LONG BEACH CONVENTION & ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
300 East Ocean Boulevard
Long Beach, California 90802
Telephone: (562) 436-3636
Convention Center (opened 1977)
Capacity flexible
About the Long Beach Convention Center
With its expansion in 1993, the LBCC is a flexible, high-quality convention and meeting facility attached to the Long Beach Arena (see arenas section). Built in 1977, the facility was built by the City of Long Beach and is now a familiar and busy venue for all types of events.
It offers three main exhibition halls, a major ballroom space plus the elegant Terrace Theater (capacity 3,051) and Center Theater (capacity 825).
It has been a well-respected sports site as well. The fencing competition in the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad in Los Angeles in 1984 was held in the Terrace Theater and the yachting competition was held in the adjacent Shoreline Marina.
Quick Facts
•The basics:
The LBCC offers more than 224,000 square feet of exhibition space and an outstanding ballroom, in addition to the nearby Arena. Portable seating can be installed as desired to provide spectator support for sporting events. There are nearly three dozen meeting rooms of various sizes in the Lobby area and under the Terrace Theater.
•Location and parking:
The Center is located on Pine Avenue in the downtown Long Beach area. It can be approached most easily from the Long Beach (710) Freeway via the downtown exit onto Broadway and turning onto Pine Avenue, going toward the Pacific Ocean.
•Management:
The facility was built and is owned by the City of Long Beach. It is operated under contract by SMG under the leadership of General Manager David Gordon. For information concerning rental of the facility, please contact Ellen Schwartz, Director of Sales, at (562) 436-3636 or by fax at (562) 436-9491.
•Technical information:
Off the main entrance on Pine Avenue, there is access to an elegant lobby which leads to the main exhibition halls of 90,875, 76,039 and 57,065 square feet. All have concrete floors and excellent access to power, water and communications support and ceiling heights ranging from 25-40 feet. Access to each hall is accommodated via two loading docks and 16 truck bays.
On the Lobby level are four large meeting rooms (101-104), ranging in size from 4,411 sq.ft. to 13,302 sq.ft. Each room is sub-dividable into smaller rooms (total of 11).
On the second level off the Lobby, there are three more major, carpeted meeting rooms (201: 4,001 sq.ft.; 202: 4,014 sq.ft.; 203: 4,044 sq.ft.) which can be sub-divided into eight smaller rooms. All are wired for audio and video support. The Ballroom is on an upstairs level from the Lobby and offers an expansive 20,456 sq.ft. in a circular format. It can accommodate up to 2,500 people in a banquet setting. There is another meeting room on the upstairs level of 2,122 sq.ft.
The Terrace Theater seats 3,051 and provides an elegant setting for stage functions of all types. The Long Beach Opera and Long Beach Symphony call it home. The proscenium opening of the stage measures 29 by 66 feet and there are good-sized wings on each side. There are three on-stage "star" dressing rooms and an additional three smaller performer rooms and two large chorus rooms for men and women. Seating includes 1,767 in the Orchestra section, 663 in the Loge and 508 in the Balcony. There are 83 additional pit seats and 30 for disabled seating.
Below the Theater are the Terrace meeting rooms, comprising ten rooms ranging in size from 316 to 6,417 sq.ft. Four of the rooms are sub- dividable into smaller spaces.
The Center Theater, adjacent to the Terrace Theater, seats 825 in a half-round setting of 13 rows. The stage is adjustable with 14 feet of depth and width which can be varied from 20 to 38 feet. There are two on-stage dressing rooms, three principal rooms and two chorus rooms.