Part of the beauty of LA as a place to host your next big event, team building session or meeting is there are so many unique venues from which to choose. Whether it’s a sports or entertainment theme you’re after, a beautiful backdrop made by Mother Nature or a place with lots of buzz, LA has it all in spades. So step beyond the sunshine and sand, the blue Pacific and mountain terrain, and discover why LA is the perfect place for your next big ‘to do.’
San Fernando Valley
Maybe it's the allure of LA's number one attraction, Universal Studios Hollywood, or the easy access to and from Bob Hope Airport. Meeting and event professionals have learned that the San Fernando Valley offers the sophistication, trend and sizzle of Los Angeles while also offering exclusive attention to groups of all sizes.
At Universal Studios Hollywood, groups of 100 to 20,000 can be accommodated. It’s possible to buy out the park and be given access to the backlot tour, rides, shows and park attractions. Several areas of the theme park are available for groups not booking a buyout. The Globe Theatre is a stand-alone venue with a red carpet and a marquee ready for welcoming your group. It’s ideal for theme parties and movie star look-alikes are available to provide the celebrity factor. The Wild West Arena is a country western-style outdoor setting, suitable for 500 to 1,200 people and ideal for company picnics. The Moulin Rouge, designed in a pan-European style with a Parisian-style courtyard, is an indoor venue suitable for up to 150 people. Universal Studios Special Events Department provides an array of sites and services to create a unique environment for any occasion.
And if just being a part of the movie set isn’t enough, how about creating a team building experience by making your own movie? Feet First Eventertainment, a corporate team building company, works with the Universal Studios Special Events department to offer "Make Your Own Movie" on the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood. Designed for groups ranging in size from 10 to 120 people, participants are divided into teams of 10 to 12 people and everyone gets a chance to be a part of the filmmaking process. Employees make their own film by acting, directing their coworkers, assisting with costumes, operating the camera and working the boom microphone on the set. Once the films are completed, they are viewed in exclusive screening rooms for all team members to enjoy.
The Autry National Center is an intercultural history center formed from the merger of three important museums: the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of the American West and the Women of the West Museum. This unique venue will help make your special event truly memorable. The Autry National Center, located in scenic Griffith Park, can host a cocktail reception for 40 or 1,400, a stylish dinner for 400, or an outdoor festival for 4,000. Many corporate partners have found the museum an ideal location for business conferences, seminars and corporate retreats. Meeting space is available in the Mary Pickford Education Center and the Wells Fargo Theater. The Museum Plaza features 8,300 square feet of event space in an alfresco setting; the museum lobby offers 1,800 square feet of indoor space for a reception of up to 200 people; and Heritage Court allows guests access to its atrium-like area by descending a grand staircase from the lobby.
Next time you want to have an informal get-together or meet your attendees at a popular hangout, maybe try one that six of America's best "Friends" frequented for 10 years. The once near exclusively in-house Special Events department at Warner Bros. Studios recently opened its facilities and talent for corporate and social gatherings. The same group that created memorable movie premieres and studio events is now available for groups from 20 to 10,000. Groups can book anything from a lunch and private backlot tour to a major event using studio locations and sets, including props and characters. The decorations and special effects are created by the same studio craftsmen responsible for Warner Bros. hit movies and television shows. The special events team can also bring their magic to gatherings off the studio lot.
Hollywood
Known for its glitz and glamour, hosting an event in Hollywood can help transform your special occasion into the it event of the year. The natural allure of Hollywood with its rich history and iconic attractions is a smart way to get the buzz started about your event.
LA abounds in beautiful board rooms for your next power meeting. The Vantage Room at the Hollywood & Highland Center (home of the Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre) offers 180-degree views of the Hollywood Hills and an elegant foyer decorated in renditions from past Academy Awards ceremonies. As its own unique venue, the Kodak Theatre offers a 3,400-seat auditorium, five lobby areas and a small meeting room.
One of the world’s most celebrated outdoor amphitheatres is the Hollywood Bowl. Typically booked in the evenings with world-class performances from June through September, the Hollywood Bowl can be rented when not in use. Adjacent to the amphitheatre is Camrose Garden, a landscaped area with a gazebo; ideally suited for picnics, accommodating intimate groups and large corporate events.
The Hollywood Museum located in the Historic Max Factor Building creates a setting reminiscent of old Hollywood. Exhibitions feature costumes and memorabilia from the past to present film era in an Art Deco structure. Whether it’s dancing or a formal sit down dinner you’re planning, The Hollywood Museum can accommodate it all with style.
