Ranking only behind Greater New York City, the Los Angeles metropolitan area—with a swaggering population of nearly 13 million—is home to more people than 45 U.S. states.
And a great swath of it, dubbed “The Inland Empire,” now ranks as the 12th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., thanks to Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga, the largest cities of Greater Ontario. And the region is investing in its future big time.
Major Developments in Ontario
In 2023, the Greater Ontario CVB changed its name to GOCAL to focus on “next-generation tourism and hospitality planning.”
Its central location offers access to everything Southern California has to offer, asserts Michael Krouse, GOCAL president and CEO.
“You can be at the beach in the morning and skiing in the afternoon,” he said. “We can get you from Palm Springs and the desert to Disneyland. Right here in our backyard, we have mountains, lake communities, deserts, Southern California wine country—we have it all.”
Several projects in GOCAL’s top cities are coming into their own.
“The ones we will see soonest are our Ontario Sports Empire Stadium and Sports Park, where the Stadium will serve as home to Los Angeles Dodgers’ Class-A franchise, beginning with the 2026 season; and Phase 1 of our Entertainment District around the Toyota Arena, which will include dining options, bars, programming, and digital media,” Krouse said. “Both of these are under construction and will open in early 2026.”
Developed in partnership with GOCAL, the City of Ontario and the privately owned management company Sports Facilities Companies, the Ontario Sports Empire is a 190-acre sports and recreational complex. Its Sports Park will include 20 multipurpose fields, 14 youth baseball/softball fields, eight full-size baseball/softball fields, four football/rugby fields and two championship baseball fields.
“This complex is not just another sports facility; it’s a national destination for elite competitions and youth development. It will also be home for the community to host events and celebrations,” said Jim Arnold, SFC Partner and national director of business development. “The city already boasts 6,000 hotel rooms and numerous entertainment options, making it an ideal location for visiting teams, athletes and fans.”
The Sports Park’s immediate benefit to meeting groups will be as an amenity.
“With the Sports Empire, that’s 68 professional baseball games, on top of 300 active dates a year at Toyota Arena,” said Krouse, adding, “GOCAL is a one-stop shop, and we can put together everything a meeting planner needs with a unique pricing package. We can handle your room block, coordinate food and beverage and manage your costs. All of this makes your meetings cost-effective.”
Speaking of meeting space and facilities, the 2028 target date for completing the Ontario Convention Center expansion looms large.
“We will have expanded the convention center to more than a half-million square feet. It will double the size of our convention and hall space, double the size of our carpeted ballroom and add 50,000 square feet of outdoor plaza for people to enjoy our great Southern California weather,” Krouse said.
Upcoming GOCAL citywides are Future Farmers of America, which consumes 20,000 room nights; and the Road to California (quilters), which takes 6,000 room nights.
“Our primary market would be everything west of Texas,” Krouse said, “and we market across the spectrum—corporate, state associations (government and nongovernment), training and anything having to do with education.”
[Related: Ontario, California, Goes Big With Massive Convention Center Expansion]
Transportation News in Rancho Cucamonga
Meanwhile, Rancho Cucamonga is expected to become a significant hub for ground transportation. Metrolink’s San Bernardino Line, which stops in Rancho Cucamonga, is already the busiest commuter rail line in Greater Los Angeles. In 2026, it’s to be joined by the West Valley Connector—a zero-emission bus/rapid-transit system from Los Angeles County to the Inland Empire. The Ontario Convention Center and Ontario International Airport will be at its geographic center and extend to Rancho Cucamonga.
The most ambitious project is the $12 billion, 218-mile high-speed rail Brightline West project that, when completed in 2028, will link Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga. Rancho Cucamonga Station will be located on a five-acre property near Ontario International Airport. The station will be near existing multi-modal transportation options, including California Metrolink, for seamless connectivity to downtown Los Angeles and other locations in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The Rancho Cucamonga Station is approximately 80,000 square feet plus parking. The project is expected to be ready in time for the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
[Related: How You Can Tap L.A.’s 5 Most Iconic Movie Locations for Meetings and Events]
Plus: Southern California's Good Neighbor Policy
This winter’s devastating wildfires in Greater Los Angeles rocked the region. In its aftermath, it also displayed how the Southern California hospitality industry can stand up to support its neighbors.
“The wildfires have been a tragedy for Southern California,” Krouse noted. “We and our partners have been honored to help in whatever way possible. We did house quite a few evacuees in our hotels, including one entire retirement community that was displaced.”
San Bernardino County’s Big Bear Lake, 80 minutes from Ontario and two hours from L.A., pitched in as well.
“In small rural towns,” observed Travis Scott, Visit Big Bear’s CEO, “the community really comes together. To help L.A. evacuees, Big Bear offered evacuees and displaced discounted lodging vouchers and discounts at local shops and restaurants.”
At the time of this interview, 240 families had taken advantage of the program that Big Bear put together with little notice, according to Scott, who worked with volunteers and with Airbnb.org.
“We had the right connections to Airbnb and its charitable arm because we're such a short-term rental area,” Scott said. “Airbnb looked at us, jumped into play and helped develop a program that United Ways’ 211 resource agency is now using in Los Angeles.”
As a meeting destination, Big Bear specializes in organizational meetings for groups of 60 or less that are looking to incorporate adventure, sports or wellness into their meeting program, according to Scott. The largest meeting property is the recently renovated, 80-room Chateau Big Bear, which has 3,000 of square feet in three rooms for up to 120 people.
Arriving at a small touristic community like Big Bear may help evacuees recoup their composure, Scott noted. The area has two seasons—summer and ski.
“We have everything from wellness offerings like yoga and pilates to wakeboard training and a ziplining team,” Scott said. “And lots of meditation.”
Regarding wildfires, California’s dry terrain and seasonal winds make it hard to predict fire paths. GOCAL fielded a lot of calls from event planners throughout the disaster.
“We’ve tried to be very proactive,” Krouse said, “assuring them that the Inland Empire was not directly affected by the fires.”
For Big Bear, Scott thinks that displaced Angelinos—estimates are that more than 100,000 were displaced- —may speed the generational shift that’s already begun.
“We’re seeing lodging properties go through remodeling, making them interesting and cool for the next generation of traveler who doesn’t want to stay in ‘grandma’s cabin,’” he said. On another note, “On any given weekend, you can find six to 10 live music events. And then we’ve got the Big Bear Theatre Project, which brings in super-high caliber actors from ‘down the hill.’”
