Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center |
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| Location | Long Beach, California |
| Coordinates | 33°45′50″N 118°11′18″W / 33.76389°N 118.18833°W |
| Operator | ASM Global |
| Renovated | 1994, 2013 |
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Former names
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Long Beach Convention Center (1978-90) Long Beach Civic Arena |
| Banquet/ballroom | 9,700 (Top of the Lot) 2,272 (Grand Ballroom) 1,466 (Promenade Ballroom) 700 (Seaside Ballroom) |
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Theatre seating
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14,500 (Long Beach Arena) 4,890 (Pacific Room) 3,052 (Terrace Theater) 825 (Center Theater) |
| Enclosed space | |
| • Total space | 572,387 square feet (53,176.5 m2) |
| • Exhibit hall floor | 224,000 square feet (20,800 m2) |
| • Breakout/meeting | 38,757 square feet (3,600.6 m2) |
| • Ballroom | 178,117 square feet (16,547.6 m2) |
| Public transit access |  1st Street  |
The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is a huge place in Long Beach, California. It's where big events, shows, and meetings happen! This center includes the Long Beach Convention Center, the Long Beach Arena, and the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. It's easy to get to, right near the 1st Street train station.
Contents
History of the Convention Center
Long ago, there was a building called the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium. The first one was built in 1905. A second, even bigger one, was finished in 1932. It stretched far out into the water! This old building was taken down in 1975 to make space for the modern convention center we see today.
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An old photo from above the second Municipal Auditorium, around 1930.
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A look at the stage area (proscenium) inside, around 1930.
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Inside the concert hall, around 1930.
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Looking towards the stage and concert hall, around 1930.
Explore the Main Venues
The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center has several important parts. Each part is designed for different types of events.
Long Beach Convention Center Facilities
This part of the center is great for large gatherings and shows.
- Exhibit Hall A/B/C: These are huge halls for big exhibitions. They also have smaller meeting rooms nearby.
- Promenade Ballroom: A large space, about 13,200 square feet, perfect for banquets and dances.
- Top of the Lot: This is an open-air area on the top deck of a parking structure.
- Grand Ballroom: An even bigger space, about 20,456 square feet, also used for large events.
- Terrace Plaza: An outdoor area connected to the center.
- The Cove: Another unique space within the center.
Long Beach Arena Events
The Long Beach Arena opened in 1962. It's a popular spot for sports and concerts.
- Pacific Ballroom: This is a special event space inside the Arena. It can be changed to fit different events, from receptions to concerts. For concerts, it can hold between 2,990 and 4,890 people.
Long Beach Performing Arts Center Theaters
This part of the center is home to amazing shows and performances.
- Terrace Theater
- Beverly O'Neill Theater
Long Beach Convention Center During the Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic in California, the convention center helped the community in big ways. It was used as a place where many people could get vaccinated. Later, it also became a safe temporary home for migrant children who needed shelter.
Long Beach Arena: Sports and Concerts
The Long Beach Arena was the first building finished in the whole complex. It can hold many people for different events:
- 12,500 for ice hockey games.
- 14,000 for basketball games.
- 10,500 to 14,500 for concerts, depending on how the seats are arranged.
The arena has hosted many exciting events, including professional sports and college games. It was famously used for the volleyball events during the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
For big trade shows, the arena has a huge space of 46,000 square feet. There's also extra space in the lobby and concourse. A large scoreboard hangs from the 77-foot-high ceiling, showing cool animations. There's also a big LED screen on one end of the arena.
Early NHL Games in Long Beach
The arena was the site of one of the first NHL games for new teams in 1967. The Los Angeles Kings and the Philadelphia Flyers played here on October 14, 1967. The Kings won 4–2. The Kings played in Long Beach for the first half of their first season while their home arena, The Forum, was still being built.
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Famous Performances and Events
In the 1970s, the arena hosted games for the Los Angeles Sharks hockey team and the Los Angeles Thunderbirds roller derby team. Many famous musicians have played here too. The Grateful Dead played 13 concerts at the arena between 1972 and 1988.
Elvis Presley performed four shows here in 1972 and 1976. In 1980–81, the arena was home to the California Surf soccer team for one season of indoor soccer.
The arena was also home to the former Long Beach Ice Dogs team, which played professional ice hockey until 2007.
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The Eagles performed a benefit concert here on July 31, 1980. During this show, band members Glenn Frey and Don Felder had a big argument. A live recording of their song "Life in the Fast Lane" from this show was included on their album Eagles Live. This was their last live performance together for 14 years.
Iron Maiden performed four shows here in March 1985. One of these shows, on March 15, was recorded and released as a live album called Live After Death.
The arena hosted parts of the 1986 and 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship tournaments. In 1990, the Loyola Marymount Lions had an amazing run. Their star player, Hank Gathers, had passed away shortly before. His teammate Bo Kimble famously shot his first free throw in each game left-handed as a tribute to Gathers.
Run–D.M.C. performed here on August 17, 1986, with other famous acts like LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys. During this show, some fights broke out in the audience.
The arena has also hosted mixed martial arts events, like PFL 9 in 2018.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in California, the Arena was prepared to be a medical facility, but it was not needed.
The TV game show Game of Talents is filmed at the arena.
The arena will also host handball events during the 2028 Summer Olympics. There are plans for $50 million in improvements for the Convention Center for these games.
Wyland Murals: Art for the Ocean
On the outside wall of the round Arena, you can see a huge mural called "Planet Ocean." It's one of environmental artist Wyland's famous Whaling Walls. This mural was finished on July 9, 1992, and covers a massive 116,000 square feet! It shows migrating gray whales and other amazing sea creatures that live in the waters near Long Beach.
In 2009, for Earth Day, Wyland refreshed the existing mural and added a giant painting of the Earth on the roof of the arena.
Meeting Rooms and Olympic Connections
The Long Beach Convention Center has many spaces for meetings and events. There are two main ballrooms:
- The Grand Ballroom is 20,456 square feet and can seat up to 2,100 people.
- The Promenade Ballroom is 13,200 square feet and can seat up to 1,400 people.
There are also 34 other meeting rooms, adding up to over 82,000 square feet of space.
The convention center and theater part hosted the fencing competitions during the 1984 Summer Olympics. It might also be an Olympic venue again if sports climbing is included in the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Images for kids
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An old photo from above the second Municipal Auditorium, around 1930.
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A look at the stage area (proscenium) inside, around 1930.
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Inside the concert hall, around 1930.
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Looking towards the stage and concert hall, around 1930.
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The Wyland Whaling Wall 33, "Planet Ocean", on the exterior of the arena.
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Long Beach Arena.
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Interior of the arena.
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Wyland's signature on Long Beach Arena.
