Location spotlight: House of Blues Sunset Strip.

House of Blues in West Hollywood opened its doors in April of 1994 and forever changed the landscape of Sunset Strip. At it's opening week celebration the venue solidified its status as a world premier music venue with performances by James Brown, John Lee Hooker, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and of course, Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd. What it may not have realized at the time is that it also positioned itself as a truly unique and creative venue to host private and special events in Los Angeles: The House of Blues doors had opened for music and Southern California's Corporate Meeting Executives, Movie and TV Studios, Fundraisers and Social Planners all took notice.

One of the main reasons for its appeal is its eclectic design. The 34,000 square foot building exterior is wrapped in tin that was brought up from a Gin Mill in Mississippi and painstakingly attached to the venue. "Sacred" Mississippi dirt was brought up and placed beneath the Music Hall stage to pay homage to the blues legends that have helped shape nearly every form of modern music. Outsider art adorns the walls on all three of the venue's levels and is an art form sometimes referred to as Folk Art. An artist using non-traditional materials such as found objects to create their work usually characterizes the form. From mud to molasses to sawdust to berry juice, the creativity of the work is as captivating as it is simple. Many pieces of Outsider Art are also striking examples of the realities of the individual situation of the artist, touching on issues of slavery, addiction and personal struggle as well as celebrating a passion for romance, music and familial bonds.

The Sunset Strip location was the third club venue opened by House of Blues Entertainment Corp. (there are currently eight venues, with plans to open clubs in San Diego and Atlantic City later this year) and features a 1000 capacity music hall, 200 seat restaurant, 150 seat member-based Foundation Room, Company Store plus a Ticketing Box Office. Although the venue operates on three different levels, all of the separate areas interact and can be utilized for special events.

With an incredible sound system and great sight lines, it's no surprise that the Music Hall has featured such legendary talent over the past decade. What some may not know is the Music Hall also has played host to countless large-scale private events. It can be used as a concert facility for premiere parties and corporate events, as a backdrop for product launches, seminars and sit-down dinners or as a combination of both for fundraising and social engagements. The hall includes full banquet amenities, three full service bars, 30' x 20' foot stage and sound system, dedicated kitchen and its balcony level features a hydraulic system that opens and closes two upstairs bars, which is an amazing feat to behold. The music hall is also home to the world-famous Sunday Gospel Brunch. Every Sunday guests are treated to an uplifting live Gospel performance and an all-you-can-eat Southern-style buffet. It's a trademark event at all of the House of Blues and is often used as the setting for fundraising events. With seating for up to 350 and a turnkey set-up, fundraisers are able to focus on promoting the event and selling tickets instead of worrying about all the myriad production details. This can be a very attractive option to event planners with limited resources!

The second level of the venue is reminiscent of a spacious Mississippi Delta porch and is where the venue's restaurant showcases its renowned southern-inspired cuisine and unforgettable friendly hospitality. Signature dishes like Creole Jambalaya, Rosemary Cornbread and White Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding are all showcased on the restaurant's menu. Depending on a meeting planners needs, the restaurant can host private events that accommodate anywhere from 25-400 guests. Sunny daytime lunch meetings as well as pre-show meet and greets are not uncommon and lucky restaurant guests are sometimes treated to a glimpse of their favorite performers at the latter.

The top level of the venue is home to the exclusive members-only Foundation Room. Currently four of the eight House of Blues club venues feature a Foundation Room, but all future club openings include plans to include one. The Sunset Strip Foundation Room offers a setting that is both eclectic and elegant. It features six ornate rooms including a beautiful lounge and bar with a working solid mahogany fireplace. Each room resembles an Indian Palace and is adorned with different Persian carpets, antique temple screens, fabric walls, German mahogany furniture, and gothic ceiling panels plus numerous statues and woodcarvings. The Parish is the most recent addition to the Foundation Room and features surround sound audio plus a drop down projection screen for a variety of uses. The Foundation Room also includes Table 945, which in addition to being Dan Aykroyd's favorite table in the entire venue, is also home to one of the best dining experiences in all of LA. With exhilarating views of both the Westside and Downtown, Table 945 has been host to many intimate special occasions.

House of Blues has worked with numerous companies to help them produce the best event possible. Microsoft, American Express, NBC, Rock The Vote and even the Democratic National Convention have all tapped into the resources available at this Sunset Strip landmark.

Virtual Tours of the entire, venue are available at hob.com/la in the Special Events area of the website and additional special event and venue information is also available by calling 323.848.5105. The House of Blues is located at 8430 Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood.

David Fortin is Marketing Manager for House of Blues and has been a House of Blues team member since 1994.