The New York Convention Center Operating Corporation President and CEO Alan Steel announced the official launch of “Jake,” on Jan. 11. Jake is a new online portal for exhibitors to order a wide range of products and services for upcoming events at the Javits Center on Manhattan’s West Side. The new portal allows customers to order more than 200 products and services from the javitscenter.com website, including electrical and cleaning services, audio equipment and lighting fixtures.
This online system is featured on a redesigned website that highlights many of the recent initiatives at the convention center. With this new portal, exhibitors can obtain price quotes for anticipated services, review costs before placing orders, receive electronic receipts and order confirmations and review a detailed Jake order history by event, making it easier to place orders for future events.
“The Javits Center is an international hub of commerce and culture, and this new online portal will make it easier than ever for our customers to visit and unveil their latest idea or invention,” said Steel. “From a technology transformation to a security overhaul, Jake epitomizes the recent progress we have made as an organization, and we are proud to offer this new service that simplifies the ordering process for thousands of customers. By combining technology and transparency, we are providing a better experience for exhibitors who depend on us to create a successful event.”
Each year, nearly 40,000 companies from around the world exhibit at the Javits Center, and the ordering process for construction and set-up services needed to build those exhibits can often be challenging for first-time customers. Jake has been designed to digitize and simplify the entire ordering process, eliminating most of the manual and paper-based transactions that process thousands of invoices and work assignments each year. Through Jake, exhibitors can easily browse, select and purchase various products and services online, creating a series of electronic work orders and receipts for employees and customers. As a result, Jake represents a new era for operations at the Javits Center, accelerating the organization’s work flow while enhancing the accuracy and accountability of each order and assignment. In this first phase of Jake, only exhibitors will be able to place orders by creating an account with a valid email address and a desktop computer or mobile device.
With up to 5,000 full-time and part-time employees each year, the Javits Center also has launched an internal software platform called OneJavits to interface with Jake and further modernize day-to-day operations. This new software will automate the scheduling of work assignments and integrate these assignments with customer orders to ensure a more efficient process. Another component of OneJavits is a self-service site for all employees, who can update personal information, schedule availability and view payroll records online.
These new software platforms will become critical to enhancing operations at the Javits Center as an ongoing expansion project moves forward at the north end of the six-block campus. Announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2016 and led by the New York Convention Center Development Corporation and Empire State Development, the expansion is set to bring 500,000 square feet of contiguous exhibition space on Level 3, more than 100,000 square feet of new meeting room space, a 55,000-square foot ballroom, a rooftop terrace and an on-site truck garage set to house all event-related trucks, increasing the efficiency of the move-in/move-out process and reducing area congestion. Set for completion in 2021, the expansion hopes to attract more high-profile events to New York and generate 6,000 permanent jobs and nearly $400 million in additional annual economic activity for the region.
The implementation of Jake and OneJavits are the latest improvements at the Javits Center after a series of major enhancements to the building’s infrastructure, operations and management team, as well as major overhauls to its technology and security systems. From 2009-2014, the facility underwent a major renovation that included sustainable upgrades and LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The $463 million renovation included the installation of more than 6,000 bird-friendly, translucent glass panels, more than 100 energy-efficient HVAC units and a 6.75-acre green roof, which now serves as a home to 26 bird species, five bat species and thousands of honeybees.
Known as the “Marketplace for the World,” the Javits Center was originally designed by I.M. Pei & Partners and opened in 1986. The iconic facility has since become New York City’s primary venue for large conventions, trade shows and special events and serves as home to many of the world’s top 250 trade shows, hosting millions of visitors a year. These events generate up to $2 billion in economic activity and support more than 17,000 jobs a year. Located on 11th Avenue between West 34th and West 40th streets, in Manhattan, the Javits Center has 760,000 square feet of flexible exhibition space, 102 meeting rooms and four banquet halls, as well as a range of technology services, including state-of-the-art Wi-Fi capabilities. For more info, visit www.javitscenter.com.
