Smart Meetings

The heart of the visitor industry is Anaheim and the surrounding cities of Garden Grove and Buena Park. In all, the three cities account for about 500,000 of Orange County’s 3 million residents. Set on the coastal plains of the north-central part of Orange County, these cities enjoy warm days and breezy nights. They also benefit from a rich cultural heritage that embraces Spanish, Mexican and Indian ancestry. Immigrants from Vietnam, Korea and Arab nations add to the blend today, producing a lively mix of ethnic restaurants, hooka bars, Buddhist temples and Asian shopping malls.

Change is nothing new to these heartland cities in Orange County. Their evolution can be traced to the days when Spanish soldiers claimed the land for Spain. Later, Mexico gained control and established vast cattle ranchos throughout the region. But Manifest Destiny called out to settlers and by 1850, California was a state.

 When Disneyland opened in 1955, it changed the face of Anaheim and Orange County forever, turning them into a family- and convention-friendly destination.

The Anaheim Convention Center (anaheimconventioncenter.com) is the largest on the West Coast, with 1.6 million sq. ft of meeting and exhibition space. The 39-year-old building has been expanded five times, most recently in 2000. Its sweeping wave-shaped exterior and a dramatic 180-foot glass-towered atrium have been well received by meeting planners. The convention center has 52 meeting rooms, 815,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space and a 38,000-square-foot ballroom. Services include a restaurant reservation desk, an on-site Kinko’s, two-way fiber optic network and wireless Internet throughout the facility.

Anaheim is home to 17 of the county’s largest 50 hotels, accounting for 42 percent of the rooms at those properties. In all, Orange County has roughly 55,000 hotel rooms, according to the Los Angeles office of PKF Consulting. The 50 largest hotels together have 20,784 rooms and 1.1 million sq. ft. of meeting space—36 percent in Anaheim.

Meeting planners like Anaheim’s campus environment around the convention center and anchor hotels, its family-friendly atmosphere and the proximity of the Disneyland Resort.

Disneyland and California Adventure offer a host of options for private events within the parks, ranging from a Tower of Terror Twilight Zone theme, boardwalk fun at Paradise Pier or New Orleans Square. 

The major draw in Garden Grove is the Crystal Cathedral (crystalcathedral.org), the 3,000-seat headquarters of religious broadcasts of “Hour of Power” and a venue for public holiday programs. Tours are offered Monday through Saturday between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
 

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Getting There

John Wayne/Orange County Airport (ocair.com) is served by 14 airlines with 23 nonstop destinations. The airport is approximately 12 miles southwest of the Anaheim Resort and Anaheim Convention Center. It is 12 miles from Garden Grove and 18 miles from Buena Park.

Long Beach Airport (lgb.org) is midway between Los Angeles and Orange County, approximately 18 miles northwest of the Anaheim Resort/Convention Center and about 14 miles from Buena Park. It is served by five airlines serving 18 destinations, including JetBlue (jetblue.com) with nonstop service to New York and Washington, D.C.

Other airports within a 30- to 60-minute drive of Anaheim are Los Angeles International Airport and Ontario International Airport in Ontario, Calif.

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