To the joy of the property world’s movers and shakers, the Real Estate Board of New York is moving its annual winter celebration to the reborn Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Jan. 22.
The gathering previously known as the REBNY Gala is now the REBNY Annual. After the pandemic reduced it to Zoom status in 2021, the actual event was shunted in 2022 from its previous longtime home at the New York Hilton to the Glasshouse on 12th Avenue — which wasn’t wildly popular with attendees who missed the old seated dinner with pomp and circumstance.
It was held there in the spring for two years before REBNY moved it back to January in 2025. Guests in both seasons disliked the new, strolling-and-snacking format that was “just like the dozens of brokers’ parties we go to every year,” as one legendary rainmaker told Realty Check.
The 130th REBNY gathering in January aims to restore the event’s glamour. It will be held in the Waldorf’s restored Grand Ballroom and feature red-carpet arrivals, a cocktail reception and a formal awards dinner where some of the industry’s leading lights will be honored.
A portion of proceeds will support REBNY’s social impact initiatives.
