![Andrew Lustgarten Hudson Yards HYE MSG](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.sportico.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Lustgarten_HY.png?w=1280&h=720&crop=1)
Former Madison Square Garden Sports CEO Andrew Lustgarten is taking a leadership role at another high-end New York venue, one just a few blocks away from his previous office.
Lustgarten will be the first executive chairman of Hudson Yards Experiences (HYE), which operates a handful of spaces in Midtown Manhattan’s Hudson Yards development. They include an observation deck (Edge), a 10,000-square-foot restaurant and event space (Peak) and an aerial adventure course (City Climb). Lustgarten is also investing in the joint venture that owns the assets.
His arrival comes alongside two other senior leadership hires at HYE, both involving former MSG executives who worked previously with Lustgarten. Francesca Merlino will be the group’s chief commercial officer; Joseph Wittmann will be its general manager.
“It’s a really interesting business model,” Lustgarten said Monday in a phone interview. “To me, live entertainment can be very similar, and this is just another form of live entertainment, but I don’t think there’s anything like it in the New York area. On top of being an observation deck and great tourism asset, it’s a restaurant, there’s nightlife, there’s partnership opportunities, it’s the only place in New York City where you can climb a skyscraper, and I had the ability to bring in a great team.”
He declined to comment on the financial specifics of his investment.
Located on the west side of Manhattan, Hudson Yards is one of the largest sports and entertainment developments in North America. It was spearheaded by Related Companies, the real estate group founded by billionaire Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, and its retail and shops alone currently see about 14 million visitors per year, Lustgarten said. HYE operates its venues on behalf of a joint venture led by Related and KKR (NYSE: KKR).
Lustgarten, who is an executive advisor to KKR, was president of the combined MSG companies, then helped lead their split in April 2020, staying with MSG Sports as CEO until stepping down in late 2022. In his various MSG roles, he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers and the Radio City Rockettes franchise, plus its portfolio of venues. He also led MSG’s acquisitions of Tao Hospitality Group and Hakkasan, and investments into DraftKings and Townsquare Media. He remains on the MSG Sports board.
Lustgarten said his immediate goal is to strengthen the HYE customer experience and to explore other ways to utilize the group’s three main spaces. As an example, he referenced the city’s July 4 fireworks show, which is moving back to the Hudson River, near Hudson Yards, after more than a decade in the East River.
“There’s an opportunity to throw a party, and have music,” he said. “The team has done things like that in the past, and I think as we look into it, there will be more opportunities to program the space in new and different ways.”
He also said there are opportunities to expand the group’s corporate partnerships, which currently include deals with Mastercard and AT&T.
Wittmann has experience in Hudson Yards. He spent almost five years running facilities and operations at The Shed, an arts venue in the development. Prior to that, he spent over a decade at MSG, where he managed a number of the group’s venues, including the Beacon Theatre in New York and the Chicago Theatre in Illinois.
Merlino was most recently CMO of Hornblower Group, a cruise and ferry company. Before that she spent seven years at MSG overseeing marketing and media planning for the New York Knicks, New York Rangers and other events.