If you thought meetings in sunny Southern California’s Orange and San Diego counties were outstanding before, wait until you meet there again. An expansion of the Anaheim Convention Center and a bevy of new attractions means there’s more space for attendees to get things done and more to enjoy.
Of course, all that’s been popular about this part of California—from beaches and the Disneyland Resort to an award-winning wine country—is still irresistible and home to all kinds of extraordinary event sites.
Anaheim & Buena Park: Full Speed Ahead
Big plans are in the works in Anaheim. The Anaheim Convention Campus, which is part of the Anaheim Resort District and includes the Anaheim Convention Center, the 100,000-square-foot Grand Plaza and several hotels, is embarking on an extensive expansion and renovation project designed to improve meeting space, accommodations and amenities. An additional 200,000 square feet is expected to be added to the convention center by 2017, boosting its size to 1.8 million square feet. Construction is set to begin early next year. More recently, the center installed $5.7 million worth of solar panels and updated the Grand Plaza.
Also, three of the major campus hotels have been improved: the Hilton/Anaheim has a new lounge and private chef’s kitchen; the Anaheim Marriott has refreshed guest rooms, reinvented the lobby and outdoor spaces and added a restaurant, bar and social lounge; and the Sheraton Park Hotel offers upgraded technology and updated function space and public areas. In addition, the past few months have seen the opening of three hotels with small meeting space—the 178-room Hyatt Place at Anaheim Resort/Convention Center, the 120-room SpringHill Suites/Anaheim Maingate and the 174-room SpringHill Suites at Anaheim Resort/Convention Center—and two more properties are expected to open in 2015: the Homewood Suites by Hilton-Anaheim Convention Center/Disneyland Main Gate, and the Hyatt House at Anaheim Resort/Convention Center.
Groups such as the National Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers book the convention center regularly for expos and events and are looking forward to the expansion. The annual NAFEM Show, which features more than 500 manufacturers and is regularly sold out, will definitely attract more manufacturers once more space is available, said Buffy Levy, who is director of the show and also works for the association management company SmithBucklin.
Another major annual event, the International Conference on Computers Graphics & Interactive Techniques, was held in Anaheim in 2013. According to meeting planner Cindy Stark, also of SmithBucklin, “Anaheim has one of the best packages around. The convention campus is well laid out, with an abundance of hotels in all price ranges, all within walking distance of the convention center.”
Nearby, Disneyland is looking forward to its 60th anniversary; a year-long celebration will kick off in spring 2015. Groups into the thousands can enjoy private events in venues throughout Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure Park and Downtown Disney.
A more recent attraction to open in town is the new Anaheim Packing District, located within a historic citrus packing building; features include a 40,000-square-foot artisan food hall with live music, the Anaheim Brewery and a connecting, two-acre park available for private functions. Less than two miles away is The Ranch, a 20,000-square-foot country-western restaurant and saloon that has a new private dining and event center on the sixth floor of the Extron Building, above the restaurant; there are four different spaces, the largest of which can seat up to 264, as well as a wine cellar and an 18-person classroom kitchen.
Sports and concert venues also welcome various group events each year. The 18,900-seat Honda Center, home to the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, also boasts a new, 15,000-square-foot terrace suitable for events, and the 40,050-seat Angel Stadium of Anaheim has numerous special-event venues. Adjacent is the City National Grove of Anaheim, a concert facility that can seat up to 1,700.
In nearby Garden Grove, the Wyndham Anaheim Garden Grove (formerly a Crowne Plaza) has completed a series of renovations, and late next year the Great Wolf Lodge/Southern California is scheduled to open with 603 guest rooms, a 30,000-square-foot conference center and a 121,000-square-foot water park. In Orange, the DoubleTree by Hilton has 22,000 square feet of event space, or groups can stay and play at the 210-acre Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center, which has overnight accommodations, a dining hall, a training center, an amphitheater and a zip line and ropes course.
Equally entertaining is Buena Park, home to Southern California’s first theme park—Knott’s Berry Farm. Since its beginnings in the 1940s, the park has continued to expand throughout the years, attracting millions of visitors and groups with its famous chicken dinners and roller coasters. Earlier this year, the park debuted three new family rides and reopened the iconic Calico Mine ride (its original major attraction). Both its Charles Schulz Theatre and the chicken restaurant welcome groups of up to 2,000, and the park’s Picnic Center can accommodate up to 10,000. Across the street, the Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel has 20,000 square feet of meeting space, and the nearby Holiday Inn/Buena Park has 15,000 square feet of function space.
Other Buena Park attractions include the 700-seat Pirate’s Dinner Adventure show and the 1,100-seat Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament. The Source, a new shopping, dining and entertainment center, is slated to open this spring.
