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Mix Business with Leisure in Long Beach, SoCal’s Laid Back Beach City
Long Beach is your destination for spectacular events that impress and inspire attendees while offering a conveniently located Southern California destination with a laid back vibe. Along with San Diego and San Francisco, it is one of three major cities on California’s coast, with all the amenities and attractions of a culturally diverse beach city.
The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center has won “Best in the West” in the Stella Awards (voted on by the readers of Successful Meetings and Meetings & Conventions magazines) six years in a row, thanks in large part to its photo-worthy interiors, featuring sculpture installations and gorgeous public art murals, and social spaces reminiscent of hotel lounges. The campus boasts turnkey special event venues, with resources for planners that allow for a savings of up to $1,000,000 on costs for your event. These include the center’s expansive outdoor Terrace Plaza with its dancing water fountains; The Cove with its cool “street party” vibe with murals, lighting, and access for food trucks; and The Pacific Ballroom, one of SoCal’s hottest special event venues. Decorate from Long Beach’s huge collection of furnishings and decor, and utilize built-in production lighting and sound systems, saving significantly on rental and labor costs.
World Class Food Scene
With more than 125 restaurants and bars in an eight-block radius in Downtown Long Beach and eateries across the city offering cuisines from around the world, it’s a foodie paradise. Long Beach is home to artisanal coffee roasters and bakeries, more than a dozen breweries, and a vast array of casual and fine dining options, including a Michelin star restaurant, Heritage.
Three of the city’s major attractions, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Museum of Latin American Art, and the Queen Mary–which serves as a hotel, dining destination, and museum with exhibits and tours–are located within the downtown area. Visitors can also choose from boarding a whale watching trip departing daily from Rainbow Harbor, a romantic gondola ride around Naples Island, a beach day with the family, or riding bikes on the paved beach path. With temperate weather year round and 11 miles of protected waterways, Long Beach is the perfect destination for outdoor activities on the water.
An Ideal SoCal Location
Long Beach makes a great homebase for making the most of a visit to Southern California. From here you are a short drive to popular attractions in Los Angeles and Hollywood and theme parks in Orange County. Plus, you can ride a ferry across the channel to Catalina Island for more adventures.
To get started with planning a meeting in Long Beach, California, go to visitlongbeach.com/meetings or send an email to Joseph Jenci, SVP of Sales and Administration, at [email protected].