AES NYC PROFILE: Alisa Reich, Sales Manager
Venue SeekTell me a little about yourself.
Hi my name’s Alisa. Not to be confused with the wonderful Alyssa, who is the genius behind all things Center415 😉 I’m from Lawrence, NY and I came to the city for college in 2007 at Manhattan School of Music. I’m a trained opera singer and anybody that knows me, knows that I’m always singing something. I have tons of energy and a bubbly personality.
What is your role here at AES NYC?
While AES NYC exclusively manages a bunch of venues, we also have an arm of the company called Venue Seek that I lead. Aside from Center415, Ramscale, M Studio and The Gramercy we have a network of connections, pop-up spaces and venues. I work one-on-one with clients to find the best possible venue for their events. My job is to show clients the spaces and help them envision their events in the space.
I also work closely with AES NYC CEO/President Dan Kobin to find new venues to add to the AES NYC fleet. Sometimes that means I’m running up and down 5th Avenue to scout the perfect storefront for a client. I also reach out to event, design, experiential and corporate companies to meet with their teams to present AES NYC’s venues and services to see how we can work best together in the future.
What is your favorite thing about the job?
I’m the kind of person that loves being on my feet, so I love running around the city showing clients different venues. Meeting new people and hearing about their creative events excites me. I love that there’s no “typical day” for me. I can start my day at Center415, run to Gramercy, then out to Brooklyn and end my day at Ramscale and that’s the kind of day that makes me love my job!
What draws you to events?
I’ve been told before that I have somewhat of a big personality as well as having my performance background. There’s something about events that goes very nicely hand in hand with performing. There’s preparation, planning, teamwork and excitement. I have been told before that I’m a natural planner, I’m always the person gathering my friends and family to do all kinds of fun things.
My mom loves to tell the story about the time we were in London, when I was 10 years old, my family was waiting in line for the Jack the Ripper museum. The wait was over an hour long. However, I saw a sign that said, if you have a group of 10 or more people, you don’t have to wait in line. Me being the outgoing person I am, decided to go up to each person in line behind us and convince them to join in a group with us so that we didn’t have to wait in line. You better bet that we got right in and had a blast with our new stranger friends.
With that being said, you can start to understand why events and I fit hand in hand so well together.
What has been your favorite event you’ve managed?
It’s so hard to pick a favorite event. I’ve loved them all for different reasons. If I had to pick a favorite event so far, I would have to say the Versace show at the American Stock Exchange.
This event was absolutely beautiful and I learned so much. I had the opportunity to work very closely with the production team and saw the event through from start to finish. I got a thrill from meeting Donatella Versace and seeing all of her gorgeous designs. Looking back on this event now, I’m extremely thankful for the experience.
What is one thing you want everyone to know about your role?
I am the kind of person that doesn’t give up. When a client approaches me with an event that they’re in search of a venue for, I will search high and low to find the perfect space to fit their needs. There is no challenge too big or too small, I love them all. I like to think that I’m rather creative and resourceful so if a client has an open mind and vision for an event, I can certainly help them.