Welcome Los Angeles Conferencegoers! If you are reading this, you are coming to Los Angeles for a work trip. You may be wondering what to do while you are here and are too busy to do research. (Hello, 9 to 5 and 40+!) This series is specially tailored for visitors looking for ideas for what to do around the conference venues in the greater Los Angeles area.
But first…..
Table of Contents
What inspired me to focus on conferences in Los Angeles (Maybe this has happened to you?)
Two conferences inspired me to take on Los Angeles Conferencegoers. They were both examples of missed opportunities to explore great cities.
Barcelona 2022
I joined my partner on a work trip to Barcelona. It is one of my favorite cities, and I jumped at the chance to wander around while he was in meetings all day. We organized a calçots dinner for a few of his co-workers, and after talking to them, I learned that:
- For the majority, this was their first trip to Europe.
- Many of them had flown in the night before the conference and were flying home at 5:00 a.m. the day after the conference ended.
- The conference-free evenings were spent in their hotel rooms and eating room service. Some of the reasoning for this was proximity and the ability to eat food they were familiar with.
Barcelona is a fantastic city, and it was a shame that although they were there for several days, they never had the chance to see it. It is also one of the world’s great food cities. I wanted so badly for them to do a do-over. This also prompted me to create this itinerary.
Chicago 2022
I attended a really great conference on workplace wellness in Chicago, a city I have a strong connection to. During the pre-conference, I befriended a couple of participants and was shocked to learn that the tour set up to explore the city was canceled. I learned that:
- Like the Barcelona attendees, they were only in town for the conference.
- For many people, it was their first time in Chicago
- Conference organizers don’t give a list of suggested places to see around the venue.
- Conference organizers don’t give any built-in time to see the city. (Just a statement of a fact, not a complaint.)
I led people to Millennium Park–only two blocks from the venue–to get those Chicago souvenir pictures of the Bean.
Los Angeles Conferencegoers, this is for you!
The above may sound familiar:
- You are in Los Angeles for the first time
- You are only here for a couple of days
- You have 0 time to research meals and things to do in Los Angeles.
- You need a guide. Let me be that person for you.
How are these conference guides set up?
YOU SHOULD SEE MORE OF LOS ANGELES THAN YOUR HOTEL ROOM!
Each page includes
- A little about the venue–address, neighborhood, and interesting facts.
- Where to get a good cup of coffee–venue coffee is usually bad, and you can get Starbucks at home.
- Where to eat lunch when your per diem is small?
- Where to go when you want to skip that boring afternoon talk
- Great happy hour spots–great places to network with the people you met at the conference.
- Dinner options
- Apply that per diem to something splurge-worthy
- More events and ideas for what to do while conferencing in Los Angeles
This page can help: Tourists Start Here
All the things you need to know about planning your trip to Los Angeles! Is LAX the best airport for your trip? What the #$^& is LAXit? Is traffic really that bad? The answer to these questions and more.
What is Bleisure?
The best way to travel is to get someone else to pay for it. Have you heard of Bliesure Travel? It has gained popularity now that we are freer to travel around the world. If you are new to this term, it is a way to minimize the amount YOU have to spend on travel by adding a day or two on your work trips.
Business + Leisure = bliesure
I happen to think Los Angeles is a great place to spend those additional days.
How Bleisure can work to your advantage?
It is always best to look at your company policy for business travel. In my experience and that of my partner, our companies allowed the following:
- Airfare–You pay the difference in airfare.
- The ticket price for the business-only dates is $375, and adding the personal dates is $345; you owe nothing.
- The ticket price for the business-only dates is $345, and adding the personal dates is $360; you owe the company $15. Yes! A flight to Los Angeles for $15!
- Lodging–You pay for all personal nights in the hotel. This also gives you the power to switch hotels if the non-conference days jump in price.
- Transportation–The company will still pay for your transportation to and from the airport.
- Per diem–I found that the conferences I attended really fed you during the day; I would take my daily per diem and put it toward a more foodie-focused dinner.
- FYI: Always check your policies before you use this tactic. Some companies allow this, and others do not. (i.e. I am not responsible for abuse of policy.)
Sometimes my stay in another city would only cost $500 instead of $2,500.
Traveling for work also allowed me to visit cities that weren’t my typical vacation destinations. I made it a point to get out and explore places like Seattle and Fort Lauderdale. Work travel also made seeing friends and family across the country cheaper.
Los Angeles conference venues
This series helps you discover this city and gives you tons of ideas for what to do while conferencing in Los Angeles. I am currently creating recommendations and tips for popular conference venues.
The Millenium Biltmore (aka the Biltmore)
If your conference has brought you to the Biltmore, here are all of my recommendations to support local coffee shops, where to do happy hour with the people you just met, and more.
Westin Bonaventure
COMING SOON
More guides to come like the Los Angeles Convention Center, Santa Monica Convention Center, UCLA, and the SoHo House. Subscribe to my newsletter to get updates to when these are posted.
If my Los Angeles Conferencegoers page helped you….
This Ugly Beautiful City is a 100% self-funded publication. If you have used any of the advice on these pages and would like to send a thank you, consider buying me a coffee.
