Smart Meetings

Downtown Oakland is open for business with its wealth of commercial buildings in Center City, Jack London Square and Lake Merrit (Oakland CVB; oaklandcvb.com).

The arts scene includes a world-class symphony and ballet company, jazz clubs and noted museums. Oakland is also one of the country's most culturally and ethnically diverse cities: residents speak more than 100 languages and dialects, which enriches both its dynamic neighborhoods and the dining scene. And as a lesser-known alternative to San Francisco, the city is primed to work hard to make your meetings successful.

The Oakland Convention Center is located in the core of downtown Oakland. Together with the Oakland Marriott City Center (marriott.com), they deliver more than 89,000 sq. ft. of contiguous meeting space.

The Oakland Museum of California (2,000 sq. ft. ; www.museumca.org) takes top honors as the only museum in the state dedicated solely to the arts, history and environment of California. It also attracts some of the best traveling shows in the country, such as the recent blockbuster, Baseball as America.

High in the Oakland hills, dominating the landscape with its domed planetarium, is Chabot Space and Science Center (1,800 sq. ft. ; chabotspace.org). Using Chabot's powerful telescopes, your groups can explore the night sky and discover stars—or dance under them in the Pleiades Courtyard.

Another option is to set your event among the lush gardens that surround Dunsmuir Historic Estate (3,000 sq. ft. ; dunsmuir.org), a 37-room colonial revival mansion built in 1899.
 

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Getting There

The East Bay's major transportation hub is the Oakland International Airport (oaklandairport.com), which is served by 13 airlines, including Southwest and JetBlue, and offers nonstop service to more than 33 cities.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) crisscrosses the East Bay and connects to San Francisco and both Oakland and San Francisco airports. Back to Top

Not To Be Missed

Encompassing 3.5 miles, Oakland's Lake Merritt is the largest urban saltwater lake in the country. Rent a kayak or sailboat, or glide in a traditional Venetian gondola.

 

Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon (heinoldsfirstandlastchance.com), in Jack London Square, is a rustic, historic hangout where the famed author wrote parts of The Sea Wolf and Call of the Wild, and hoisted more than a few beers.

Take them out to a ballgame: Oakland is the only city in California with three professional sports teams: the Oakland A's (athletics.mlb.com), the Oakland Raiders (raiders.com) and the Golden State Warriors (nba.com/warriors/com).

Yoshi's Sushi Restaurant and Jazz Club: Take in dinner and a set at Yoshi's (yoshis.com), the Bay Area's premier live jazz club, located at Jack London Square. Paramount Theatre: The Paramount Theatre (paramounttheatre.com), a beautifully restored art deco theater in downtown Oakland, is not only eye candy, it also hosts concerts, live entertainment and private events (3,000 seats).

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What's New?

New Hawaii Airlift | On May 1st, Hawaiian Airlines introduced a nonstop daily service between Honolulu and Oakland, Ca...

Victoria’s No Longer a Secret | United Airlines has begun new direct daily service between San Francisco International Airport an...

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