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Los Angeles Convention Center – Overview

Nestled in the center of Los Angeles, California, is the Los Angeles Convention Center. With approximately 350 events hosted annually, it’s no wonder why the Los Angeles Convention Center brings in over two million people each year. This convention center is a great place to hold events, meetings, and more.

The Los Angeles Convention Center opened in 1971 and is located on the southwest side of downtown Los Angeles. Over the past decade, major renovations have been made to forward the building’s environmental and sustainable efforts.

Overview

Hosts approximately 300 events a year: Events hosted at the Los Angeles Convention Center include the BET Experience and the Governor’s Ball. The convention center is also poised to host sporting events during the 2028 Summer Olympics.
ADA compliant: The Los Angeles Convention Center is prepared to accommodate all guests. The entire building is ADA compliant. It is equipped with automatic entry and exit doors, wheelchair-accessible elevators, water fountains, restrooms, and a designated parking area. The convention center also offers wheelchair rentals.
720,000 square feet of exhibit hall space: With so many people to entertain, the Los Angeles Convention Center obviously has to have plenty of space. As such, there are five exhibit halls in the Los Angeles Convention Center. The South Hall encompasses 346,890 square feet with room for over 1,700 exhibit booths and 22,000 people. The West Hall is slightly smaller at 210,685 square feet with room for 1,050 booths and 15,000 people. Kentia Hall is the smallest at 162,000 square feet with room for 844 10-foot by 10-foot booths.
147,000 square feet of meeting room space: There are 64 column-free meeting rooms in the Los Angeles Convention Center along with two larger meeting room spaces and a theater. The two larger meeting rooms are Concourse Hall and Petree Hall. Concourse Hall can be divided into eight rooms and is over 26,000 square feet with enough room for up to 2,700 guests. Petree Hall is 21,557 square feet and can be divided into two rooms and hold up to 2,100 guests. All 66 meeting rooms can be equipped with theater, banquet, or classroom seating. The meeting rooms also have permanently installed video systems. The theater was renovated in 2015 and can now hold up to 299 people. It also has rear screen projection, making presentations easier to view.
Business center and services: The Los Angeles Convention Center features a business center operated by Image Quest Plus, also known as IQ. The convention center also features in-house partners to help assist with Internet services, food and beverage services, electrical work, copying, audio services, and cleaning.
Parking lot: The parking lot at the Los Angeles Convention Center can accommodate over 5,500 cars. There are 12 electric vehicle charging stations available in the West and South Parking Garages. General parking hours are from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The convention center’s lot charges $15 to $30 a day per car. If for some reason the lot is full, you may be able to find street parking around the venue as well.

Tips

Download a map of the convention center. Navigating the expanse of the Los Angeles Convention Center can be overwhelming, especially for first-timers. Download or print a map beforehand to get an idea of the venue’s layout. The convention center also offers an interactive map online.
Bring a sweater. The interior of the Los Angeles Convention Center is kept pretty cool, so don’t be surprised if you feel a bit chilly after stepping out of the warm California sunshine.
Bring cash for parking, and download a parking app. Los Angeles is not known for its free and easy-to-find parking. Like in all other busy cities, it may be in your best interest to not drive a car and take public transportation instead. However, if you do have to drive, remember to bring cash for parking. Parking at the Los Angeles Convention Center can range anywhere from $15 to $30. There are also other parking lots dotted around the neighborhood. If you download a parking app, such as LA Express Park, you might be able to find an open lot a lot faster.
Get up-to-date traffic information. Los Angeles has some of the worst traffic in the United States. Although unavoidable at all times, there are a few resources you can use when looking for another way to the convention center. The radio station KNX 1070 provides real-time traffic information as well as the website Sigalert.com. You can also call Caltrans Public Affairs for traffic updates.
Explore L.A. LIVE. Located a block away from the Los Angeles Convention Center, L.A. LIVE has an abundant amount of shops and restaurants for you to enjoy. It takes less than five minutes to walk over to L.A. LIVE from the convention center. If you drive over however, you may be eligible for free parking. Most restaurants at L.A. LIVE provide patrons with a complimentary parking pass to validate their parking.
Important do’s and don’ts. At the Los Angeles Convention Center there are a few things to keep in mind when planning or attending an event. First off, no balloons are allowed inside the convention center as well as no public solicitors. Also, you don’t need to purchase Wi-Fi ahead of time, since free Internet services are provided upon request. The Los Angeles Convention Center features a lost and found too, which is operated by the facility’s guest services. Lastly, be advised that cell phone charging stations may not be available at your particular event, since they must be requested in advance.

Trivia

The Los Angeles Convention Center is the largest convention center in the United States to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. The Los Angeles Convention Center received this prestigious certification in 2019. This was in recognition of the convention center making efforts to reduce its environmental impact. Various kinds of green initiatives are implemented to keep the convention center eco-friendly. We’ll touch on some of them shortly.
Scenes for movies, television shows, and more have been shot at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Los Angeles Convention Center is constantly being used as a set for movies, television, photoshoots, and commercials. For example, television shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Westworld, and more have all had scenes filmed there. Producers prefer to use this venue because of its size and availability.
The Los Angeles Convention Center hosted journalists covering the 1984 Olympics. The Los Angeles Convention Center provided accommodations for over 7,000 journalists. Additionally, footage of the games was processed in the West Hall of the convention center.
The Los Angeles Convention Center was presented with the LABBC Innovation Award. The Los Angeles Convention Center has proved time and time again how dedicated they are to achieving significant energy savings. For example, the convention center features solar panels that have reduced the building’s energy usage by 11.4%. It also features interior and exterior LED lamps as well as a 525,000 square-foot roof that reflects heat away from the building. The Los Angeles Better Building Challenge Award recognizes this dedication.