Guide to Meeting & Event Planning in

California

Learn why you should host your next meeting, event or conference in California.

Why California for Your Next Meeting or Event?

The Golden State offers limitless possibilities to planners, including the revitalized Downtown Los Angeles and nearby coastal cities, the tech mecca of the San Francisco Bay Area, the stunning natural beauty of Northern California wine country and the outdoor wonderland of Lake Tahoe.

Meeting Hotels
by number of meeting rooms
Hilton San Diego Bayfront112
Hilton San Francisco Union Square97
Hilton Anaheim88
Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina84
The Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas75
San Francisco Marriott Marquis66
Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina64
Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Ctr62
Hilton Los Angeles Airport55
Hotel del Coronado, Curio Collection53
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New & Coming Soon

Development is proceeding on the Brightline West project, which will connect Las Vegas and Los Angeles with high-speed rail service. Passengers will be able to traverse the 260-mile route in about three hours on the new train, at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. The line will connect Vegas with Victor Valley, Calif., in San Bernardino County, which will then branch into two separate routes to downtown L.A. — one via the Cajon Pass to Rancho Cucamonga, and one via Palmdale. Brightline has not yet confirmed a timeline for the project. 

The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority approved an $85 million project with Elon Musk’s Boring Co. to create a tunnel from the Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink station to Ontario International Airport. The project, which will cost far less than a comparable above-ground rail connection, will take about four years to complete.

The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board is the first destination management organization to partner with CLEAR to use that company’s Health Pass, a free mobile offering in the CLEAR app. The company works with event organizers to customize a solution for each event depending on specific needs; the pass can be set up to include a combination of health surveys, temperature-checking kiosks, secure linking to Covid-19 test results and, soon, vaccination records.

Visit Anaheim has partnered with local health-care network Hoag to provide clinical solutions for events, meetings and conventions to mitigate the threat of Covid-19. Clients with a scheduled event can get a complimentary review of their health and safety plan, and receive comments and recommendations from Hoag within a week after submission.

Venue Additions & Renovations

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Learn everything you need to know about this exquisite locale at Destination California, Northstar’s premier event for meetings and incentive pros looking to book biz in the area.

The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood, the first of the boutique brand’s properties on the West Coast, will debut in July. The 220-room hotel promises a blend of old-Hollywood glamour and  modern luxury, in walking distance of Sunset Boulevard. Event space includes an executive meeting room and a 6,000-square-foot rooftop lounge with iconic views of the Hollywood sign.

The 185-room Breakers Hotel & Spa in Long Beach is getting a luxury makeover and will reopen in early 2023  with two 3,000-square-foot ballrooms, a spa and a jazz club.  

Long Beach Convention Center officials took a parking structure underpass and turned it into the Cove, an elegant, breezy-but-covered indoor-outdoor event space that’s easily accessed by food trucks.

Travel Essentials

Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 1,358-room Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites, 1,234-room Hilton Los Angeles Airport, 1,004-room Los Angeles Airport Marriott, 878-room JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles L.A. Live, 869-room InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown at Wilshire Grand, 802-room Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles, 740-room Westin Los Angeles Airport, 683-room Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles, 580-room Hyatt Regency LAX, 569-room Beverly Hilton, 496-room Sheraton Grand Los Angeles, 495-room Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City, 469-room L.A. Hotel Downtown and 350-room Hotel Indigo Downtown Los Angeles.

Convention Center: Los Angeles Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 720,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 64; (213) 741-1151

Transportation: Los Angeles International Airport, 17 miles from Downtown Los Angeles. Transfer cost to downtown by taxi, about $60.

Taxes: Room tax, 14%; sales tax, 9.5%; LATMD assessment on hotels with 50 rooms or more, 1.5%; state tourism fee, 0.195%. total tax if 50 rooms or more, 15.7%

Event Venue: Built and owned by the city of Ontario, the 225,000-square-foot Toyota Arena can accommodate up to 11,000 attendees for a full arena concert and also can host events such as an intimate client lunch. Among the gathering spaces are 36 luxury suites, as well as two open-air patios. 

Contact: Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, (888) 733-6952 

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