Los Angeles Convention Board was represented by Clockwise Consulting’s Sue Boyle at Get Global in July 2019. This was our third year and this time representing three of our clients. This is a great event for those who book events outside of Australia. We saw many friendly faces of clients we had dealt with for years, MICE Media and agencies. It was also good to connect with corporate meeting planners, some of whom were planning their very first offshore event, and some who had never worked with bureaus before.
There was interest in the US particularly in the changes in L.A.
Here are some fun facts about L.A. and the Australian market
- Australia is Los Angeles’ second largest overseas market after China, with 426,000 visitors in 2018 – up 2% year over year.
- Los Angeles can accommodate from large scale congresses to more intimate meetings and incentive groups – our destination represents most sectors. Australian groups that are attracted include incentive programs with bespoke, energetic and cultural itineraries. LA also has become a hub for technology with the offices of Snap, Netflix and Playa Vista. Medical institutions are also robust, so LA is an ideal home for medical meetings.
- Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board is represented in Australia via Clockwise Consulting. We share updates with the market and accommodate any questions or requests about the destination. With “boots on the ground” in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.
- We host a Familiarisation (FAM) for our key Australian buyers every year. We are bringing out our suppliers from LA for a mission in 2020 to Australia.
- We will continue to exhibit at AIME and Get Global
- 2028 Summer Olympics will be hosted in Los Angeles– Aussies love Sport
- Park Hyatt/Oceanwide Plaza (Downtown) – Oceanwide Plaza, the mixed-use project that will be built adjacent to STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE, will include L.A.’s first hotel under the Park Hyatt luxury badge. Slated to open in 2020, the Park Hyatt Los Angeles will have 184 rooms, including 34 suites.www.oceanwideplaza.com
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is building the world’s leading movie museum in the heart of Los Angeles. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the six story Academy Museum will contain state-of-the-art galleries, exhibition spaces, movie theatres, educational areas, and special event spaces. This 300,000-square-foot museum will feature more than 50,000 square feet of gallery space. The museum is planned to open in late 2019. https://www.academymuseum.org
- The Rams Stadium will be located at the heart of the new City of Champions district, a purpose-built mixed-use, entertainment, and leisure neighbourhood being constructed on the site of the recently-demolished Hollywood Park fairgrounds. The stadium is scheduled to open in phases, starting in 2020. Not long after it opens, the stadium will be thrust into the national spotlight, not only as the largest and most expensive football stadium to date, but also as the host of the 2022 Super Bowl! https://www.therams.com/stadium/la-stadium
- Los Angeles Convention Center expansion: Grow to more than 1.2 million square feet — including 250,000 square feet of meeting space and a 51,000-square-foot ballroom — with total contiguous exhibition space between the existing South and West Halls expanding to 750,000 square feet. Slated to be completed end of 2021
- There are 72 direct flights from Australia per week.
- Many Aussies have visited the main attractions of the destination, but with so many revamped neighbourhoods, they are loving the “new LA.” We often recommend the trendy venues in Downtown LA, the new distilleries and breweries in the Arts District and a tour through Silver Lake.