In Cerritos, the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts makes a productive setting for seminars and presentations of up to 1,700. In Fullerton, the Fullerton Arboretum & Botanic Garden is available for private events of up to 350. And nearby Yorba Linda is home to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, where attendees can sit down to an official recreation of a White House state dinner.
Santa Ana & Irvine: Cultural & Contemporary
Groups who want to host events amid fascinating exhibits have all kinds of options in Santa Ana. The renowned Bowers Museum draws raves with impressive rotating art exhibitions and a permanent collection focused on cultures of Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Of its half-dozen spaces, the largest can accommodate up to 900 people. In-house catering is also available. The Discovery Cube Orange County is another favorite with tourists and groups alike. The science-focused attraction just completed a massive expansion and can now host up to 2,000 people.
Planners looking for a cosmopolitan vibe will find it in neighboring Irvine. The high-rise, high-tech city is home to 15 hotels and an array of off-site choices. The new Hotel Irvine Jamboree Center (formerly the Hyatt Regency) is one of the largest properties for meetings, with 36,000 square feet of space. Small to mid-size groups might consider the new Courtyard Irvine Spectrum, a hotel with numerous amenities for business and pleasure: a large lap pool with resort-style cabanas, a putting green, a gym equipped with CrossFit gear, a bar and lounge, some 5,500 square feet of meeting space for up to 600 attendees and a 2,500-square-foot event lawn.
Off-property options include the Orange County Great Park, with spacious event lawns, a 6,400-square-foot World War II hangar and a tethered hot air balloon that rises 400 feet in the air, providing spectacular aerial views. Expansion plans are under way and the next five years are expected to see the introduction of a new sports park, a 114-acre agricultural area and an exhibition space. Near the University of California/Irvine, the Beckman Center can host groups of up to 250 people, and in Tustin, the Marconi Automotive Museum offers 15,000 square feet of event space and showcases a $30 million car collection.
From Huntington Beach to San Clemente: Resort Vibes
To the west, the endless beaches and famous surf breaks of Huntington Beach are enhanced by luxury resorts that offer meeting space fronting the coast. These include the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa, with 112,000 square feet of convention space; the Hilton Waterfront Beach Front Resort with 21,500 square feet of event space; and the Shorebreak Hotel, with 8,000 square feet of function space. Construction is under way on a new hotel, the Pasea Hotel & Spa, which is expected to open in 2016 with 250 guest rooms and 25,000 square feet of event space. At the pier, Duke’s Restaurant is still a major hangout and groups can take advantage of its two private oceanview rooms, for up to 28 and 80 people, respectively.
Going south, Costa Mesa is home to the 100,000-square-foot Orange County Fair & Event Center, which hosts the fair in July and August. Other times of the year, associations can book the grounds, which include a 31,000 square-foot exhibit hall, a 7,000-seat grandstand, the newly renovated, 8,500-seat Pacific Amphitheatre and the Parade of Products Breezeway, suitable for up to 78 booths. Other venues in town include the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, with four theaters and several outdoor terraces, and the Crowne Plaza/Costa Mesa–Orange County, which has 9,000 square feet of meeting space and is adjacent to South Coast Plaza, Southern California’s largest shopping mall.
In Newport Beach, a sophisticated yachting ambiance prevails. Small groups interested in something especially memorable can hire John Wayne’s former yacht, the Wild Goose, which is chartered through Hornblower Cruises & Events and can accommodate up to 127 people.
The community offers some 192,000 square feet of function space and lovely outdoor event sites and resorts. The Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina, located at the entrance of the Back Bay Nature Preserve, can host meetings, social events and trade shows with a variety of waterfront function rooms and the 14,000-square-foot Bayside Pavilion.
Also popular is the Balboa Bay Resort, which has completed a renovation that included an updating of the lobby and the addition of the new A&O Kitchen+Bar. Last January, the California Trucking Association recently held committee meetings at the Balboa Bay Resort as part of its annual conference. Tina Ferguson, the group’s events coordinator, said the property’s high-quality meeting facilities and picturesque waterfront location appealed to the association.
Other notable choices include the Resort at Pelican Hill, with 27,000 square feet of meeting space, a 7,000-square-foot Golf Pavilion for events of up to 500 and access to the adjacent Crystal Cove State Park, which can be used for beach functions. The Island Hotel Newport Beach, next to the Fashion Island shopping and entertainment center, has 30,000 square feet of meeting space as well as newly renovated guest rooms, a redesigned fitness center and a new pool space with cabanas, lounge seating and a bar.