The Jim Henson Company can help make your imagination come to life! The vintage soundstage located on the original lot built by Charlie Chaplin in 1917 and the picturesque courtyard accommodate up to 750 people. Groups can incorporate the Henson Digital Performance System into their events, which allows animated characters to interact LIVE with event guests. In addition to the soundstage rental, on-site production services including state-of-the-art technology systems can be provided.
Downtown LA
No one should be asking anymore if LA’s Downtown area is really thriving. But if they do, you can assure them that not only is it thriving, Downtown offers a mix of cultural attractions, grand hotels, nightlife and some of the best unique venues in the city.
The Music Center is LA’s premier performing arts complex. There are so many venues to select from throughout its four main venues that choosing where to host your event will be your biggest challenge. Beginning with the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale, there are several spaces to host an event, including the 2,265-seat main auditorium and two small amphitheaters. Other unique venues include the Ahmanson Theatre, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and The Plaza, an outdoor area with fountains, measuring nearly 52,000 square feet. The Music Center’s Mark Taper Forum is reopening its doors in September 2008 after a historic $30 million renovation.
In addition to live entertainment, TV broadcasts and awards shows, the new 7,100-seat NOKIA Theatre, which opened October 2007, is primed for corporate showcases, product launches and speakers series; with 12,000 square feet of VIP and hospitality areas, 14,000 square feet of performance area and the 40,000-square-foot NOKIA Plaza. NOKIA Theatre is the first phase of the $2.5 billion, 5.6-million-square-foot L.A. LIVE, 24-hour entertainment and lifestyle district adjacent to STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center.
At the Muses Room in the historic Wallis Annenberg Building for Science, Learning and Innovation at the California Science Center, windows open to Exposition Park's famed Rose Garden. The Muses Room, which has wood wainscoting and a nonfunctional fireplace, was a former mess hall for soldiers in a building that's been restored to its original 1912 glory.
Los Angeles Center Studios is a full-service studio campus with a wide variety of event venues within a completely enclosed creative environment. Event venues include six 18,000-square-foot soundstages, outdoor decks with astonishing views of the Downtown LA skyline, a 400-seat state-of-the-art theater, Flix Café, executive boardrooms, private streets and 1,200 subterranean parking spaces.
You don’t have to be a baseball fan to know that hosting an event in Dodger Stadium will set your meeting apart from any other. Dodger Stadium can assist groups of 10 to 56,000 with large parties, interactive baseball festivals, softball tournaments, team building exercises, picnics and more. Meal functions can also be held in the Stadium Club and guest speakers, including Tommy Lasorda, are available.
Westside
LA’s Westside is famous for the lifestyle idealized in television and film. But for your meeting, it offers a lot more than famous zip codes. From museums to ritzy backdrops, the Westside is the place to ensure your participants know they are experiencing an A-list affair.
Hosting an event at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) gives your guests the unique opportunity to privately view art in any of its galleries. Available spaces include the new Broad Contemporary Art Museum, the Dorothy Collins Brown Auditorium, the Bing Theater, the Los Angeles Times Central Court and the LACMA West Penthouse Observation Deck. Whether it’s a small group of 100 or a cocktail reception for 1,000, LACMA provides an elegant and sophisticated setting for your organization's distinctive event.
UCLA practically defines Los Angeles. As an excellent source of art, culture, variety, and activity, it is no wonder students and visitors alike crowd the campus daily. The Broad Art Center, which opened in fall 2006, features an enormous sculpture entitled "T.E.U.C.L.A." Designed by Richard Serra, the sculpture is meant to inspire the creative spirit in all. The Fowler Museum at UCLA explores art and material culture primarily from the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific -- both past and present. As such, your event can be held among the Fowler's collections of more than 150,000 works of art and ethnographic, as well as 600,000 archaeological objects.
The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills offers private theater screenings from its collection of more than 120,000 television and radio programs. The museum can accommodate both large and small groups in a range of unique event spaces that ground your event in television and radio history.
LAX / Beach Cities
The Beach Cities of Los Angeles define Southern California style, and with such close access to and from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), your meeting can have the cool style of LA without ever leaving the sun and sand.
What’s the point of being near the water if you don’t have the option of hosting your event in the water? Spirit Cruises & Yacht Parties in San Pedro makes planning your event easy. Whether you're planning a dinner for 150 guests or a casual afternoon cruise, Spirit has the yachts, menus and options to make your event an unforgettable success. Customized yacht charters, private entertaining for small events and hourly rental options are available.
Loyola Marymount University is situated among views of the Pacific Ocean. This university offers a wide range of event space including indoor and outdoor venues from Foley Pond to St. Roberts Auditorium. There are two theatres, seating 100 and 212 people respectively, and a lecture hall that offers 125 seats for your meeting.
