Pasadena is more than home to the annual Tournament of Roses Parade and a prime Southern California leisure travel destination. It is one of the country's most distinguished cities for meetings, conventions and special events with its rich sense of history, accessibility, modern conveniences and eclectic urban edge.
ACCESSIBILITY
Planes, trains, and automobiles -- Pasadena is easily accessible no matter where guests are coming from or their choice of transportation.
Nestled just nine miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains and within 15 miles of the Bob Hope/Burbank Airport, only 28 miles from Los Angeles International Airport and less than an hour from both the Long Beach and Ontario Airports, Pasadena can be reached easily from every corner of the world. Also, with three major freeways serving as arteries, the city is accessible by car from all popular cities in California. And, with trains becoming increasingly popular as a result of increased service, Pasadena is just a short Metro Gold Line ride away to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, where trains connect guests to cities throughout the United States.
Once in Pasadena, walking shoes and bicycles will suffice as the city's welcoming environment encourages guests to take it all in. The city offers three walkable districts featuring an abundance of dining, shopping, cultural and entertainment options, and the Pasadena Convention Center is at the heart of it all.
PASADENA CONVENTION CENTER
The Pasadena Convention Center, which is undergoing a $150 million expansion, sits in the center of the city. Today it boasts 28,000 square feet of function space and the renowned 3,000-seat Pasadena Civic Auditorium, which both remain fully operational during the expansion. In the spring of 2009, the expanded Pasadena Convention Center will offer an additional 85,000 square feet of state-of-the-art function space with 28 breakout rooms and a new 25,000-square-foot ballroom for a combined total of more than 125,000 square feet of function space.
Fentress Bradburn Architects (FBA) designed the new Pasadena Convention Center. Based in Colorado, the firm has extensive historical renovation experience and has designed convention centers throughout the country, including those in Ogden, Utah; Palm Springs, Calif.; and the Colorado Convention Center.
For more expansion information, including floor plans and a photo gallery, visit: www.pasadenacenter.com.
HOTEL FUNCTION SPACE
With a broad range of accommodations, ranging from quiet inns and quaint bed and breakfasts to topnotch convention hotels, Pasadena offers more than 2,500 guest rooms for visitors. Five major hotels also offer additional event space:
The Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa
The Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa is more than a luxury resort for the upscale visitor. It also has more than 33,000 square feet of restored meeting space, which includes the 11,220-square-foot
Huntington Ballroom. The Clara Vista Executive Retreat is a 1930s-era Spanish mansion, which is ideal for intimate meetings.
The Westin Pasadena
A new 2,200-square-foot meeting room on the hotel's plaza level brings the total amount of meeting space to 26,000 square feet. And for added convenience, electronic key cards allow meeting planners to control access to their meeting rooms. Wired and wireless, high-speed Internet access is available throughout the hotel.
Pasadena Hilton
Following a recent renovation, a 528-square-foot meeting room has been added, elevating the total amount of meeting space to 28,000 square feet. A business center features the latest equipment and high-speed wireless Internet access is available throughout the hotel.
The Sheraton Pasadena Hotel
Fourteen meeting and banquet rooms offer more than 12,000 square feet of space, which makes this hotel an ideal place for meetings of six to 300 people.
Old Pasadena Courtyard by Marriott
With 6,000 square feet of meeting space, the Courtyard can accommodate groups from 10 to 200 people.
ALTERNATIVE FUNCTION SPACE
A city rich with culture, entrenched in academia, and kissed with year round Southern California sunshine, Pasadena offers a seemingly endless collection of unique venues for meetings and special events, ranging from spectacular gardens and stately educational institutions to museums and theatres.
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