Event Planning in Los Angeles: The Venue Guide

If the never-ending parties in Hollywood are any indication (not to mention the countless photo and film shoots and business meetings), the city of Los Angeles certainly does not suffer from a dearth of event venues. From no-frills meeting rooms for five to lavish ballrooms for 500 and beyond, Los Angeles definitely has a wide range of choices to offer.

To help you sift through the multitude of options, we have prepared this guide listing suggestions based on the type of meeting, the number of attendees, and location. Plus, we’ve picked out some of Los Angeles’ unique and rare event spaces in case you’re planning something out of the ordinary.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEETINGS IN LOS ANGELES

RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON LOCATION

ALSO: Learn about LA's Unique and Rare Spaces!

Is there a section you’d like to see added to this guide? Please let us know at team@evenues.com.

Venues for Small Group Meetings

Los Angeles offers plenty of venue choices if you’re planning a small group meeting. They can be rented by the hour or by the day, and come in a range of prices that will fit any budget.

If money is a little tight, for instance, we suggest the conference room of MKC Beauty Academy. It is affordable at $20 an hour and can fit up to 15 people. Plus, free parking is available all day nearby.

Choices in the midrange category include the Earhart Room at the Howard Hughes Center and the boardroom of Cottage Grove LLC. Now if you want to hold your meeting amid stylish surroundings without having to spend a fortune, we recommend the conference room of Blankspaces. It features Steelcase furniture and a range of amenities, including wireless Internet, whiteboards, built-in AV and screens, and an overhead as well as an LCD projector.

Looking for something a little more upscale? Here are a few suggestions:

These are just a few of our favorites among dozens of listings on the eVenues website. To see the entire range of meeting rooms for small groups, check out our Los Angeles Listings Page. You can use the filter on the left-hand side to refine your search by capacity.

Offsite Meeting Spaces with Amenities

If you have special requirements for your meetings—whether they’re Internet access, audio-visual equipment, whiteboards, or projectors—there are lots of Los Angeles venues offering these amenities for an extra fee or even free of charge. A few examples are listed below:

  • The Chandelier Room of Kelli Norden and Associates – This 14-capacity meeting room features modern video and teleconferencing capabilities, wireless Internet, and built-in AV. Plus, you’ll enjoy its chic décor and beautiful view of the hills of Santa Monica. The rental fee includes gourmet coffee, tea, water, and pastries as well.
  • Boardroom at City National Plaza – This venue can accommodate up to 12 people and provides wifi, whiteboards, and a conference phone. A projector is available for an additional fee. Extra services can be requested as well, such as photocopying and AV support.
  • Reporters’ Connection – This meeting room has wireless Internet, whiteboards, video and teleconferencing, and a photocopier. It can fit eight to 10 people.

Venues for Seminars, Workshops, and Other Mid-Sized Events

It’s easy to organize a seminar, workshop, training, or other mid-sized event in Los Angeles because you’ll find dozens of venues with enough space for 50 to 100 attendees. These venues also provide high-tech amenities to make your events go smoothly. Here are some examples:

  • The event and workshop space at Blankspaces can accommodate up to 75 people. When it comes to amenities, it has the works: wireless Internet, built-in AV, LCD and overhead projectors, screens, whiteboards, and teleconferencing. Plus, it provides on-site free parking.
  • The Meeting Room is as much about style as it is about modern amenities. It has high ceilings, sophisticated décor, windows that look out to a patio with a water fountain, and lighting that can be adjusted from soft to bright. Other amenities include Internet access, an LCD projector, built-in screens, and whiteboards. It can accommodate up to 65.

Venues for Photo and Film Shoots

As the “Creative Capital of the World” with a large concentration of photographers and filmmakers, Los Angeles is home to many studios that can be booked for shoots. These venues come fully equipped to make your photo and film shoots go without a hitch. Listed below are a few of our recommended venues:

  • Conveniently located downtown, 1906 Studios is a loft with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a gorgeous view of the city. It consists of two rooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The rental fee includes wifi access and use of the refrigerator. Photography equipment and office/lounge furniture are available for rent as well.
  • Another loft that’s ideal for photo shoots, small video productions, workshops, and other events is Blended 5A. This venue has a kitchen, a dressing room, a bathroom, and large windows that let natural light in. The rental also comes with a garment rack, kitchen appliances, and an equipment dolly.
  • Located in Hollywood, La Brea Studio is a natural-light studio available for photo shoots, productions, and other events. It is equipped with a kitchen, a dressing room, a makeup room, a lounge area, a dining area, and a patio. For events, it can fit up to 150 people. Free parking is available nearby.

