Wherever we went in Anaheim during a recent fam tour, billion-dollar developments and micro-level meeting ideas were adding to an already robust matrix of group options as the city gears up for the 2028 Summer Olympics. If space was available, Anaheim was finding it.
At the Hilton Anaheim—which we barely even recognized without a 10,000-person convention taking over the neighborhood—Jason Abdullah, complex director of marketing, showed us around the property that’s fresh off a top-to-bottom renovation.
[Related: Anaheim Is Building on Its Momentum as a Top Meetings Destination]
Multiple shades of green and tan resembled the landscape of Anaheim; in particular, the grass motifs in the carpet. Additional orange-grove elements appeared everywhere. We saw petrified olive trees in the lounge area, where chandeliers referenced the Los Angeles Summer Olympics of 1984, when the hotel was originally built. Nothing in the bar was pre-made, neither the drinks nor the herbs in the cocktails. All of this was part of the hotel’s reimagination.
“The idea is to bring the outside in,” Abdullah said. “The renovation wasn’t just a renovation. It was to give purpose to the hotel, to make it feel like Orange County.”
[Related: 6 Fun Anaheim Offsite Event Options]
When huge groups roll in with 5,000 people, or when a banquet for 7,000 is needed, planners light up when they hear stories about the many longtime employees the Hilton has.
“We have 30 staff members that have been here since the hotel opened,” Abdullah told us. “Twenty to 25 years is probably our average for employees.”
Back in the lobby, we walked by what Abdullah said is the busiest Starbucks of any hotel in North America, according to the company.
The Hilton features four floors of meeting space, including the lower level, which was converted from 1980s-era retail shops. The gym, at 25,000 square feet, is a gargantuan place that includes a full basketball court.
“If we’re going to have Olympic athletes staying here, they need a real gym to train,” Abdullah said.
Then came the kitchen.
Executive Chef Prabeen Prathapan offers private meals in the kitchen for small parties, perhaps a VIP board of directors meeting or something even smaller. The kitchen is humongous, though, because it was built 30 years ago when the hotel originally had seven restaurants. Entering through the back, we felt transported to that famous Martin Scorsese scene from Goodfellas. It took almost as long.
Given that it was autumn, Prathapan brought out a sampling menu of snapper crudo, shawarma-spiced chicken skewers, cigar-shaped crab cakes and a coffee- and dark chocolate-crusted wagyu tenderloin. Much of the menu was gluten free.
[Related: How Anaheim and Orange County Are Leaders in Sustainability]
Pondering the Packing District
In the nearby Packing District, a former 1919 Sunkist citrus-packing facility was converted into a 42,000-square-foot gourmet food hall 10 years ago, attracting tons of visitors craving a taste of authentic Anaheim. Just about every vendor, restaurant or bar had its own story, whether it was a chef featured on the Food Network or a speakeasy with a secret entrance.
The effervescent Devon Reeves, marketing and events director for the Anaheim Packing District, showed us around, pointing out all the natural light pouring in from outside. The entire place came of age right when Instagram emerged, so the timing was perfect.
“Natural lighting is fantastic for photographs,” Reeves said. “So, with that and with Instagram just coming out, it was a great opportunity for us to gain a lot of recognition and really amazing [photo] spreads during our early years.”
Right next door and looking across a two-acre outdoor gathering space called the Farmer’s Park, Visit Anaheim Chief Sales Officer Ronnie Collins met us at En Familia Brunch + Steakhouse, a nouveau restaurant in the historic Packard Building. Collins served up a feast of destination information before we even had a chance to open the menus.
He explained that other, more established urban centers already claimed large sections for hotels and resorts. So, they were cities that just happened to do meetings and conventions, whether or not those were a focus—think Seattle, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Nashville or the major Texas destinations.
[Related: Why the Future Is ‘Golden’ for Anaheim Meetings and Conventions]
“What we are in Anaheim, we flip that on its head,” Collins said. “We’re the counterpoint destination because we are a meeting, convention and entertainment destination that happens to be a city. So, meetings and conventions and events and tourism are our lifeblood.”
Anaheim’s resident population is nearly 350,000, yet another one-third of that amount—tourists and business travelers—are also there every single day. Those are serious numbers that prove his point.
“This is the 12th city I’ve lived in, and I can tell you right now there’s nothing like Anaheim,” Collins said. “Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing.”
Enter the Olympics and OCVIBE
With the 2028 Olympics not too far down the road, those tourism numbers are only going to skyrocket, especially thanks to OCVIBE, a bold new $6 billion development surrounding the Honda Center, where the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks play.
An overwhelming project, OCVIBE is slated to include at least 30 restaurants, multiple new concert venues, a movie theater, hotels, office space, private residences and three miles of walking trails, all with quality of experience as the selling point. Certain components are already finished, with much more to come.
“It’ll end up being the largest live entertainment venue in North America—four times larger than L.A. Live,” said Visit Anaheim President & CEO Mike Waterman, as we sat around a boardroom table and watched a wall-sized presentation.
Speaking of hockey, Visit Anaheim is also the official away-jersey sponsor for the Ducks, with a three-year contract. Since the logo is now on all the team’s away jerseys, it made sense for the DMO to stage events in specific cities where they could drum up business. Whenever the Ducks played in cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago, New York, Boston or Washington, D.C., prospective clients were invited to VIP sponsorship events held by Visit Anaheim.
“Just in the first year we booked $20 million worth of business from clients we brought to those VIP hockey events,” Waterman said. “Granted, they’re not rooting for the Ducks, but they do see our logo on the Ducks’ away jersey and it has become a very valuable tool for us to close business.”
Even the Disneyland neighborhood is transforming. Resort Sales Director Steve Timmering, a decades-long employee, gave us a tour of the Pixar Place Hotel, a brand-new colorful property featuring an all-Pixar theme, replete with characters drawn on the walls. A vibrant place, it seemed perfect for families traveling for business or pleasure.
The old standby properties were still jammed with meetings business. Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and the Disneyland Hotel both overflowed with activity as we toured all the meeting spaces and configurations.
[Related: Anaheim Launches an Immersive Tradeshow Booth and Re-Ups NAMM]
All About the Space
Ultimately, Anaheim is all about space. The Anaheim Convention Center is still the largest venue of its kind on the West Coast. When Deputy Director Mindy Abel gave us a tour of the entire facility on a rare quiet weekend, I didn’t even recognize the building without the 30,000-person NAMM annual show going on.
Oddly, seeing the convention center empty made it feel even larger, with the niche areas seeming like big spaces.
“We’re the big space people,” Abel said.
