By Barbara Beckley
Many of today’s clients want experiences on the meeting and incentive agenda – not just cocktail parties and ho-hum meetings. With more museums than most cities, Los Angeles answers this need with world class institutions that combine culture, education and special events for just about every interest group.
At the venerable
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County – the largest natural and historical museum in the Western U.S. – clients can learn about life on Earth, at events set up directly inside the galleries. Up to 120 guests (250 for receptions) can dine under the dinosaurs in the Grand Foyer, while up to 500 can meet and greet surrounded by the impressive dioramas of the African Mammal Hall.
If science is your thing, the
California Science Center offers 260,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, art and light. The entire museum can be reserved for 4,000, while smaller venues are available for groups as small as 40. Up to 375 attendees can meet in the Rose Garden Gallery and explore the benefits and consequences of invention and innovation in the adjacent Creative World gallery. Other areas include the Donald P. Loker Conference Center for up to 720, and the 13,000-square-foot second-floor Disney Court.
The
GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE Downtown rocks the party or conference with a music-infused setting of exhibits and interactive experiences that celebrate the power and the personalities of music in all genres. Its fifth-floor, 8,100-square-foot outdoor Target Terrace features phenomenal views of LA’s skyscrapers and the Hollywood Sign. Inside, the Clive Davis Theater seats 200, the Green Room fits up to 20 seated, and the Museum Lobby is ideal for pre-event cocktails of up to 55.
The legends and truth about the Wild West and Hollywood Westerns wow and educate guests at the
Autry National Center’s Museum of the American West. Events from 40 up to 1,400 can be staged among its paintings and artifacts, while festivities for up to 4,500 can take place on its Pine Meadow Lawn. Among the venue choices are the Mary Pickford Education Center, with classroom seating for 80, the 207-seat Wells Fargo Theater, the Museum Lobby for receptions of up to 200 and the 8,300-square-foot Museum Plaza.
Los Angeles’ architectural past makes a glorious backdrop at the
Heritage Square Museum. This outdoor living history museum features eight 19th century mansions and structures saved from destruction and restored to educate visitors about the city’s early development. Private events for up to 50 people can be arranged inside the mansions, and the grounds can accommodate up to 600. Costumed docents add to the fun and the knowledge.
For art-filled events, the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) offers exclusive access to its preeminent art collection for events from 50 to 1,500 attendees. LACMA sites include the Dorothy Collins Brown Auditorium for up to 116, the 8,000-square-foot piazza, the Los Angeles Times Central Court for 1,000 for cocktails or 600 seated, and the LACMA West Penthouse and terrace (in an art deco 1939 building) for up to 440 seated and 1,000 standing.
Barbara Beckley is a long-time Los Angeles-based journalist, covering business, lifestyle and travel in Los Angeles and around the world for a variety of newspapers, magazines, websites and guide books.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
