Being a destination that offers sun, sand and a drive market north of 25 million—in a quintessentially Southern California setting straight out of a Beach Boys song—definitely presents its plusses.
But while the Orange County coast’s “OCeanfront” communities—stretching north from Dana Point through Laguna Beach and Newport Beach up to “Surf City” itself, Huntington Beach—offers all of the above, they can be overshadowed by the supersized Anaheim and Disneyland.
To increase their meetings clout, the four cities and 12 properties branded themselves The OCeanfront four years ago.
“Most of the county marketing effort was rooted in Anaheim and the greater Disney area,” says Blaise Bartell, chairman of The OCeanfront. “There was really enough inventory here and a story that needed to be told not only to the group market, but to the transient market.”
With an assist from popular television shows such as The O.C., MTV’s The Real Orange County and, most recently, The Real Housewives of Orange County, public awareness of the destination has exploded.
Its inventory of meeting facilities has also grown by leaps and bounds in the last four years, and now offers everything from ultra-luxe properties such as Montage Laguna Beach; The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel; St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort; and the massive new Resort at Pelican Hill; to traditional meetings properties like Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort; Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa; Hyatt Regency Newport Beach; The Island Hotel; Laguna Cliffs Resort & Spa; and Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa
Other OCeanfront members include the retro-chic Surf & Sand Resort—located right on a prime stretch of beach—and the semi-private yacht club-style Balboa Bay Club & Resort.
In all, approximately 6,000 rooms are available, along with a full slate of beach team-building and social activities.
“Our goal with the meeting planning audience is to articulate the variety of price points,” Bartell says. “And when we added all of this product, we also created a variety in style—golf, dining establishments, etc.—with a lot of choice available.”
And due to the OCeanfront’s location about an hour south of Los Angeles, and more than ample airlift provided by LAX and the local John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, the area is looking even more favorable than some of its more challenged beach destination competitors.
For More Info
The OCeanfront (800) 680-1249 www.theoceanfrontca.com/meetings
