Meeting in the center of it all has its advantages when it comes to California. Inland, Sacramento is one of the state’s most historic yet forward-thinking cities, while farther south, the Central Valley is home to bustling communities with their own set of unique attributes, and nearby, some of the country’s most prized national parks greet groups with nature’s bounty and a whole lot more.
Sacramento
California’s capital is in the midst of an impressive transformation that is adding new hotels and group venues and revitalizing historic districts.
“There’s never been a more exciting time to explore Sacramento,” said Sarah Atilano, vice president, sales and business development for Visit Sacramento. “With all of the redevelopment taking place, Sacramento is exuding a new energy that visitors will feel immediately.”
Central to the city’s redevelopment is the new Golden 1 Center sports and entertainment complex, which opened in October in downtown Sacramento.
Home of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings basketball team, the sleek arena, one of the country’s most technologically advanced, also showcases major concerts (Sir Paul McCartney was Golden 1 Center’s first musical act) and other performances and sports events. Moreover, Golden 1 Center offers a wealth of unique spaces and configurations for any type of event and convention.
Food and art are highlights of the arena. In keeping with Sacramento’s “Farm-to-Fork Capital of the World” tagline, Michael Tuohy, Golden 1 Center’s executive chef, and his team offer a menu with 90 percent of the ingredients sourced within 150 miles of the court, and one of the facility’s distinctive features is a collection of outposts of Sacramento’s legacy restaurants. Meanwhile, large-scale art installations from local and national artists, including an original sculpture from Jeff Koons, are on display.
Other developments, including new properties, are also taking shape in town.
Kimpton Sawyer leads the list. The 250-room hotel will be part of Downtown Commons, nicknamed DOCO, a three-acre plaza featuring restaurants, clothing stores, markets and outdoor concerts, all near the new Golden 1 Center. DOCO is set to open in early 2017, and Kimpton Sawyer will debut in mid-2017.
Two other properties will open in 2018: the 159-room Hyatt Centric Sacramento Downtown, set within the historic Marshall Hotel next to Golden 1 Center, and the 150-room Hyatt Place Sacramento International Airport, with 3,500 square feet of meeting space.
One of the city’s premier off-site venues, the Crocker Art Museum was also recently enhanced via a $100 million expansion.
Meanwhile, the city’s R Street Historic Corridor between 10th and 15th streets is a bustling former warehouse district that continues to revitalize. Unique restaurants, bars and boutiques with an indie spirit are all part of the mix.
According to Atilano, Sacramento sets itself apart with accessibility and a sense of home.
“I think what attendees appreciate the most is the convenience,” she said. “Sacramento is incredibly easy to navigate, and visitors will feel very comfortable immediately. Every place our convention attendees need to go is within walking distance. Visitors tend to feel like they’re part of our city very quickly in their stay. They pick up on restaurants they like, where they can get that great cup of coffee near their hotel. It makes the experience much more personal.”
Atilano added that the Sacramento convention package features the Sacramento Convention Center Complex, a 505-room Hyatt Regency and a 503-room Sheraton Grand, with only 273 feet between the three facilities, and an additional 1,100 rooms within very close walking distance, including standouts like The Citizen Hotel, Autograph Collection, brimming with old-school charm.
The Memorial Auditorium, Community Center Theater and Golden 1 Center are also just a short walk from the convention center, along with several restaurants, nightclubs and other attractions.
Regarding group trends, Atilano said the CVB has noticed an increased use of technology and social media as a means to reach a larger audience and to better engage attendees during conferences.
“For example, in September we hosted the first annual Farm Tank conference, which was streamed live. The group also incorporated Facebook live interviews and used Twitter and Instagram so attendees could ask questions of the panel and make comments,” she said.
It resulted in 6,700 people streaming from 90 countries. Facebook live interviews had a reach of 1.1 million viewers. On Twitter and Instagram combined, the conference hashtag (#FoodTank) reached 1.5 million people.
While there are plenty of changes taking place in Sacramento, the fabric of the city remains the same, according to Atilano.
“Visitors will still find a welcoming, diverse and fun destination that will have them feeling like a local in no time,” she said.
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Valley Cities
The communities that unfold south of Sacramento into the Central Valley, including Stockton, Modesto, Fresno, Visalia and Bakersfield, are attractive options for groups seeking affordable, well-equipped places to convene, and many are also experiencing revitalizations.
