Why are people from New York City hosting their bar and bat mitzvah parties at a venue in South Hackensack, New Jersey? No place on their side of the Hudson can match what Avenue Event Space offers. Avenue has the latest technology for hi-tech entertainment built in and decor that’s full of glamour and fun. A spacious parking lot with room for 200 cars seals the deal. And if you live on the New Jersey side of the Hudson, Avenue is a short drive from anywhere in Bergen and Essex counties.
When Jeff and Laura Ruderman were looking for a place to hold their daughter’s bat mitzvah party, they searched for a venue that would be a lot of fun and wouldn’t require hiring a party planner or choosing vendors themselves. They came across Avenue in an internet search and saw that it had the kind of amenities they were looking for. Jeff reached owner Yuval Graneviz who told him to come down and take a tour. “We did and we just fell in love,” said Ruderman. “It was the perfect venue.”
He was particularly pleased with how easy it was to work with Graneviz, who even threw in extras to help make the event special. “Yuval said, ‘The most important thing is you and your family should have a beautiful time. Your daughter should have a beautiful bat mitzvah. And these are the things that I think will do it.’ I really appreciated that.”
Ruderman loved how there was an area set up for adults, an area for kids and plenty of spaces where everyone could mingle. That’s just what Graneviz and his business partner Arial Pichard planned when they designed Avenue’s interior. Avenue has 13,000 square feet and can hold 350 people, 275-300 seated. The space is arranged so it’s almost like several different places in one. When you enter, you’re immediately greeted by a grass wall with hooks that can hold already filled champagne glasses. If the party is just for kids, the wall holds mocktails like the always popular daiquiri. The wall can also function as a decoration or be moved away. The bar for adults is there, with a soda fountain so that’s one less item to bring. Tables for buffet food service are usually set up in this area.
Clients can bring in their own caterer or let Granviz refer them to ones they work with frequently. The coat room is close by so you can easily hang up your coat and be ready to party. Tables and chairs for dining are set up across from the bar, and that’s where the adults eat and schmooze. Beautiful chandeliers decorate the ceiling from one end of the room to the other, with lighting that can be bright or dimmed. A huge 20-foot-long, 8-foot-high screen for photos and videos, mounted behind the stage and dance floor, anchors the middle of the room, and there are additional screens all over. The area favored by kids is on the other side of the stage, with a game wall and individual consoles at the end which is open during the cocktail hour.
“The kids came in and ran to the kids’ section and stayed there mostly, or on the dance floor,” said Ruderman. “The adults hung out on the other side and it worked out just perfectly. You’re all in the same room and it’s beautifully decorated, but you can have your own space. The DJ, the MC and the motivators were incredible. They kept the girls busy with different activities. Dancing, fun stuff and giveaways. The girls had an amazing time.” He loved that there were screens around the room so everyone could watch the montage comfortably from wherever they were.
Ruderman initially thought he would have food delivered but Graneviz helped him find people to prepare and set up the food in a way that fit into his budget, and he advised them on the number of servers and bartenders he needed. Ruderman said the food was delicious and the girls went crazy over the candy bar, which was yet another recommendation by Graneviz.
The large capacity parking lot was essential for Ruderman’s guests. His family is in Livingston and his daughter has friends from school and camp who come from northern New Jersey and Westchester. Avenue was convenient for all of them.
There is only one function per day so timing can be flexible. Ruderman said one of the girls from his daughter’s camp planned her bat mitzvah party at another venue at the same time as his daughter’s party, and they didn’t know until close to the event. Graneviz agreed to shift the timing so the girls could attend both parties. “His flexibility was just one of so many options to make Summer’s party a dream come true,” Ruderman said.
While bar and bat mitzvah parties are very popular, the Avenue hosts events of all kinds including weddings, sheva brachot and fundraising events. Even proposals. Graneviz said the proposal they hosted was planned so that the kallah-to-be thought she was going as a guest to someone else’s event. Her family hid until after the young man proposed on the dance floor and she said “yes.” Then it was party time.
Malka Neuman had two different events at Avenue: her son’s bar mitzvah and a women’s fundraising event with her group, “Friends on a Mission,” to support Israel, with Zumba and boutiques. “The hall is great; it’s like one-stop shopping. A person could go there and do everything for themselves or there are packages,” said Neuman, who owns Airbnb properties and has been a party planner. She was impressed with how little she had to do for her son’s bar mitzvah. “The hall comes with all the tables and chairs and all the decorations, which is a very big plus. Usually when you go to a hall you have to invest a lot in decorating. In this place you don’t. Everything is there.”
The giant screen attracts attention and creates a vibe from the moment guests walk in, said Neuman. “You feel right away that you’re at a party. You feel the energy. You feel the light. You have that big screen in the back and you can do many different things with the screen, with all the photographs circulating.” The tables all have QR codes so that guests can take selfies and photos with friends to upload that are shown on the screen. Neuman also liked that Yuval arranged the DJ and giveaways.
She called Arial one of the best motivators she’s ever seen. “He’s absolutely phenomenal in his energy and drawing the crowd to the dance floor, from the kids to the older guests. It’s a real gift.” With the different areas for adults and kids, there can also be separate activities. “When the adults are eating and the kids just want to continue having fun, that’s when the MC will bring the kids onto the dance floor and do all kinds of activities with them. And when it’s time for everybody to be together, he will draw the adults back into the crowd.”
Neuman’s fundraising event had a totally different arrangement and feel. “We didn’t have any tables and chairs, so it was just one big area to dance. We pushed away all the couches and tables against the walls so there was still space for people who just wanted to sit. And then we had little stands throughout the room with the things we were selling like jewelry and clothing.” Neuman said she hopes to have more events supporting Israel at the Avenue. “Yuval and Arial were wonderful and they’re a pleasure to work with,” she said. “They were so kind and generous to help out in the cause of Israel and I will definitely continue doing events there, absolutely.”
Visit the Avenue online at www.avenueeventspace.com; www.instagram.com/avenueeventspace; and www.facebook.com/AvenueEventSpace.
Bracha Schwartz is special sections editor at The Jewish Link.