California’s Coalition for Adequate School Housing chose the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa for a fall conference for several reasons. “It was a good fit for our meeting needs—lots of breakout space—and was an attractive location for our attendees,” said Greg Golik, its operations director. The hotel offers 41,000 square feet of event space.
South of Newport, the mood turns artistic in Laguna Beach. Hundreds of art galleries line downtown’s tree-shaded streets, and planners are pleased with the variety of meeting options. Top choices include the Montage/Laguna Beach, which overlooks the Pacific from a cliff-top perch and offers nearly 15,000 square feet of indoor function space and acres more of event lawns with ocean views. Big changes are coming to the 83-acre Ranch at Laguna Beach & Ben Brown’s Golf Course (formerly the Aliso Creek Inn & Golf Course). The ranch is currently open for meetings—it offers 8,000 square feet of indoor space and 50,000 square feet outdoors—but its guest accommodations are closed for a renovation and are expected to reopen in April. Also on the drawing board is an indoor-outdoor spa, a fitness center, a lobby and a larger banquet room.
Additional venues include the Surf & Sand Resort, with 10,000 square feet of meeting space; the Tivoli Terrace, featuring Euro-style space for up to 300 people; and the nearby Tivoli Too!, for up to 500 people.
Dana Point, just eight miles south, welcomes visiting groups with a cozy harbor, scenic coastal bluffs and three meeting resorts with ocean views. The Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa has 54,000 square feet of event space and a renovated spa; the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel has 26,000 square feet of indoor function space and another 54,000 outdoors; and the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton/Doheny Beach–Dana Point features 13,743 square feet of event space.
Three miles inland, in San Juan Capistrano, groups can experience the wonder of one of California’s oldest structures, the 18th-century Mission San Juan Capistrano. Private events of up to 1,000 can be arranged within the mission’s 10-acre gardens.
Greater San Diego: Smooth Sailing
In San Diego, dazzling waterfront views are everywhere—and a feature of many meeting venues—from downtown to Mission Bay and from Coronado Island to Imperial Beach. Downtown, the waterfront San Diego Convention Center features 2.6 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space and is conveniently located adjacent to the Gaslamp Quarter, full of restaurants and lively nightspots, including the recently renovated rooftop at the Andaz San Diego. Nearby Petco Park, home to Major League Baseball’s Padres, has more than two dozen special-event spaces. Other downtown attractions that double as venues include the USS Midway Museum, an aircraft carrier available for events of up to 3,000, and Seaport Village, with seven restaurants that welcome group functions.
Within walking distance of the convention center are some 8,000 guest rooms, many in newly renovated hotels. Among those close to the convention center are the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina, which offers boat rentals for group activities as well as 80,000 square feet of meeting space; the recently renovated Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, with more than 130,000 square feet of event facilities; and the Hilton/San Diego Bayfront, boasting 165,000 square feet of function space.
Just north of downtown, in Balboa Park, the world-famous San Diego Zoo offers seven spectacular event venues. Also in Balboa Park, the Museum of Photographic Arts has a 226-seat state-of-the-art movie theater and special-event space for up to 175.
Several islands in the bay are home to hotels with significant meeting space. On Shelter Island, the Kona Kai Resort & Marina has been reborn as a Noble House property following a $22 million renovation. It includes a private beach, a new pool and tiki bar, more than 19,000 square feet of re-imagined indoor meeting space, mostly with water views, and 11,000 square feet of outdoor event space. Nearby, the legendary Bali Hai Restaurant offers sweeping bay views, live Hawaiian music and four banquet spaces including the outdoor Hawaiian Village, which can accommodate up to 400. Nearby Harbor Island is home to the waterfront Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, with 120,000 square feet of event space. On Coronado Island, the historic Hotel del Coronado recently put the final touches on an extensive $13 million renovation project. Both the Hotel del Coronado and the more contemporary Loews Coronado Bay Resort offer 65,000 square feet of event space.
Going north, Mission Bay is home to the Paradise Point Resort & Spa, which resembles a private island, with water and beaches on three sides and a fish-filled stream meandering through old-growth landscaping. Groups can utilize its 65,000 square feet of dedicated event space or head to nearby SeaWorld, which has a variety of event venues for upwards of 3,000 attendees.
Inland, Mission Valley boasts San Diego’s second-largest convention center: the Town & Country Resort & Convention Center, with 200,000 square feet of space. As a new member of the Destination Hotels collection, the resort is set to undergo a multimillion-dollar overhaul beginning in 2015 that will touch every part of the 40-acre property including all 954 guest rooms, the three pools, four restaurants, spa and 27-hole golf course.
