Not to be outdone, the Inland Empire to the east of Los Angeles—a star on the world stage for its major metropolitan bells and whistles, including first-class meeting facilities—is a veritable playground for planners tasked with executing a Southern California event.
“The Inland Empire is a melting pot of activity, with wineries, festivals, hiking and skiing, just to name a few,” says Amita Patel, director of sales at the Ontario CVB, adding that the region is also centrally
located and close to Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland.
Planners seeking alternatives to an L.A. gathering should check out the appealing Inland Empire, whose towns and lake resorts boast affordability, charm and scenic splendor.
Ontario
The personal appeal of Ontario, according to Patel, starts with attractive rates.
“When taking in all aspects of budgeting expenses, Ontario provides a great deal of value for every dollar spent,” she says. “From airline fares to rental cars to meal expenses, we are lower by 10 to 20 percent than other Southern California destinations.”
Add airlift via LA/Ontario International Airport, which is served by nine airlines including Southwest, and its position at the apex of three major freeways, which allows easy access for the drive-in market, and planners can’t help but notice Ontario for their next group gathering.
Joining the Ontario Convention Center, offering 70,000 square feet of column-free exhibit space, is the newest meetings-friendly facility in Ontario: Citizens Business Bank Arena, which opened last October. Patel adds that several new hotels, including an Embassy Suites property, are poised to open during the next 18 to 24 months, adding 1,000 rooms to Ontario’s current inventory.
That inventory includes the Doubletree Hotel Ontario Airport, the largest hotel in the city, with more than 26,000 square feet of meeting space; the Ontario Airport Marriott; and the Hilton Ontario Airport.
Among the venues for fun off-site events in the area are Dave & Buster’s at the Ontario Mills Mall, which can accommodate groups of up to 300 people for a private event, and the Auto Club Speedway in nearby Fontana. The home of NASCAR and other races can host groups of up to 400 people in its banquet room and even larger groups on its infield.
Unique group outings in the area, Patel adds, include visits to the circa-1894 Graber Olive House, where guests can experience the tradition of grading, curing and canning Graber Olives in the fall, and K1 Speed, an indoor karting facility that’s quite popular with corporate groups.
San Bernardino
Situated to the northeast of Ontario, San Bernardino, like its Inland Empire neighbor, offers competitive group rates, close proximity to LA/Ontario International Airport, freeway access for drive-to meetings, and plenty of mountain and desert recreation, according to Mary Casanova-Poland, director of regional tourism and general manager of the California Welcome Center-San Bernardino.
The California Welcome Center, which does its part to showcase the Inland Empire region, has a Route 66 theme, Casanova-Poland says, and is therefore a great location for receptions. She adds that groups also often book events at the San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum, which is housed in a 90-year-old restored Santa Fe depot.
The area’s standout group-friendly properties are the newly remodeled Hilton San Bernardino and the upcoming Hilton Garden Inn San Bernardino, which will open with limited meeting space this year. The National Orange Show Events Center has exhibit space and several meeting rooms.
Off-session entertainment can be found at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, which features a full calendar of performances, from comedy to music, and a great buffet, Casanova-Poland says. Additionally, the San Manuel Amphitheater (formerly the Hyundai Pavilion), a 65,000-seat facility in the hills of Glen Helen Regional Park, is the largest amphitheater in North America. The venue’s recent notable performers include Tim McGraw and Guns N’ Roses.
Among the area’s major cultural attractions are the San Bernardino County Museum, which houses three floors of exhibits and collections in cultural and natural history; the Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum on the Cal State University-San Bernardino campus, which displays a fine collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities and contemporary art; and the Redlands Bowl, an amphitheater that hosts an annual free outdoor summer concert series.
In September, San Bernardino will celebrate the 20th Annual Route 66 Rendezvous, a four-day event for classic car lovers that annually draws more than 2,000 custom and classic vehicles and a half-million visitors.
Riverside
Downtown Riverside, according to Debbie Megna, executive sales manager at the Riverside CVB, boasts early California charm along its uncongested, quaint tree-lined streets. If guests take a short stroll around downtown, they’ll find historical buildings, day spas, carriage rides, galleries, antique shops and a microbrewery. Set among the Spanish architecture of historic downtown, the Riverside Convention Center offers more than 45,000 square feet of flexible meeting space for groups of 25 to 2,000 people. Rounding out Riverside’s attractive meetings-equipped portfolio is the Riverside Marriott, situated adjacent to the convention center; the Mission Inn, a National Historic Landmark hotel and spa; the Courtyard by Marriott Riverside; and the Comfort Inn.
Considered a metropolitan center of the Inland Empire, Riverside offers a variety of unique arts and cultural attractions, including the historic Fox Theater, which was the site of the first public screening of Gone with the Wind in 1939 and is currently undergoing an extensive renovation; the Sweeney Art Gallery, which includes works by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Alexander Calder; the California Museum of Photography; the Riverside Art Museum; the Riverside Metropolitan Museum; and the Riverside County Philharmonic, considered one of the premier orchestras in Southern California.
Debbie Megna, executive sales manager at the Riverside CVB, suggests planners check out Tours of the Town to better acquaint attendees with the city. The local company can arrange for a tour guide to board the group’s bus and entertain attendees, regaling them with anecdotes and local history. All one-day tours are four to five hours long, and fees include lunch, a guide and any applicable admission charges. Options include the Olde Riverside Heritage Tour, a gardens tour and a vintage home tour. Walking tours through historic downtown Riverside are also available.
