In the land of Industrial Light and Magic, planners have dream power. Loaded with personality and eureka moments, California’s discoveries are golden at every turn. The geography alone is global. As Alistair Cooke once mused, "...the various landscapes of California—Switzerland and Burgundy and Yorkshire and Scotland and Spain."
"The great thing about California is there is something for everyone," says Caroline Beteta, president and chief executive officer of the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) and national chair of the U.S. Travel Association. "Whether it is majestic mountains and redwood forests, metropolitan cities, stunning deserts, spectacular coastlines, amazing attractions or world-class wine and food offerings, California truly has it all. No state offers so many options for mixing business with pleasure."
Sure, fiscal woes are pushing hard work ahead of fun, but confronted with economic shortfalls, California is going long on working with meeting planners. From Monterey’s Meeting Connection to Team San Jose to Ontario’s online money-saving guide, the collective emphasis is on value, flexibility and partnership. Bottom line: Golden State meetings travel and business travel, which Beteta says are worth $36 billion to California annually, are facing the economic challenges with creativity and determination.
Evidence of this resolve is everywhere, especially where hospitality products are concerned. In practically every California destination, there is strong investment in the hotels of today and tomorrow, as well as other attractions and amenities.
Take the dazzling makeover of once sleepy San Diego, for example, still catching Margie Sitton, longtime resident and senior vice president of sales and services for the San Diego CVB, by surprise. The state’s second-largest city has always had the natural attributes of say, St. Tropez or Miami, and it is now squarely on the international map, with over 130 conference and convention hotels and counting. Woody Allen once mocked L.A.’s dearth of culture. He should check out the Museum of Contemporary Art, or the new L.A. Live cultural complex.
Long Beach is aglow with 9,000 new LED lights and over $1 billion in downtown improvements, while Palm Springs has announced more than $2 billion in new and planned hotels.
Up north, San Francisco continues to complement its eclectic energy with hip, revitalized districts, cutting-edge museums and some of the hottest restaurants in the country. Across the bay, flower power still blooms on Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue, while today, "counter culture" refers to the city’s revolutionary food scene.
Meanwhile, you can plug into hot-wired destinations like Silicon Valley or totally disconnect in Riviera-like Santa Barbara or Mediterranean-like Catalina Island.
As new developments take shape, enjoyment prevails, particularly when it comes to the laid-back vibe.
"People who come here tell us they drop into a state of relaxation and retreat that makes a significant difference in the quality of the meeting," says Mo McElroy, executive director of the Santa Rosa CVB.
True of her Sonoma County locale, it’s also true across the state—and it’s the reason planners continue to find meetings gold in California.