In La Jolla, a beach community 13 miles north of downtown San Diego, groups of up to 250 might opt to meet and greet at the newly renovated La Valencia Hotel, whereas groups with golfers will like the idea of the Lodge at Torrey Pines, whose 13,000 square of meeting space looks out on the ocean and the 18th hole of the property’s famed golf course. Larger meeting hotels are the San Diego Marriott La Jolla and the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine, which was also recently renovated. Both are less than a mile from the Westfield UTC, an open-air shopping mall. Also in the area is the Scripps Research Institute, with a 334-seat auditorium and 16,500 square feet of event space, and the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, with 19,750 square feet of function space.
Farther east, the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar offers aircraft hangars and its Officers’ Club for private events. And in Lakeside, the Barona Resort & Casino has event space for up to 600, plus a highly rated golf course and a spa.
Del Mar, Carlsbad & Oceanside: Seaside Savvy
North of La Jolla, Del Mar combines the relaxed ambiance of a seaside village with the exuberant enthusiasm of the nation’s second-most-popular horse racing track. Groups who meet in the area mid-July through early September might want to add a day at the races to their agenda. (A second season at the track, beginning in November, was also introduced this year.) Or, off-season, events of up to 2,000 people can be booked at the track facilities. The adjacent Del Mar Fairgrounds has 180,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space and the Del Mar Arena, which can seat up to 7,000.
Two local resorts also are great for getaways. L’Auberge Del Mar features 14,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space and creative theme parties. The new Step Into Liquid party is popular with groups of 50 or more. It features an evening at the adjacent beach surrounded by sandcastles, surfboards and a tiki bar as well as music by local bands. Another resort with various activities designed to unite groups is the Grand Del Mar. Its programs include an Iron Chef-style cooking competition and golf tournaments at the Tom Fazio-designed Grand Golf Club.
Farther east, in Rancho Santa Fe, the Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa is celebrating the final phase of a $30 million renovation that coincided with the resort’s 25th anniversary. The property offers 12,000 square feet of meeting space, two farm-to-table restaurants and an extensive tennis program. Also in Rancho Santa Fe, the Del Mar Country Club is opening its doors to events for up to 500 people.
If delegates are bringing the kids, the Legoland Hotel at the Legoland California Resort in Carlsbad is a fun choice. Also in town is Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, which offers 110,000 square feet of event space. In October, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners held its annual meeting and convention at the Omni.
In neighboring Oceanside, the city’s largest venue is the QLN Conference Center, with 42,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. Closer to the beach is the new, silver LEED–certified SpringHill Suites/San Diego–Oceanside Downtown, which opened this year with 2,235 square feet of traditional space, a rooftop pool overlooking the ocean and a 4,000-square-foot deck with a fireplace on the second floor.
Craft breweries are also hip places to gather. At the new Bagby Beer Company, a second-story balcony can be booked for private events, as can a 25-seat private dining room. Or delegates can take the Scavengers Beer Tour, in which an open-air vehicle makes stops for tastings at Oceanside’s two dozen breweries, tap rooms and beer gardens. Additional off-site suggestions include the Oceanside Museum of Art, which has a 300-seat theater.
Temecula to Escondido: Scenic Settings
More than 50 wineries set a scenic backdrop for days spent in the Southern California wine region of Temecula. A favorite meeting property among groups is the Temecula Creek Inn, with a golf course and 8,300 square feet of function space, including the 180-year-old Stone House. The newly renovated and expanded Pechanga Resort & Casino offers 52,000 square feet of sophisticated conference space and a 120-seat teleconferencing center. And at the South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, attendees can choose from hotel suites and individual cottages, while planners can organize events in spaces such as a 7,200-square-foot conference center, an amphitheater for up to 1,500 people and a 6,000-square-foot courtyard. In nearby Fallbrook, the Fallbrook Art Center has 3,500 square feet of event space.
Farther south, in Valley Center, Harrah’s Resort Southern California (formerly known as Harrah’s Rincon Hotel & Casino) has completed a $150 million renovation and expansion project and now offers 1,065 guest rooms and 39,000 square feet of meeting space.
For a lakeside setting, the Lakehouse Hotel & Resort near San Marcos appeals to those looking for a little rest and relaxation. It features 142 guest rooms and cottages, 18,000 square feet of updated meeting space, a golf course with clubhouse event space and a new lakefront restaurant. Just east, in Escondido, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park has three Africa-themed event venues, each for up to several hundred people. And the California Center for the Arts is open to group events of up to 1,523.
New Opportunities, Old Favorites
Orange County and San Diego are full of possibilities for association groups. The world-famous amusement parks and beachfront resorts never fail to impress but, as will happen in Southern California, hip new properties shine like stars that know how to attract the limelight. No matter your preference, there are infinite ways to take your event to the next level.