The Greyline is a Zingerman’s event venue in downtown Ann Arbor. What makes it the ideal spot for your next gathering? So glad you asked! From working with a personal event planner to the incredible food to a customizable space, the perks are numerous. We’ve narrowed it down to a list of our top 10 reasons to go Greyline:
1. Flexible Space for Hosting a Wide Variety of Events
Our all-inclusive, indoor venue is ideal for casual social events, professional corporate gatherings, and everything in between. We’ve hosted corporate meetings, training sessions, panel discussions, upscale wedding celebrations, birthday parties (for kids and adults, there’s no age limit on celebrations), rehearsal dinners, bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs, storytelling events, tailgate parties, concerts, book release parties… we could keep going, but we think you get the idea! With a capacity of up to 120 seated and 150 strolling, the Greyline’s flexible floorplan can be configured to accommodate your event, too.
2. Stellar Service—Including a Dedicated Event Planner!
Wouldn’t it be great to have someone help guide you through the event planning process? At the Greyline, you do! Our experienced event planners will help you with all of the details, so the planning process lets you focus on the excitement of the event and minimize your stress. We can assist with mapping out floor plans, figuring out the ideal timing of each aspect of your event, deciding what kind of bar works best for your guests, making sure all your cousins’ kids have chicken and mac and cheese to eat, and so much more.
We’ll work with you to design a memorable menu (more on that in a moment) sure to wow your guests and we’re happy to help give recommendations for entertainment, flowers, decor, and where to seat Aunt Edna. (Okay, the last one might not be our area of expertise, but we are here to talk through all sorts of scenarios and help you come up with plans.) On the day of, our service staff will be on point, taking care of all of the guests and the behind-the-scenes details so you can relax and enjoy the event.
3. Full Flavored Food—Guests Will Gush Over Your Great Taste
From its inception, Zingerman’s has been committed to delivering delicious, traditionally made foods to its customers, presented in an entertaining, educational, and service-oriented setting. The Greyline is a part of the Zingerman’s Delicatessen family, so your event is catered by the same team that makes and buys all the great food at the Deli. And we never stop working to improve the quality of our food, find more authentic ingredients, and improve techniques in an ongoing effort to offer up ever-more flavorful food.
As the exclusive caterer for the Greyline, we’re committed to serving the best food we can find in a style that works for your event, from passed appetizers to buffets to plated entrées served to each of your guests. We have a lot of experience accommodating special food requests and dietary restrictions—we’re happy to help plan a menu that all your guests can enjoy.
4. A Beautifully Appointed Space
Zingerman’s Greyline has the ideal blend of historic and modern elements. The history of the space is imbued inside and out. The exterior preserves the original historic limestone facade and neon sign from the Ann Arbor Bus Depot—built in 1940, it’s the last surviving example in Ann Arbor of the Streamline Moderne style of architecture. (Photo ops don’t get much more dramatic than on the city sidewalk with a landmark backdrop of our neon bus sign!) Our interior decor’s classic elegance highlights the building’s Art Deco history and is intentionally understated to leave room for you to customize the space for your event (hang tight, more on that below).
5. Included Rentals—Essentials Aren’t Extra
Hidden fees and surprise charges can really rain on your proverbial event-planning parade. That’s why all of your event essentials are covered, like tables, chairs, glassware, china, linens… We know that isn’t the case for every venue, but if it’s an item that you can’t hold the event without (fork yeah, flatware is essential!), it should be included in the price.
Of course, if custom is your middle name (Hello, colorful tablecloths and specialty glassware!), we’re happy to help you make that happen. Additional rental charges will be clearly identified in your proposal.
6. Powerful Set-up
We provide free WIFI in the space for your guests, and the bandwidth is ample for large groups downloading large amounts of data (whether it’s work-related content or a tableful of gamers). And there’s a designated charging station near the bar that includes a variety of power cord styles for you and your guests to revive their portable electronic devices.
Our in-house audio-visual capabilities include multiple microphones and televisions for presentations or slideshows. (More extensive AV needs? We work closely with a local company that can get them covered!) And plenty of electrical capacity for DJs and bands to easily set up.
7. Customization is Encouraged
We love helping guests’ visions come to life with customized decor, desserts, and more. The modern and understated aesthetic means that the canvas is already in place to allow florists and designers to create the perfect backdrop for your event. We include projecting a welcome message (think event name, logo, etc) for your guests to see as they enter the space. But, you guessed it, if you’d like a more specialized message projected, we can do that too! We can give you pricing on having something designed by our in-house artists—they can even create a custom hand-painted poster. Another one of our favorite ways to make events extra special is with a custom cocktail. We can’t wait to work with you to create memorable touches for an unforgettable event.
8. Accessibility Aware
The Greyline is a wheelchair-accessible, single-level venue with plenty of room for guests to move around comfortably. As mentioned, the open floor plan can be customized to meet your needs and we’re ready to help you plan appropriately, from the size of pathways to removing chairs for guests in wheelchairs. And it’s not just physically accessible, we’re ready to help create an inclusive environment for all of your guests from accommodating culinary needs to thinking through the height of centerpieces for guests with visual impairments.
9. Easy Access—and Easy Parking!
Our central location in downtown Ann Arbor makes the Greyline easy to access—whether walking from campus or nearby businesses, taking a ride on TheRide, or arriving via personal vehicles or rideshares. We have a convenient front drop-off space and there’s plenty of convenient parking available, including a surface lot across the street, nearby on-street parking, and a multi-story garage just down the block.
10. On-site Hotel Accommodations
Our location also boasts the shortest possible jaunt from an eventful evening to a comfy bed—there’s an on-site hotel! The Marriott Residence Inn, Downtown Ann Arbor is operated separately from the event space, but their sales office will gladly assist you with hotel room reservations. And, for one more customization option, if you’d like to provide hospitality baskets for guests staying in the hotel, we can help with sensational snacks to sustain them!
