Attendees Include the Most Powerful Association
?Decision-Makers from around the Country
LOS ANGELES?(August 18, 2009) ? The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) & The Center for Association Leadership, which serves 11,000 associations and more than 22,000 members, has selected Los Angeles for their Annual Meeting & Exposition taking place August 21-24, 2010.? The Annual Meeting & Expo is widely recognized as the must attend event for association professionals, federal government employees, higher education professors and administrators, independent consultants, corporate meeting planners and attorneys.
?Hosting ASAE & The Center in 2010 is our opportunity to showcase Los Angeles and its many amenities to a captive audience of association representatives attending the conference,? said Mark Liberman, president and CEO of LA INC.? ?This is the first time that Los Angeles has hosted this important group and we believe attendees will learn all about what LA provides as a meeting and convention destination.? The meeting is expected to bring an economic impact of $14.3 million to the city of LA.
The city expects to average 20 conventions annually between now and 2012 with an economic impact of approximately $263 million per year.? Approximately 70% of those conventions will be hosted by associations representing a range of industries.?
Downtown has become an especially appealing backdrop for association gatherings, as well as industry conventions, due to its strategic redevelopment efforts which have cast an international spotlight on the overall region.? Downtown?s world-class dining and entertainment venues, such as the NOKIA Theatre at L.A. Live, the live music and concert destination in the heart of Downtown which hosts the most popular concerts and award shows including the GRAMMY Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, and ESPY Awards, are exemplary.? L.A. Live, the new sprawling entertainment campus built adjacent to the Los Angeles Convention Center and STAPLES Center,? is home to two hotels, ESPN?s West Coast headquarters (a state-of-the-art television and radio broadcast studio along with an ESPN Zone), a 14-screen cinema complex, casual-to-elegant restaurants and much more.? ASAE & The Center delegates will be one of the first groups to experience The JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton, both hotels are scheduled to debut at the complex in early 2010.
?The addition of two luxury urban resorts, the JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton, will only enhance what is already here,? said Michael Krouse, senior vice president of sales for LA INC. ?Downtown, with its mix of vintage and contemporary venues, has become a one-stop destination for groups that are represented by ASAE & The Center because of the many lodging, conventions, and entertainment choices.??
The Los Angeles Convention Center, which boasts 720,000 square feet of exhibit hall space, is a superlative venue for the ASAE & The Center gathering.?? With its pulse on the latest technology and a commitment to cutting-edge conservation programs, the convention center is a sought-after venue for meetings and expositions of varying sizes.? Among the latest technological enhancement is the ability to allow data to be transmitted at a higher speed in every square foot of the building, which simplifies broadcast video streaming, creates faster audio downloads and enhances Wi-Fi access throughout the center.? The convention center also continues to be a leader in eco-friendly and sustainable programs including the implementation of a beverage container recycling system, a material recovery facility that recycles unused exhibit material, a food waste recycling program that converts leftovers into animal feed, and a photovoltaic system that makes the Los Angeles Convention Center the largest solar energy-generating convention center in North America.
With the third largest lodging market in the U.S. and more than 92,000 guest rooms and suites, Los Angeles is a city capable of handling a group as large as ASAE & The Center and their request for almost 16,000 room nights needed to house more than 4,000 of the most powerful association decision-makers from around the country.
?LA?s breadth of lodging choices are appealing to associations because not only are they centrally located, but they are also competitively priced? said Krouse.? ?From the Westside to the beaches, Hollywood to the San Fernando Valley, ASAE & The Center delegates will have the opportunity to explore LA?s many multi-faceted regions?
and neighborhoods.? Each area has its own unique business center coupled with a variety of options for delegates wanting to combine business with leisurely pursuits.??
LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau is a private, nonprofit business association whose primary mission is to market and promote Los Angeles as the premier site for meetings, conventions and leisure travel.? Though not part of city government, LA INC. is recognized as the city?s official tourism marketing organization.? For more information, visit the official visitor information Web site of Los Angeles at www.discoverLosAngeles.com.
