Convention Center Brings Economic Boost to Long Beach

According to Steve Goodling, President & CEO of Meet Long Beach and Visit Long Beach, the city’s ongoing and growing appeal comes from a mix of iconic attractions like the Queen Mary and Aquarium of the Pacific, as well as major events like the Acura Grand Prix and music festivals such as Cali Vibes and the Vans Warped Tour. But business travel is also a major factor, with a major role being played by the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, a facility the City of Long Beach has invested significantly in to ensure it stands out among the competition, with ongoing renovation projects creating trend-setting event spaces.

“In 2013, we set out to modernize Convention Center venues with an eye toward the future. Inspired by the uniquely collaborative, person-centered design of TED conferences in Long Beach, we partnered with the City of Long Beach and ASM Global (then known as SMG) to transform the facility to better facilitate human connection and appeal to a broader base of clientele,” Goodling said. “Over the past 10 years, the center has transformed into a boutique conference venue with in-house assets that offer immense cost savings to meeting planners and set us apart from the competition.”

Since the start of renovations, the city has seen a sharp rise in transient occupancy tax revenue—fees collected from hotel guests—thanks in large part to the Convention Center’s new appeal. It has also bolstered Meet Long Beach’s ability to sell the Convention Center to associations, government agencies and corporations for their annual meetings and special events.

One of the most transformative upgrades was the $10 million renovation of the Long Beach Arena in 2013, which is now known as the Pacific Ballroom. This space features high-tech, theatrical rigging and lighting systems that allow planners to customize events of varying sizes and configurations, with in-house furnishings and design elements included and without the need for costly outside rentals. A 2023 study found that business drawn by the Pacific Ballroom alone generated $427 million in economic impact over the last decade.

In total, the City of Long Beach has invested more than $85 million in renovating the center’s spaces and infrastructure. Spaces like the Terrace Theater Plaza and The Cove (a transformed underpass beneath the Plaza) are fully outfitted, saving event planners hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment rentals and labor. Recent investments have also upgraded critical systems, such as the facility’s HVAC.

These venues around the convention center campus also play an important function for public events throughout the year, such as the annual holiday tree lighting event, Long Beach Walls mural festival and more.

The Convention Center’s innovative design and upgrades haven’t gone unnoticed. For seven years in a row, it has won the Stella Gold Award for “Best in the Far West,” voted on by meeting planners across the industry. Meet Long Beach (formerly the Convention & Visitors Bureau) has also taken home the same award for eight straight years—making Long Beach the only U.S. destination to earn Gold more than three years in a row.