event planning, and coordination services in New York City. Services include accommodation bookings, transportation coordination, hospitality staffing, venue selection, event design, production, entertainment booking, and on-site event management. Revenue is project-based, tailored to client requirements and event scope.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shackman Associates is a New York City-based destination management company that plans, coordinates, and executes corporate meetings, incentive travel programs, conferences, and special events for enterprise clients. The firm arranges accommodation bookings, transportation, hospitality staffing, unique New York activities, evening experiences, venue site selection, event design and production, decor, entertainment, and on-site event management. Engagements are bespoke and delivered on a per-project basis, primarily for corporations, associations, and incentive travel groups visiting or operating events in NYC.

Product overview

Shackman Associates is a destination management and special events company based in New York City offering a comprehensive suite of event planning services. The core offering consists of DMC Services (accommodation, transportation, hospitality staffing, activities, evening experiences, meetings & conferences) and Special Events (site selection, theme & design, event management, decor, entertainment). The company differentiates through specialized add-on modules including team building activities (escape rooms, axe throwing, beer brewing, break dancing), evening experiences (speakeasy tours, Broadway, yacht events), private shopping experiences, and wellness programming. Additional services cover incentive travel programs, venue sourcing, and unique NYC experiences. The portfolio represents a platform-plus-modules architecture with core event planning services as the foundation, augmented by specialized activity and experience modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DMC Services Destination management services for corporate groups visiting New York City, including accommodation booking, transportation coordination, hospitality staffing, New York activities, evening experiences, meetings & conferences, and event enhancements.
• Special Events End-to-end special event planning services for corporate clients including site selection, theme & design, event management & production, decor, entertainment, and embellishments.
• Corporate Meetings & Conferences Planning and coordination of corporate meetings, conferences, and conventions for destination groups in New York City.
• Incentive Travel Programs Incentive travel program design and execution for corporate groups visiting New York City.
• Corporate Event Venue Sourcing Sourcing and booking of unique corporate event venues including historic bank vaults, speakeasies, industrial lofts, boutique hotels, and iconic New York landmarks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Seamless execution of complex multi-day programs for groups of 150+ attendees
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Geographic Encounter: Ocean OdysseycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2017Preferred event partnership with National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey, a state-of-the-art attraction in Times Square. The partnership allows Shackman Associates to offer exclusive event experiences incorporating the venue's interactive ocean-themed entertainment for corporate groups.
• Association of Destination Management Executives (ADME)minorOthersProfessional association membership providing networking, industry best practices, and credibility within the destination management industry.
• Meeting Professionals International (MPI)minorOthersProfessional association membership connecting the company with meeting planners and event professionals globally.
• NYC Tourism + Conventions / PCMAminorOthersProfessional association membership and destination marketing organization connection for visibility and industry relationships in New York.
• Financial & Insurance Conference Planners (FICP)minorOthersSpecialized association membership serving meeting planners in the financial and insurance sectors.
• Society of Incentive Travel Executives (SITE)minorOthersProfessional association for incentive travel professionals, providing networking and industry recognition opportunities.
• Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)minorOthersCertification and networking organization for women-owned businesses, providing credibility and potential business development opportunities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PRA Destination Management: PRA is one of the largest global DMC networks, offering destination management, event production, and incentive travel services across multiple US and international markets. It directly competes with Shackman for enterprise MICE programs, particularly with multinational clients needing multi-destination coverage.
• HelmsBriscoe: HelmsBriscoe is the largest hotel sourcing and site-selection firm globally, with deep relationships across meeting planners and corporate procurement. It overlaps directly with Shackman's accommodation-booking and venue-sourcing functions within the broader DMC value chain.
• ConferenceDirect: ConferenceDirect is a US-headquartered meetings and event management company offering venue sourcing, conference planning, and on-site logistics to enterprise and association clients. It is a direct DMC competitor to Shackman, particularly for corporate meetings and association conventions.
• AlliedPRA: AlliedPRA is a US destination management company delivering DMC services, event production, and incentive travel across major US markets. It is a directly comparable DMC peer competing for the same enterprise MICE RFPs that Shackman pursues.
• Quintessentially Events: Quintessentially Events is a luxury events and DMC operator with strong NYC presence, serving high-end corporate and private clients with bespoke experiences. Comparable to Shackman's premium NYC positioning, particularly for incentive travel and exclusive event design.
• ITA Group: ITA Group is a corporate engagement and incentive travel company offering event design, incentive programs, and meetings management for Fortune 500 clients. Comparable to Shackman in incentive travel and corporate event delivery, with similar enterprise client base.

Broad incumbents

• BCD Meetings & Events: BCD Meetings & Events is a large-scale global MICE management provider offering strategic meetings management, event production, and incentive travel under a managed-program model. It competes with Shackman at the enterprise tier but with a much broader geographic and service footprint.
• American Express Meetings & Events: American Express Meetings & Events is a global incumbent MICE management provider offering end-to-end meeting, event, and incentive program services to multinational enterprises. Comparable service overlap with Shackman but operates at significantly larger scale across global markets.
• Maritz Global Events: Maritz Global Events is a long-established US meetings, incentives, and events company serving large enterprise clients with full-service program design and execution. Overlaps with Shackman on corporate incentive travel and meetings but operates as a broader incumbent at materially greater scale.

Emerging players

• Cvent: Cvent is an event technology platform providing venue sourcing, event management software, attendee engagement, and on-site solutions. It is not a direct DMC but increasingly encroaches on venue sourcing and event logistics layers that historically sit inside DMC scope, making it an emerging competitive threat to Shackman's traditional service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-shackman-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/shackmanassociates_newyork/?hl=en

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shackman Associates