How 23 Layers Built a Corporate Event Planning Firm That Clients Actually Trust

In a city where corporate event planners compete for clients on nearly every block, standing out takes more than a polished portfolio. For 23 Layers, the New York-based event production and design agency, what has separated the firm from the crowd is a philosophy built on specificity, selective client engagement, and a dogged commitment to quality over volume.

Founded in 2011 by Jessica Boskoff, 23 Layers operates from its Meatpacking District headquarters with a client roster that reads like a shortlist of the most recognized names in tech, retail, and consumer goods — Google, Spotify, Glossier, Airbnb, and Slack among them. For a boutique agency, that is no small thing. But according to Boskoff, scale was never the point.

“We are in the business of doing really good work,” Boskoff has said publicly. “And if you can do that and stay focused, you’ll stand out.” That statement, spare as it is, doubles as a mission statement for what 23 Layers has built over more than a decade as one of the most recognized corporate event planners in New York.

The Experience Behind the Agency

The agency’s origin story is grounded in firsthand experience across the hospitality and events world. Before founding 23 Layers, Boskoff worked as a media buyer at a prominent NYC agency and later took on a part-time role at Soho House New York, where she rotated through every department — restaurant, bar, kitchen, hotel, housekeeping, and front desk — before rising to Events and F&B Manager. She then spent five years as VP at Four Hundred, a boutique concierge firm, before deciding to launch her own company.

A Storytelling-Driven Approach to Events

That background in both operations and culture-shaping environments informed the way https://www.instagram.com/23layers/The agency does not treat events as logistical exercises. Instead, it frames each one as an act of brand storytelling — a perspective that has resonated with companies seeking corporate event planners in New York who can translate internal culture into an experience that lands with audiences.

An Integrated Team Structure

What distinguishes 23 Layers among event companies in NYC is the structure of the team itself. By housing producers and designers under one roof rather than outsourcing one function or the other, the agency creates an internal dialogue between creative vision and operational execution. That pairing tends to produce events that feel cohesive rather than assembled.

Industry Recognition and Awards

The agency has earned industry recognition commensurate with that approach. BizBash has awarded 23 Layers for Best Corporate Event Concept, Best Event of the Decade, Best Event Decor, and Best Staging and Set Design. Boskoff herself has been named to the Top 1,000 People in the U.S. Event Industry and the BizBash 40 Under 40 list. The New York City Economic Development Corporation has recognized 23 Layers as one of its top small business success stories.

The Power of Client Referrals

But awards aside, the agency’s reputation among corporate event planners in New York circles has been built primarily through referral. Clients who have worked with 23 Layers tend to return, and they tend to talk. In an industry where word-of-mouth carries weight, that cycle of trust is arguably the firm’s most durable asset.

A Selective Approach to Client Engagement

The company also makes deliberate choices about what it will and will not take on. Rather than pursuing every opportunity in the market, 23 Layers accepts projects selectively — a practice that allows the team to bring its full attention to each engagement rather than spread thin across a high volume of clients. That selectivity is not exclusivity for its own sake; it is a structural decision that supports quality.

Boutique Service with Global Reach

As one of the few remaining truly boutique event companies in NYC with a genuinely global footprint — the agency has produced events at Cannes Lions, in Australia, and across major U.S. markets — 23 Layers occupies an unusual position. It is small enough to offer the personalized service clients associate with a boutique firm, yet experienced enough to execute at the scale that major brands demand.

Final Thought

For companies searching for corporate event planners, NYC-based and globally capable, 23 Layers has spent more than a decade making the case that the two are not mutually exclusive.