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As baseball fans know, there’s always next year—but in the New York area, next year a new stadium will delight both the baseball faithful and meeting & event planners looking for new, unique and innovative space. The New York Mets and ARAMARK have announced the launch of Metropolitan Hospitality at Citi Field, a joint business venture creating a year-round hospitality destination for non-gameday events at the new home for the Mets beginning in the 2009 Baseball Season.

In addition to the diamond, the stands and bleachers, Citi Field will feature a range of meeting spaces, from intimate settings for 25 people to more expansive event space— as large as 22,500 square feet—for more than 1,500 attendees. Metropolitan Hospitality will market and book the array of elegant state-of-the-art meeting/event spaces at Citi Field, which will be accompanied by world-class cuisine—with either standard or customized menu options—and five-star service.

"The launch of Metropolitan Hospitality at Citi Field will create the finest and most unique destination for corporate meetings, receptions, and hospitality events in New York City," said Dave Howard, Executive Vice President, Business Operations, New York Mets. "Through this new joint business venture with ARAMARK, we can now offer new ways for our fans, New Yorkers, and those visiting our city to enjoy our new home on a year-round basis."

The new venture is another milestone in the relationship between ARAMARK and the Amazing Mets. The New York Mets and ARAMARK began their affiliation in 1995 and last year, a landmark, 30-year partnership was reached ensuring that ARAMARK will provide food, beverage, and retail merchandise services for Citi Field. Under terms of the agreement, ARAMARK became the exclusive concessionaire managing all concessions, retail stores, kiosks as well as luxury suites, clubs, and a specialty restaurant for the 45,000+-capacity ballpark. ARAMARK also manages culinary and retail services at KeySpan Park, home of the Mets’ Class-A affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Citi Field is nearing completion in a parking lot adjacent to Shea Stadium, the famed home of the Mets since the 1964 baseball season. The $850-million new field of dreams will be the setting for two exhibition games, during the last weekend of 2009 Spring Training, between the Boston Red Sox and the Mets. The first regular season game will come on April 14, 2009 against the San Diego Padres.

Citi Field evokes the "retro" design of recent baseball parks, such as Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. The exterior facade and entranceway is reminiscent of Ebbets Field, fabled home of the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers. The retro design showcases a "cozier" baseball stadium and heightened fan experience and is redolent with nostalgia for baseball history. It is also in keeping with the history of the New York Mets, an expansion franchise created in 1962 that took their name from a 19th Century "Base-Ball" club, the New York Metropolitans. Enthusiasm for Baseball and its traditions as the National Past Time will be one of the selling points of the space marketed by Metropolitan Hospitality.

The meeting space available at Citi Field includes the Jackie Robinson Rotunda (18,770 square feet of open multi-level space, with capacity for 1,640) a multi-level open space serving as Citi Field entrance—featuring a statue of Robinson and an exhibition on his life. The rotunda reportedly can be used in a variety of ways, such as an event/exhibition space or a welcoming entrance for meeting attendees. The Sterling Club (22,500 square feet of fully climate controlled luxury with private, direct entry and capacity for 1,600), located behind home plate spanning dugout to dugout, will be the most exclusive area of Citi Field, with accent chandeliers and high-end, classic décor, leather and soft upholstered sofas, banquettes and bar seating, a full-service kitchen, two high-end dining areas, and two elegant full-sized bars. The more intimate Ebbets Club Lounges (2,563 square feet, with a capacity for 213), located at First & Third Base, are fully climate-controlled, with views of the field from the club interior and featuring high-end concessions, two full bars, High Definition flat screen televisions, and restrooms with granite countertops, and Kohler fixtures; The Club Restaurant (6,040 square feet with a capacity for 350), offer full views of the field, tiered seating and fine-dining; The Excelsior Club Lounge (1,500 square feet, with a capacity of 500 to 800), features Bistro dining and cocktails. Other meeting and event areas include the Auditorium and Reception Area (3,679 square feet), Conference Rooms (719 square feet), General Admission Club (1,800 square feet) and Group Sales Club (1,493 square feet).

 In addition to a unique combination of retro baseball design and state-of-the-art meeting space, another selling point is the convenient location of Citi Field, minutes from Manhattan as well as New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport, and easily accessible by NYC Subway and the Long Island Railroad. Metropolitan Hospitality will market the space for conferences, corporate meetings, receptions, private parties, trade shows, and other events.

"Metropolitan Hospitality will create truly extraordinary experiences at Citi Field throughout the entire year," said Liza Cartmell, Group President, ARAMARK Sports and Entertainment. "Our team is fully prepared to assist event planners in executing their clients' vision. We will create a unique and complete New York entertainment experience that will change the way guests consider venues as entertainment destinations."

For more information on Citi Field meeting & event space, visit www.eventsatcitifield.com.

Meeting Planners, Event bookers and individuals seeking information regarding Metropolitan Hospitality at Citi Field should contact:

Heather Collamore, Director, Hospitality and Catering Events, New York Mets (718) 803-4032; heather.collamore@eventsatcitifield.com

Natily Santos, Senior Sales Manager, ARAMARK, (718) 565-3394; natily.santos@eventsatcitifield.com