Smart Meetings

Unlike much of auto-dependent Southern California, most of the city’s attractions are within easy walking distance. “You don’t even need to rent a car; you don’t have to. You can get by with a cab here and there,” says Shaun Robinson, general manager of the Hilton Costa Mesa and board member of the Costa Mesa Conference and Visitors Bureau (costamesa-ca.com).

You’ll enjoy the walk, too, with an abundance of lit footbridges, inviting plazas and landscaped gardens.

MEETING VENUES

With a total of nine full-service conference hotels, most a short distance from the city’s core, you won’t be at a lack for meeting space. Plus a total of 2,225 guest rooms will give you plenty of accommodation options when your meeting is done.

Ideal for mid-size events, the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center (ocfair.com) can comfortably accommodate between 500 and 2,000 attendees with a total of 130,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting and exhibit space. The center is conveniently located within a short drive of many of the city’s meetings hotels.

ENCORE!

Chances are that you won’t forget any group activity in Costa Mesa, especially if your group includes patrons of the arts. Located in the heart of the Arts and Theater District, the Orange County Performing Arts Center (ocpac.org) is one of the nation’s premier arts organizations. Opening in 1986, the spectacular 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall initially put Costa Mesa on the map as an Orange County cultural epicenter. The original hall showcases striking, angular glass and arched stone architecture, while inside a collage of windows and mirrors wraps around an enormous staircase. And prefunction lobbies on each of the balcony foyers provide ample space for a catered reception before or after a performance.

Newly opened last fall 2006, the 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall is the latest marvel of the renowned architect Cesar Pelli and a direct contrast to the imposing original center, with its wavy glass exterior enclosing the main foyer. Attend a concert performance, and then hold a memorable event in the white, multitiered lobby highlighted by a chandelier containing 300 individually supended silver pendants tipped with Baccarat crystals and a circular staircase that gracefully circles to the top floor.

Or hold a smaller event in the adjoining 500-seat Samueli Theater, distinguished by its frosted glass panels and a white limestone facade. Take your group for some laugh-out-loud performances—the intimate theater is the new home of The Center’s Cabaret Series, among other things.

If excellent drama appeals to your group, take in a show at the Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory Theatre (scr.org), also a part of the comprehensive performing arts center. To get the inside scoop on theater info, your group of 15 or more can also attend an exclusive backstage theater tour, where they’ll visit “off-limits” areas like dressing rooms and the costume, prop and scene shops. You’ll even meet members of SCR’s staff, who will answer questions and fill you in on a few backstage secrets.

When it’s time to spoil yourself, you’ll also have Costa Mesa’s acclaimed South Coast Plaza (southcoastplaza.com), billed as “the Ultimate Shopping Experience.” It’s also one of the largest, covering 114 acres and hosting nearly 2.8 million sq. ft. of retail and dining space, and housing more than 280 retail shops that include high-end international stores like Chanel, Prada and Louis Vuitton, typically found only in large-scale international cities.

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Getting There

Orange County is accessible by four major airports: John Wayne/Orange County Airport (ocair.com), located 16 miles from Anaheim, as well as Los Angeles International Airport (lawa.org), Long Beach Airport (longbeach.gov/airport) and Ontario International Airport (lawa.org). Several ground transportation services offer door-to-door service to and from all major airports. Back to Top