Claremont and Pomona
Situated about 30 miles from L.A. are the neighboring communities of Claremont, home of the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of seven educational institutions that offer meeting space, and Pomona, home of the Los Angeles County Fair, which attracts some 1.5 million visitors every September.
According to Maureen Aldridge, CEO of the Claremont COC, a highlight of the city is a unique “village area” that has independent as well as nationally known stores.
“We also have the Claremont Museum of Art, the Hip Kitty Jazz & Fondue nightclub and restaurants in our renovated packinghouse,” she says.
Aldridge adds that groups also enjoy outings to the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, the Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theater and PianoPiano, a dueling piano bar located at the Doubletree Hotel Claremont, the destination’s main meetings player, with more than 11,000 square feet of function space.
Meetings-friendly options in Pomona include the IACC-certified Kellogg West Conference Center and Lodge on the campus of California State Polytechnic University; the Fairplex, a 543-acre complex that holds more than 300 events a year, including the Los Angeles County Fair; and the 247-room Sheraton Suites Fairplex, with 11,000 square feet of meeting space.
Mountain Resorts
The Inland Empire’s mountain resorts, Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead, are perfectly suited for groups that want to get away from the daily grind of city living, says Dan McKernan, manager of marketing and public relations at Big Bear Lake Resort Association.
Big Bear Lake, Southern California’s only four-season alpine resort located in San Bernardino National Forest, offers a variety of recreational options that makes it a preferred location for group gatherings.
During winter, visitors will enjoy skiing and snowboarding at Bear Mountain and Snow Summit, as well as snowshoeing, sledding and other pursuits. During the spring, summer and fall, the lake offers numerous waterborne opportunities, including water skiing, jet skiing, fishing and kayaking.
“Scenic beauty is foremost the most important attribute Big Bear has to offer,” McKernan says, adding that the shoreline is ideal for group picnics.
Among Big Bear’s meetings-friendly facilities are Northwoods Resort & Conference Center, Best Western Big Bear Chateau, the Convention Center at Big Bear Lake, Robinhood Resort, Knickerbocker Mansion, Apples Bed & Breakfast Inn, and Bear Mountain and Snow Summit ski resorts.
“During the summertime, groups take rides to the top of Snow Summit via the scenic sky chair to the View Haus, which is known as Big Bear’s most scenic group facility,” McKernan says, explaining that groups will enjoy views of the seven-mile-long lake and Mount San Gorgonio, Southern California’s highest mountain peak.
Additionally, planners can get the group out on the lake for a meeting or networking function via the Miss Liberty paddle wheeler, the Time Bandit pirate ship or the Big Bear Queen.
Also situated in San Bernardino National Forest is Lake Arrowhead, an area that Leslie Saint McLellan, director of marketing and tourism at the Lake Arrowhead Communities COC, says has an “exclusive” feel.
“We offer lodging priced to accommodate everyone, restaurants for every pocketbook, seasonal sports and special events year-round,” she says, citing several that visiting groups can take advantage of, including April’s Lake Arrowhead Film Festival; June’s Antique and Classic Wooden Boat Show and Annual Rotary Art & Wine Festival at Tavern Bay Beach Club; the Lake Arrowhead Village Summer Concert Series from May through September; and the Lake Arrowhead Village Oktoberfest from October to November.
The Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa and the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Conference Center are the area’s most popular meetings-ready facilities, and according to Saint McLellan, the private Burnt Mill Beach Club is a unique option for off-site group events.
Temecula
In the heart of Temecula Valley, known as Southern California’s wine country, is historic Old Town Temecula. Established in 1859, Temecula is one of the most historic communities in Southern California.
“Preserving Temecula’s Old West heritage and charm has been a success as the beautifully restored Old Town Temecula has become a favorite spot for one-of-a-kind shopping and exploring with antique dealers, art galleries, exclusive boutiques, museums, unique dining, a weekly Farmer’s Market and special events year-round,” says Leslie Mercado, sales manager at the Temecula Valley CVB.
The ever-expanding wine region features wineries that offer unique meeting and event space, Mercado adds. One noteworthy area vintner is Wilson Creek Winery, which recently unveiled its 5,200-square-foot Champagne Ballroom and offers a wine-blending team-building event, during which attendees create, name and bottle their own varietal after a private tour and tasting.
Group-friendly facilities in the area include Pechanga Resort and Casino, featuring the Journey at Pechanga Golf Course and Journey’s End, located in the club house and featuring special event spaces; the Temecula Creek Inn, featuring the 180-year-old Stone House set among ancient oaks on the inn’s golf course; and the Embassy Suites Temecula Wine Country, which features the appropriately named Champagne, Chardonnay and Zinfandel meeting rooms.
“Our destination is attractive to groups, as we are conveniently located near San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles, and we offer a multitude of activities,” Mercado says, citing wine country tours on horseback and Glow Ball, a golf event that takes place in the evening and has players attempting to hit a glowing golf ball. “It’s perfect for non-golfers.”
For More Info
Big Bear Lake Resort Association 800.424.4232 www.bigbear.com
Claremont COC 909.624.1681 www.claremontchamber.org
Lake Arrowhead Communities COC 909.337.3715 www.lakearrowhead.net
Ontario CVB 909.937.3000 www.ontariocvb.com
Pomona COC 909.622.1256 www.pomonachamber.org
Riverside CVB 951.222.4700 www.riversidecb.com
San Bernardino CVB 909.889.3980 www.san-bernardino.org
Temecula Valley CVB 951.491.6085 www.temeculacvb.com
