Meeting News - July 21, 2008 - (Page 22)

Destination Insider: L.A. & The Beaches Edited by Terri Hardin terri.hardin@nielsen.com Planners Coast Off to Value in Redondo Beach and Ventura Lesser-known beachside venues charm meeting groups with scenic views, variety of recreation, proximity to LAX California may be the Golden State, but judging by the prices of hotels and resorts in Santa Monica and Malibu, many coastal communities are now on the platinum standard. Not so Redondo Beach and Ventura; these aim to combine coastal vistas at value prices. Redondo Beach, which is a 20-minute, $25 cab ride from LAX, boasts seasonal breezes, fine dining, and clubs with stunning views of Santa Monica Bay and the Palos Verdes Peninsula.“With Redondo, it’s location, location, location,” said meeting planner Jackie Kendig, with Compton, CA-based consumer electronics maker Belkin. Said Kendig: “My groups absolutely love the location; it’s walking distance to the pier and nightlife. For spouses, we take them to spas or the Trump National Golf Club. Or, they just lay on the beach or by the pool.” Independent planner Robert Hatheway, of Windsor Locks, CT-based RJH Associates, has taken several East Coast-based clients to Redondo Beach. “Not only are there convenient connections from LAX, Long Beach, and Orange County, but a lot of people think of the beach area as California. Hatheway, whose recent meeting was 60 percent women, said of Redondo Beach, “There are some good restaurants, and it’s a very safe area for walking.” It also helped that his budget projection was dramatically lower than other beach areas. For large meetings, the 346-room Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach offers 25,000 sf of meeting space and 75 Herman Miller Caper roller chairs for breakout seating. Use of the pool (which has a huge deck area for events) and tennis court is free, as is the Gold’s Gym next door. Toyota meeting planner Margaret de los Rojas found the Crowne Plaza very convenient for meetings and training sessions of 40 to 100; she also found it flexible to work with, as the property allowed her to set up Toyotas in the parking lot for attendees to see. Toyota also used the nearby, city-owned seaside lagoon for a beach barbecue, complete with a band. “For some, it’s their first time to California, so Redondo is a great break by the ocean,” she said. Belkin’s Kendig has used the 161-room Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club, a boutique hotel right on the Pacific Ocean that offers more than 8,000 sf of meeting and banquet space, including a freestanding, windowed pavilion that can seat 150 for dinner and offers flexibility for classrooms and breakouts. Hatheway’s groups also enjoyed the Portofino: “The meeting space is really terrific, it’s mostly glass that looks out on the water. And, both their meeting space and hotel offer Wi-Fi at no charge.” He added, “The hotel even leaves you a stuffed sea lion on the bed and a little poem.” Another meetings getaway, the seaside town of Ventura, was originally called San Buenventura by the Spanish, who built a mission there. Its roaring Pacific Ocean beach beckons surfers, while being 10 degrees cooler than Los Angeles. The town boasts a scenic pier and harbor, and a number of establishments offer fine dining, including Sidecar, set in a comfortable 1910 railway car. Island Packers runs trips to Channel Islands National Park for camping or day hiking, kayaking, and snorkeling. Ventura also has extensive bike trails, signature spas, and local trips to Ojai and wine country. The 258-room Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach, located by Ventura’s historic pier and promenade, is also convenient to the Ventura County Fairgrounds for concerts and exhibitions. It has 16,000 sf of meeting space. Top of the Harbor, the hotel’s 11th-floor ballroom, can hold 150 for a breakfast or dinner, or 500 in classroom configuration. “The whole room is open; it has a spectacular ocean view that’s a great conversation starter,” said April Hinks, director of special events for the Boys & Girls Club of Ventura. “When we have an event there, they lock down two elevators and have staff do express-elevator service.” “We were looking for a site out of [city] congestion, but not too far from Los Angeles,” said Helen Bassam, conference logistics coordinator for the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Berkeley. “Ventura is very charming; it’s how California looked before it got paved over,” she joked. Bassam used the 285-room Marriott Ventura Beach, which has 11,000 sf of meeting space, a scenic outdoor area with rock-lined waterfalls, and a large swimming pool and deck area. The hotel also helps planners do events on the beach, from barbecues to catered dinners for 75, including permits. Many of Bassam’s attendees were bound to government per diems.“We had a large room we set up in rounds for 280 people, and two additional breakouts, and used the mezzanine to offer food right outside the plenary session.” Delegates did day trips to Santa Barbara, hit the local restaurants, and rented surrey bikes for the seaside bike trail. For an evening event, they enjoyed a ballroom with an outside patio. “They loved that indoor/outdoor California lifestyle,” Bassam noted. “People did not want to leave.” r —Michael Goldstein www.meetingnews.com Portofino Hotel’s lobby looks out to Pacific. 22 MeetingNews July 21, 2008 http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - July 21, 2008

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