Five reasons to meet in Costa Mesa.

Location. Location. Location. Costa Mesa is ideally located right in the heart of Orange County, less than four miles from beautiful California beaches and next to some of Southern California's most popular attractions. Home to approximately 100,000 residents and millions of visitors each year, Costa Mesa offers a perfect place to do business and get away from it all. Here are five reasons to make Costa Mesa your next meeting or event destination:

1. State-of-the-Art Meeting Space

According to the Orange County Business Journal, there are approximately 290,000 square feet of meeting space on the Orange County coastline. Of that, more than 100,000 square feet are found in luxurious hotels within Costa Mesa's borders. These hotels offer meeting space equipped with state-of-the-art technology and audiovisual equipment, a hospitable staff to attend to your every need, complete catering services and complimentary local transportation.

2. Central Location

"Meeting planners who are frustrated by the current reduction of airline flights will find Costa Mesa to be an excellent venue when scheduling upcoming meetings," said Richard Ham, board member of South Coast Metro Alliance and general manager of Hilton Costa Mesa. Located south of Los Angeles and to the north of San Diego and minutes from the California coasts, Costa Mesa serves as an ideal setting--it provides an escape from the congestion of major cities yet still offers all the amenities of a large, metropolitan area. This community borders Orange County's John Wayne Airport and has easy access to the 73, 405, and 55 freeways. In addition, bus depots and train stations are conveniently located nearby.

3. World-Famous Recreation

Costa Mesa's surrounding region contains a diverse selection of recreational activities. Attractions, museums, outdoor recreational opportunities, championship golf courses and the arts are all found in and around Costa Mesa. For the golf enthusiast, Pelican Hill, one of the country's most prestigious golf courses, is located on the beautiful Newport Beach coastline. Other courses in the area include the Rancho San Joaquin Golf Club, Strawberry Farms, and the Costa Mesa Golf Course and Country Club.

Right across the way from South Coast Plaza Resort is one of the most popular performing arts centers in the nation, the Orange County Theatre District. This is home to the beautiful Orange County Performing Arts Center and the South Coast Repertory, both of which offer a variety of performances and cultural events throughout the year.

Some of Orange County's claims to fame include its amusement parks and sporting arenas. Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure, Knott's Berry Farm and Wild Rivers Water Park are all easily accessible by car and sports fans, there are sporting venues such as the Edison International Field, home of the World Champion Angels baseball team, and Arrowhead Pond, home to the Mighty Ducks ice hockey team.

4. World-Class Shopping

Local shopping found here is enough to warrant a category of its own. The South Coast Plaza Resort is one of the largest shopping centers in the world. Millions of visitors each year plan a visit just to walk through the almost 128 acres of shopping and entertainment that the Plaza has to offer. Orange County's answer to Rodeo Drive, the Plaza is comprised of two large shopping centers joined by a spectacular sky bridge. It offers hundreds of retails shops, large department stores and magnificent restaurants. Neighboring Metro Pointe, offers additional shopping opportunities in an outdoor atmosphere, nestled among splendid restaurants and a 12-theatre movieplex. Not far from here, Fashion Island, the Block, Irvine Spectrum and Triangle Square will keep even the pickiest shopper busy for hours.

5. Highly Acclaimed Dining for Every Budget

Costa Mesa offers an eclectic, rich selection of restaurants in Southern California and is renowned for its world-class cuisine. Several of the restaurants in the area recently made the Zagat Top Ten List. Widely recognized restaurants such as Gustaf Anders, Pinot Provence, Morton's Steakhouse, Scott's Seafood and Grill, Troquet and The Clubhouse...Where You Belong can all be found in or adjacent to the South Coast Plaza Shopping Resort. Other restaurants in the area include California Pizza Kitchen ASAP, Jerry's Famous Deli and Wolfgang Puck. Whatever your budget or taste may be, you will find it in Costa Mesa.

After a day filled with meetings or sightseeing, an ideal place to rest your tired feet is the all new Hilton Costa Mesa, currently finishing up $15.5 million in renovations. Some notable features include 50,000 square feet of meeting space combined with 484 oversized sleeping rooms and a revitalized seven-story atrium lobby.

Sunny weather, an abundance of things to do and see, first-class service and amenities all await you at your next event in beautiful Costa Mesa.

Debbie Moon is a Marketing Analyst in the Marketing and Sales Department at the Hilton Costa Mesa.