Professional meetings and events: Curated California gatherings

The right backdrop can set the scene and turn a standard meeting into a memorable moment. Throughout California, galleries, immersive exhibits, museums, gardens and unique architecture elevate events from Sacramento to San Diego.

Museums, galleries and cultural venues 

Some of California's best meeting spaces come with art, history or an ocean view built in. Walk a cultural trail, wander a wall of new murals or take over Hearst Castle for the night. Whatever you decide, each venue offers something extra to wow your guests.

Crescent City Cultural Center

 

Meetings at the Crescent City Cultural Center afford not only sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean but also give guests the chance to explore the new Tolowa Cultural Trail. Starting from the event space to Battery Point Lighthouse, visitors on the accessible pebbled pathway can scan QR codes to learn the traditions, stories and history that shaped the local Taa-la-wa Dee-ni' community. 

Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park

 

Located in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park is an open-air cultural gallery and celebration of Miwok traditions. Events are hosted in the shaded ramada. Guests can explore native plant trails and traditional bark houses or visit The Chaw'se Regional Indian Museum, a roundhouse that displays an extensive collection of Native American crafts. 

Elk Grove experience

 

Planning a meeting in Elk Grove just got more colorful thanks to the new Paint The Grove murals. Local and nationally recognized artists collaborated to create eight large-scale murals lining the district near the railroad tracks. Groups can meet in Old Town Plaza and stroll through town, taking in the art. It’s an ideal add-on to any meeting in the area.

Hearst Castle

 

Feel like royalty for a night at the legendary Hearst Castle in San Simeon. Walk in the footsteps of William Randolph Hearst and the stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, while taking in the iconic Neptune and Roman pools, terraces, gardens, and stunning architecture and art.

Museum memories

 

Los Angeles’ museums are tourist favorites, but they’re also hidden gems for meeting planners. The newly opened Lucas Museum of Narrative Art lets guests be inspired by all forms of visual storytelling, while the Griffith Observatory helps your clients reach for the stars. The Petersen Automotive Museum will get your motor running and is a favorite with executives and corporate teams.  

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego 

 

Contemporary art and architecture, plus stunning views of the Pacific, come together at the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego. Located in La Jolla, the museum’s expansive campus features distinctive indoor and outdoor spaces, from the art-filled Axline Court and sculpture-dotted Art Park to oceanfront terraces and intimate spaces overlooking the coast.

Hotels & resorts 

 

At some California hotels, culture comes with the room key. Plan a standout event next to cultural parks, in a 1920s artist commune, or in meeting rooms that started as art galleries.

Sheraton Redding Hotel at the Sundial Bridge

 

Located adjacent to one of Redding’s most important cultural attractions, Turtle Bay Exploration Park, the Sheraton Redding Hotel at the Sundial Bridge offers meeting attendees easy access to the park, which includes museum exhibitions, art displays, botanical gardens and the iconic Sundial Bridge.

Vinarosa Resort & Spa

 

Sonoma is synonymous with world-class wines. Meeting planners can easily transition from the boardroom to the vineyard at Vinarosa Resort & Spa in Santa Rosa. The luxurious winery resort lets guests immerse themselves in the vineyards with a walk on the one-mile loop trail through the vines or bring some vino to their vinyasa with a flow class surrounded by the grapes.  

Gravity Haus

 

Gravity Haus, a modern mountain lodge retreat, sits just outside historic downtown Truckee, and its bespoke experiences include local art and culture outings for groups. Nearby, the museum at Donner Memorial State Park will regale your team with the story of the Donner Party, the Washoe people and the Chinese railroad workers who shaped the region.

Korakia Pensione

 

Palm Springs is known for its mid-century architecture, but Korakia Pensione brings a whole different vibe to the desert. Created as an artist commune in the 1920s by painter Gordon Coutts, it’s a Moroccan hideaway designed to recreate his life in Tangier. Today, the property also encompasses the neighboring Mediterranean villa once owned by silent film star J. Carrol Naish. This hidden oasis immerses your team in secret gardens, pools, lounges and fountains spread across the lush property. 

The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa

 

At Riverside’s historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, many of its meeting rooms began life as art galleries. The Spanish Art Gallery was built in 1914 to house priceless art, and The Galleria still displays European sculptures and a Tiffany-stained glass piece. In the Ho-O-Kan room, an eight-foot Buddha keeps watch over your group. The hotel hosts daily historic tours for guests to learn the history and secrets of the iconic property. 

Balboa Bay Resort

 

Balboa Bay Resort in glittery Newport Beach recently reimagined more than 30,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, drawing on the Pacific Ocean for design inspiration. Meeting planners can add a Duffy charter to Balboa Island, home to the Huse Skelly Art Gallery and the Balboa Island Museum. 

In California, there's a meeting room that started as an art gallery, a hotel that began as an artist commune, and a cultural center that puts your guests on the path to discovering the local indigenous culture. Planners who book places like these hand attendees a story to tell back home. Add in experiences like a harbor charter or a mural stroll, and these special settings do all the work to make a meeting memorable.