Long beach is Southern California's best kept secret.

Located right in the heart of the city of Long Beach's oceanfront downtown is the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center. While conventioneers are certain to come to work, they'll definitely want to stay to play! The Center views the Pacific Ocean and offers over 300,000 square feet of flexible, state-of-the-art meeting and exhibit space, two VIP lounges, full-service gourmet catering and hospitality as well as an on-site audio/visual supplier.

The Convention & Entertainment Center is located within walking distance of 2,000 first-class hotel rooms that are adjacent to a host of retail establishments and downtown attractions such as the world-famous Aquarium of the Pacific.

The Grand Ballroom and Seaside Conference Center add the final touches to the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center to complete your meeting or event. Accommodating more than 2,000 people, the elegant Grand Ballroom is the largest in the city, offering 20,456 square feet of space. The Ballroom has a 22'9" ceiling, is virtually column free and has a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. The Seaside Conference Center and Ballroom offers 6,317 square feet of space and can accommodate 400 people for an elegant dinner and 700 people for a networking reception.

Need even more space? The exhibition halls measure 224,000 square feet, all on one level, and provide contiguous exhibit spaces of 91,000, 57,000 and 76,000 square feet. In addition there are 34 meeting rooms that total 78,730 square feet.

SMG Catering completes the space with unique and flavorful catering options designed to fit planners' budgets while impressing your guests. SMG's chefs are trained in a vast array of food preparation styles. The executive chef grew up on both coasts creating a combination that is evident in his cooking style. The chef loves to use ingredients that he found in his backyard on Marco Island and combine it with great, flesh produce from California. He likes to use mango, star fruit, papaya, pineapple, and oranges and pair any one of them with a California Hass avocado, water chestnuts, and cilantro to make a beautiful tropical salsa served over grilled Pacific Halibut.

The secret is now out! With so much to offer to meeting and event planners, an event in Long Beach is only a phone call away.

John Ehlenfeldt is with SMG Catering. For more information or to learn more about planning an event at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center or the Aquarium of the Pacific, please contact [phone].