Best of 2012: 10 Most Notable Event Venue Openings in Los Angeles

SBE Nightlife Group's new Greystone Manor Supperclub is meant to evoke the Renaissance, with ornate chandeliers and millwork. A dance floor is surrounded by two full-service bars, and the menu features shared plates. Decor includes vintage sofas finished with aged leather and velvet, and a lounge area is available for smaller groups.

Fairplex officially opened its high-tech Sheraton Fairplex Conference Center in March. The new center is I.A.C.C.-certified and Silver LEED-engineered. The project was funded by $28 million raised in conjunction with the Economic Development Administration, Small Business Administration, county of Los Angeles, and city of Pomona, resulting in more than $155.6 million in economic impact during construction. The new 85,000-square-foot center is intended to be a highly versatile space with spacious seminar and breakout rooms featuring interactive digital whiteboards, video conferencing, and high-speed Wi-Fi. A ballroom can host 1,000 seated for a meal, and catering options include fresh farm-to-table produce grown at the on-campus FairView Farms.

On the heels of its 30th anniversary, Spago closed in July for a complete remodeling of the restaurant. The venue reopened this fall with a new menu and design by Waldo Fernandez. The venue is Wolfgang Puck's flagship and original Spago; it opened in West Hollywood in 1982 and relocated to Beverly Hills in 1997.

Hospitality veteran Brent Bolthouse opened The Bungalow in July. The new venue, in a freestanding bungalow at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica, offers sweeping ocean views, gardens, rustic interior design, expansive decks, style-minded meeting spaces, and intimate patios. Cocktails and an exclusive menu come from chef Ray Garcia’s Fig restaurant.

Bootsy Bellows, named after the burlesque dancer and pinup model mother of principal David Arquette, is a '60s Art Deco-inspired nightclub offering entertainment like costumed burlesque dancers, DJs, live-music acts, puppets, and concerts. The buzzed-about West Hollywood venue, which opened in June, has a V.I.P. back room with a capacity of 125.

The new, 32-room Palihotel opened in February. Among its features is Palikitchen, the property's take on a local café that offers casual comfort food. There's also the Thai Thai spa for pampering groups and the Vanity blow-dry bar.

Santa Monica's Museum of Flying opened in late February and is available for buyout. The main floor seats as many as 350 or holds 700 for receptions. The Douglas Aircraft executive suite includes the Douglas boardroom (a replica of the aircraft company's boardroom), a reception parlor, and a screening room with a capacity of 50. The aviation museum's three preferred caterers are Schaffer’s Genuine Foods, Bon Mélange Catering, and Gourmet Celebrations.

AV Nightclub opened in April in the historic Marion building with room for 320. The centerpiece of the space is a DJ booth surrounded by Baroque-era-inspired embellishments. Roosevelt tufted chesterfield banquettes are behind each table, and there’s a patio with ivy-covered walls and an outdoor fireplace. AV comes from hospitality veterans Matt Bendik and Tosh Berman of AV Hospitality. Interior designer Davis Krumins is behind the look, and Steve Lieberman of SJL Lighting designed the lighting system to go along with the venue’s Funktion One Sound System from Dan Agne of Sound Investments.

Shorebar, the newest bar from John Terzian, Brian Toll, and Adam Koral adjacent to the Will Rogers State Beach, specializes in complex and creative cocktails created by mixologist Vincenzo Marianella. Take a stylish, unstuffy meeting amid relaxed decor, including a nautical theme and a beachy feel. Artwork, knickknacks, and photos are all vintage from the area. Each booth has its own personality based on the decor—Santa Barbara, Newport Beach, and Catalina Island—and is identified by a map paired with a photo of the place.

Bagatelle America, a partnership between Aymeric Clemente and Remi Laba of Brand Essence and Jonathan Segal of the One Group, opened the 2,700-square-foot Bagatelle L.A in February. It's the first Bagatelle location outside of New York. Located in the former Boudoir space in West Hollywood, the restaurant has a multiroom St. Tropez- and Paris-inspired indoor-outdoor layout created by design firm Studio Brasa and food from executive chef Scott Quinn, formerly of Bouchon. For outdoor events, there's a manicured garden hedge surrounding the upper outdoor patio meant to evoke a Parisian city garden. Inside, the bar area has an oversize fireplace mantle.