Venues for Large Parties and Galas (100+ People)

As a premier business and entertainment center where large events are happening all the time, Los Angeles offers venues of all types for your parties. Options range from cozy gallery spaces to breathtaking gardens to sprawling ballrooms and theaters. We have listed some suggestions below, along with detailed descriptions:

Theater Space

Built in 1926 and newly renovated, Belasco Theater has a stunning main room with a domed ceiling, a multi-tiered balcony, two patios, a green room, and a large kitchen. The venue can accommodate up to 400 people. In-house catering is available, but you can also opt for outside caterers.

Gallery Space

Whether you’re putting up an art show, looking to wow your guests with beautiful artwork, or just searching for a versatile space for your large event, galleries are an excellent option. One gallery that’s gaining popularity in downtown Los Angeles because of its attractive ambiance and reasonable rates is the Papillion Institute of Art. It can accommodate up to 200 people and rents out AV equipment at affordable prices. The venue also has a roster of DJs if you’re planning to hire one for your party.

Another option is HRLDRY. An art gallery as well as a record store, this venue is available for events of up to 200 guests. Aside from the main room, there’s also a large back area that you can use as a patio, for storage, or as an extension of your event space.

For larger parties of up to 300, we recommend Ocean Avenue Gallery. This space is available not only for exhibits and parties but also for photo and film shoots.

Garden Space

When the weather’s ideal, who wouldn’t love an outdoor party? In Los Angeles, we have a couple of suggestions for garden venues. The first is the garden at Boulevard3, a classy Sunset Boulevard space that boasts of two reflecting pools, a 20-foot-tall fireplace, and cabanas amid crape myrtle trees. It fits up to 275 people.

The other is Elysian, which is actually a combined indoor and outdoor venue consisting of a 1,200-square-foot room and a 4,000-square-foot garden. It can accommodate up to 150 people and features oak dining tables and carpets from Damascus. Catering packages are available, but the venue accepts outside caterers as well.

Event Venues

If you’re looking to wow your guests with a really impressive venue, you can’t go wrong with the grand ballroom of Boulevard3. This high-end Sunset Boulevard space can fit up to 650 people and has a huge dance floor, high ceilings, a magnificent skylight, and a state-of-the-art lighting system.

A more affordable—albeit smaller—option is io/LA. Located in Hollywood, it accommodates up to 250 guests and features built-in AV and screens, an overhead projector, and wifi.

Still another option is the event space of the Holding Co., which boasts of vaulted ceilings and vintage birdcage chandeliers. There’s also an outdoor patio that can be used for dancing, as well as an upstairs loft with a kitchen. It is suitable for events of up to 300 guests.

These are just a few of Los Angeles’ many venues for large parties and galas. You’ll find more by reviewing our Los Angeles Listings Page or by contacting us through our inquiry form. We can also help you book your chosen venue.

Venues in Hollywood

If you want to infuse a dose of glitz and glamour into your events, Hollywood is the perfect location. Not only does it offer plenty of choices when it comes to venues, but they’re also some of the most impressive you’ll find.

We’ve already told you about the garden and the grand ballroom of Boulevard3. Well, the venue has two other rooms available that are just as magnificent. Speakeasy is suitable for intimate events of up to 75 people and features a cherry wood bar, luxurious couches, velvet walls, and an antique slot machine.

Library Lounge, meanwhile, can accommodate up to 100 guests and is an interesting mix of classic décor and high-tech amenities. It has a projection screen and an LED tile wall interspersed with a Victorian mahogany bar and a marble fireplace. You can also opt to rent it with the adjoining garden. Together, they can fit up to 350 people.

Meeting Rooms Near LAX

Venues near airports are great for quick meetings with people who are flying in (or out). They save you time, spare you from long commutes, and let you get right down to business.

In Los Angeles, there are rooms conveniently located near LAX that you can rent by the hour or by the day. An example is LAX Continental Grand, which has a number of meeting rooms available for booking. For small groups of up to six, you can pick the King room. For bigger groups of up to 14, meanwhile, you can opt for the Laker room. LAX Continental Grand also has two other rooms—Dodger and Telepresence—with a capacity of eight and 12 respectively.

All of these meeting rooms have wifi, whiteboards, and conference phones. Additionally, the Telepresence Room has built-in AV and screens as well as video and teleconferencing capabilities.

UNIQUE AND RARE SPACES IN LOS ANGELES

So far, we’ve included a variety of conventional event spaces in this guide, from simple meeting rooms to extravagant ballrooms. But in case you’re looking for something a little less common, here are some of Los Angeles’ more unique venues. They just might fit the bill if you want that extra oomph.