Etched in a history of tradition with a culture cast in artistry and passion, the Corning Museum of Glass is a place to be inspired, educated and entertained. Founded in 1951, the museum was originally offered as a gift to the country in celebration of the Corning Glass Works Company’s 100th anniversary. When it opened, the museum consisted of a modest collection of 2,000 objects, two staff members and a petite library of documents that told the story of glass.
Today, the museum continues to exist as a nonprofit educational institute that preserves and expands the world’s understanding of glass. The facility has been blown up to encompass the world’s largest collection of glass, containing nearly 50,000 objects representing more than 3,500 years of glass history.
“My favorite thing about our venue is the diversity of activities that takes place at the Corning Museum of Glass and the creativity that is exposed daily which makes it a vibrant, unique centerpiece for our tourism-rich region,” said Scott Ignaszewski, event planning and production manager for the Corning Museum of Glass. “We have the ability to provide unique entertainment and team-building experiences through our use of glass. Our extensive campus allows us to give event participants an opportunity to make their own glass or to simply be awed by the completeness and beauty of 3,500 years of glass on display.”
Although the venue offers self-guided tours through the facility seven days a week, the space is so much more than a museum. After a recent $64 million expansion, the Corning Museum of Glass has earned its title as the largest space in the world devoted to the display and creation of contemporary art and design in glass. The meeting spaces at the museum come with a dedicated event planner to transform visions into realities, and the numerous meeting spaces offer a unique environment for evening receptions and dinners, large professional conferences, lectures, educational experiences for all ages and corporate recognition events.
The museum does not host weddings, wedding receptions, political or religious fundraising events, overnight sleepovers or proms, but it does provide a setting that will create a clear memory in the minds of event guests fortunate enough to experience this iridescent space.
Meeting Space
Events at the Corning Museum of Glass range from elegant banquets to early-morning power meetings. The museum offers nine rentable spaces for meetings of all types and sizes, including the Admissions Lobby (max 300), the Auditorium (max 800), Crossroads (max 70), the Glass Market Café (max 170), Innovation Center (max 150), Outdoor Areas (max 400), Rakow Library Atrium (max 150), the Seminar Room — Rakow Library (max 60) and the Upper West Bridge Lobby (max 150). Although meeting space at the museum can occasionally be limited during public hours, the event staff can usually find a way to accommodate meeting planner requests.
Plates and Bottles
Whether it’s a Tollhouse cookie snack, a networking hour of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres or even a formal black-tie affair, the Corning Museum’s exclusive catering company, Corning Incorporated Culinary Services, is prepared to make each event a gastronomic experience. Their services range from snacks and coffee for a meeting to a full complement of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. Because of the volume of events the museum hosts, the staff is able to offer a dedicated chef for each event to create unique creations with a specific focus on theme and individual food preferences and restrictions. Some galleries have food-and-beverage restrictions.
