Looking for an event space in Los Angeles to host a large meeting or event? Here's a look at 10 new and renovated Los Angeles venues—including convention centers, ballrooms, meeting rooms, banquet halls, auditoriums, conference rooms, clubs, and more—for corporate events, conferences, business dinners, weddings, parties, receptions, and other large events.
The Forum reopened in January following a $100 million reinvention. It's the largest indoor performance venue in the country designed with a focus on music and entertainment. The interior of the bowl was completely modernized and features flexible seating for as many as 17,500. There are refurbished concourses and 8,000 square feet of new event-level hospitality offerings, including food and beverage, merchandise, and bathrooms.
As part of a $40 million renovation, Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center enhanced its Long Beach Arena, including the Pacific Ballroom, which opened in November. The 45,000-square-foot ballroom is created by using the existing floor space of the arena and lowering electronically operated curtains from the ceiling to conceal the upper-deck seating areas. Over the ballroom, a suspended steel tension grid supports LED and stage lighting, sound systems, and decorative elements. It’s the largest grid of its type in the country, and can be raised and lowered to adjust the height of the ceiling, providing an intimate environment for events of as many as 3,000. With the curtains and grid raised, the arena holds 13,000.
The long-awaited Guerin Pavilion at the Skirball Cultural Center opened in November. The 9,166-square-foot ballroom is capped with dramatic arches, a high-end kitchen, a massive courtyard garden, a private olive grove, and scenic garden patios. It holds 1,833 guests for receptions, 1,014 guests theater-style, or 670 seated guests for banquets.
The 1.6 million-square-foot LEED-certified Anaheim Convention Center completed a 100,000-square-foot open-air Grand Plaza in 2013. The outdoor space holds 10,000 people for receptions or seats 6,500 people. It can also be set up to contain exhibit booths, concerts, and meetings.
Dave & Buster’s opened its first Los Angeles location at the Howard Hughes Center near the Los Angeles International Airport in February. The 42,000-square-foot venue is available for buyout and holds 1,800 guests. The space offers close to 200 games, a sports bar with a massive wall of televisions, food, and craft beers. The flexible space comes with audiovisual systems and modular furniture available for events.
The hipster-friendly Ace Hotel opened a Los Angeles location in January in the United Artists building downtown. For events, a restoration of the historic United Artists Theatre is available with original murals and intricate plaster work. Built in 1927 in a Spanish Gothic style, the historic theater offers 2,300 square feet of lobby space with a 35-foot ceiling, 1,600 seats, and a 783-square-foot event space. The Segovia suite, banquet rooms, the presidential suite, and a screening room also are available for events.
Ohm Nightclub, with 20,000 square feet of event space and room for 1,400 people, opened in January in Hollywood. The venue offers more than 150 LED screens linked together to create a dramatic light show and a sound system powered by 150,000 watts of bass. There are three rooms within the club, each with its own ambiance and independent sound and light system. The space is located on the fourth level of the Hollywood & Highland entertainment complex and has a giant patio located directly above Hollywood Boulevard.
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, known as the Wallis, opened in October. The venue takes over a Beverly Hills city block as a cultural campus with two distinct buildings: the historic 1933 Italianate Beverly Hills Post Office and the modern 500-seat Goldsmith Theater. Within the post office, there’s the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater, a theater school for young people, a café, and a gift shop. It’s the first performing arts center to be built in Beverly Hills.
The Courtyard Los Angeles L.A. Live, a new-build hotel co-located with a Residence Inn, opened in June. The hotel has 4,500 square feet of meeting space, and the largest space, the LA Meeting Room, measures 3,633 square feet and holds 400 for receptions or 330 theater-style. Its central downtown location is within striking distance to the Staples Center, L.A. Live, and the Los Angeles Convention Center. The 23-floor hotel has 174 guest rooms, a fitness center, an indoor pool, and free Wi-Fi throughout for business travelers and meetings. Café Table 901 bistro offers all-day dining.
Mack Sennett Studios, originally established in 1916, opened for event booking in 2013. The space was updated to keep the old Hollywood feel intact while upgrading the amenities. Stage 1 is 5,000 square feet and holds 450 people for receptions. Stage 2 comprises 2,000 square feet. A catering prep area, high-speed Wi-Fi, and greenrooms are also available.
