Smart Meetings

A few blocks more and they’re front-and-center for a traveling Broadway musical. Later, martinis and live music await at a jazz club.
Like the bustling cosmopolitan cities of New York or San Francisco, Costa Mesa serves as a regional hub for arts and culture. Similar to any international metropolis, this community about 45 minutes south of Los Angeles also features some of Southern California’s—and in a few cases, some of the country’s—finest symphonies, opera, ballet, art and live theater. Modern and contemporary sculpture artfully dot the city in the plazas, theaters, parks and hotel lobbies.
“With nine hotels, many of those having significant meeting space, we offer people nice options within the confines of the city,” says Dan Pittman, publicist for the Costa Mesa Conference and Visitors Bureau (costamesa-ca.com). “We have a lot to do after the meeting…we’re really becoming more of an 18-hour destination.”
Adding to the cosmopolitan atmosphere is the city’s world-renowned shopping center, South Coast Plaza, where you will have access to elegant shopping at the numerous upscale international boutiques, found no other place in the country—except possibly Manhattan. And almost anywhere you turn, you can experience an array of ethnic and gourmet cuisine at Costa Mesa’s 250 restaurants.
“What makes it special is they’re all within walking distance. You can walk from the hotels and the shopping right to the restaurants,” says Shaun Robinson, general manager of the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa and board member of the Costa Mesa CVB.
The fact that this community of about 104,000 residents is a center for Southern California’s arts scene is due largely to a vision started in 1979, when the Segerstrom family, developers of South Coast Plaza, donated almost five acres of land for Costa Mesa’s original performing arts center. As enthusiastic patrons of the arts, the family shared the belief that the arts would help establish the community’s cultural identity and serve as a catalyst for growth and development for regional arts organizations.
Today, their vision has been realized, evident by the wealth of art and culture that surrounds the city, which serves to benefit any meeting. The possibilities for your group—both during and after the event—are numerous. So take in a show, do a little shopping, stroll by some art and enjoy your meeting.

PLACES TO STAY
With nine luxury hotels—the majority centrally located in the city’s art and theater district—housing 2,225 sleeping rooms and more than 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, you’ll have ample accommodations for your attendees.
Situated in the heart of the community, the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa (hilton.com) features 48,000 sq. ft. of event space and 486 luxurious guest rooms. In addition to its acclaimed Bristol Palms Restaurant and Bar, the Hilton recently established a new kitchen on-premises devoted exclusively to preparing cuisine for kosher events.
Changes have also taken place at the Westin South Coast Plaza (westin.com). A recent $3-million renovation upgraded the hotel’s meeting spaces, lobby and front desk area. Also being developed is a 6,000-square-foot outdoor Terrace Pavilion, scheduled for completion in May 2007.
The Wyndham Orange County (wyndham.com), with 238 guest rooms and 6,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, is conveniently located adjacent to the performing arts center and within walking distance to the shopping center. Recent renovations have also been completed to the bar/lounge area, as well as all hotel guest rooms.

MEETING VENUES
Large meetings and trade shows in Orange County take place at the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center (OCFEC; ocfair.com). Hosting 150 events a year, with 130,000 sq. ft. of flexible space, the center is the county’s premier place for large meetings, conventions and trade shows.
“We’re more than a fair,” says Mark Entner, director of sales and services for the OCFEC. “With the combination of indoor and outdoor space, it’s really an ideal venue.”
Located within walking- or short driving-distance to many of Costa Mesa’s hotels, the center can comfortably accommodate 500 to 2,000 attendees. Ideally, the fairgrounds are best suited for medium-size functions. (The exhibition rooms range from 11,000 sq. ft. to 36,000 sq. ft.)
Currently, the majority of the center’s business is taken up by weekend events and consumer shows. However, that will be changing as the center looks for new opportunities to grow in the meetings market, Entner says.
In addition to its large-scale events, the OCFEC is famous for hosting one of the largest attractions in the area. “A lot of
people don’t realize we have a weekend
marketplace that attracts two million people
a year,” says Entner.
Every Saturday and Sunday for the past 35 years, between 20,000 and 30,000 people from all over Southern California fill the outdoor fairgrounds to visit the Orange County Market Place (ocmarketplace.com), where nearly four miles of aisles lined with booths cover more than 20 acres. Here, you can buy goods from more than 1,100 vendors selling everything from clothing and furniture to landscaping products and cars. The event also includes a farmers market, offering a wide assortment of fresh produce from the area’s local growers.

AFTER YOUR MEETING
With two state-of-the-art performance halls, a separate renowned repertory theater, art galleries and sculpture throughout the community, Costa Mesa is widely considered the region’s arts capital.
If your group includes patrons of the arts, no doubt one of your activities should include a visit to the Orange County Performing Arts Center (ocpac.org). Since its opening in 1986, the center has become one of the region’s most prominent cultural institutions, known for its award-winning architecture
and outstanding performers, which have included Placido Domingo and Riverdance. The center is also home to some of the
county’s leading performing arts organizations, including the Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Opera Pacific and Pacific Chorale.
The center’s original venues included the 3,000-seat, opera-house-style Segerstrom Hall and the more intimate 250-seat Founders Hall. In September, it added the new 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and the 500-seat Samueli Theater, both located across from the original hall and designed by internationally acclaimed architect Cesar Pelli. Take your time as you walk through the new venue to enjoy the magnificent glass façade, dramatic multitiered foyer, spiral staircase and lobby, finished in silver leaf, with a ceiling that towers 80 feet above the ground.
The South Coast Repertory Theatre (scr.org) offers 11 plays on two stages during its 10-month season, from September through June. In addition to its scheduled plays, the professional resident theater company integrates numerous play readings and workshops into its repertoire. It has also received numerous awards, including six Ted Schmitt awards, given annually to the best production of a world premiere, and the Tony Award for Distinguished Achievement in 1988.
If you’re looking for some of the best shopping in the nation, look no farther than Costa Mesa’s famed South Coast Plaza (southcoastplaza.com). Known throughout Southern California as “The Ultimate Shopping Resort,” the plaza has 280 stores, including department stores such as Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. But, more intriguing, are the ultra-high-end specialty stores such as Tiffany & Co., Giorgio Armani, Christian Dior and Chanel Boutique. The shopping center recently added a new Tony Burch fashion boutique and a Fresh store, selling designer skin, body and hair-care products. A new Paris-based Baccarat boutique will also enter the shopping center in 2007 with international home decoration, jewelry and accessories, as well as a
new Bloomingdale’s, H&M and CALYPSO Christiane Celle.  
“It has the best collection of import boutique stores in the closest concentration (in the country),” says the CVB’s Pittman. “You can really visit 17 countries without leaving the U.S.”
Even during your meeting, you can experience art. For a peaceful break in between sessions, take a walk through California Scenario (noguchi.org), a two-acre landscape garden designed by the world-renowned American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Tucked between the high rise towers and a parking garage, the
garden serves as calming oasis with serene fountains, water features, trees and sculpted granite formations. Stay a while, and you’ll truly experience the city’s art first-hand.  Back to Top

Getting There

• Just five minutes from Costa Mesa’s convention hotels is Orange County’s John Wayne Airport (ocair.com), served by 11 national and 3 commuter airlines. However, many would agree the airport is an attraction in itself, with two distinct art galleries—the Vi Smith Concourse and the Community Focus galleries. Back to Top