“Downtown Stockton has a whole new energy to it right now, with lots of new restaurants and breweries, some with event space,” said Tim Pasisz, sports and tourism development director for Visit Stockton. “Plus, we’re looking at hopefully bringing in a new hotel by the airport, which will be a whole new area for us in terms of having a full-service property with meeting facilities in the south,” he said.
Downtown Stockton is home to a new off-site venue, The Sycamore, and the new courthouse building will open in February. The old courthouse will stand next to it.
With two main meetings properties, Hilton Stockton and University Plaza Waterfront Hotel, the city’s ideal group size is between 100 and 300, but Pasisz said the city has hosted up to 1,000 when using the Stockton Arena.
Fresno, another main community in the valley, hosts groups of up to 7,000 at the Fresno Convention and Entertainment Center and adjacent Selland Arena.
Bakersfield is also well-suited for groups, with the recently renovated Rabobank Arena, Theater and Convention Center and more than 4,000 hotel rooms.
Farther south, Visalia is a draw for its close proximity to Sequoia and other national parks, but it is also a happening town that makes it a great choice for groups.
“The sequoias are what make us a destination, but our arty, vibrant, foodie ambience is what makes us truly unique,” said Suzanne Bianco, tourism and marketing manager for the Visalia CVB.
For those wishing to literally meet in the middle—Visalia forms the crease if you fold a California map in half—it is an affordable, easily accessible option.
“Visalia is a really easy drive from places like Los Angeles and Sacramento, and we’re relatively inexpensive,” Bianco said. “And you have the opportunity to see national parks close by and come back to this great downtown culture of small merchants, great cuisine, breweries and nightlife.”
The farm-to-table movement is big, and visitors can experience it first-hand.
“We’re kind of a farm and foodie paradise,” she said. “Groups can interact with real farmers and cheesemakers with places like McKellar Family Farms and Naturally Nuts, which offer ag tours.”
Visalia’s attractive, walkable downtown is a top selling point, since the convention center is just a block off Main Street.
The Visalia Convention Center, with 140,000 square feet of space, just finished a renovation, and the attached Marriott recently completed a guest room renovation.
Five miles from downtown at Plaza Park, Wyndham Visalia, with 22,000 square feet of meeting space, recently rebranded from a Holiday Inn.
Parks and Peaks
Yosemite National Park, one of California’s most popular leisure attractions, is also a top destination for groups that want to convene amid awe-inspiring natural beauty. The park and its environs offer meetings-friendly options including the historic Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly Ahwahnee Hotel), Yosemite Valley Lodge (formerly Yosemite Lodge at the Falls) and Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite.
Northwest of Yosemite, Tuolumne County is ideal for exploring historic Gold Country, Yosemite and other High Sierra destinations.
The county is aiming to court more groups, and its newest option, Rush Creek Lodge, debuted in spring as the first property to be built in the Yosemite area in 25 years. Set on 20 acres in Groveland, just a half-mile from the entrance to Yosemite, the upscale yet rustic retreat has 143 rooms, meeting space for up to 250 and dozens of outdoor adventures to keep attendees exhilarated.
The area’s other main meetings properties are Black Oak Casino Resort in Tuolumne, Evergreen Lodge in Groveland and Best Western Plus Sonora Oaks Hotel & Conference Center in Sonora.
Beyond Yosemite, top draws include Stanislaus National Forest, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park and Columbia State Historic Park, as well as vibrant towns such as Sonora, home to new dining and nightlife options.
“There’s so much to do in the area and so many extra activities that can be created for groups,” said Lisa Mayo, executive director of the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau, citing options like tours and tastings at Indigeny Reserve, which crafts hard cider and brandy on a 160-acre apple orchard in Sonora. “And we’re so close to Yosemite, but groups don’t pay the prices to stay in Yosemite.”
South of Yosemite, Mammoth Lakes is an easily accessible, year-round outdoor playground. Mammoth Yosemite Airport has year-round service from Los Angeles and seasonal service from San Francisco and Denver.
The destination’s main meetings options are the 230-room Westin Monache and the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and Resort. An upcoming development, Old Mammoth Place, will ultimately include more than 15,000 square feet of meeting space.
“Mammoth is a spectacular place,” said John Urdi, executive director of Mammoth Lakes Tourism. “We are a four-square-mile town nestled in the Eastern Sierra, there are 85 wonderful restaurants here, and we are a gigabit community. So despite our remote location, we’re well-connected. But the big draw is the connection to nature. The whole root of the word recreation is to re-create yourself. This is a place where you can do that.”
