Engage Conference Attendees With On-Trend Fun

Panel presentations, seminars, and networking sessions are all important parts of a successful conference. But have you considered scheduling a mid-conference puppy-palooza? Or an evening pub crawl? Meeting planners are building in fun extras and trendy activities to engage attendees between conference sessions. From food tours to virtual reality games, Long Beach offers a variety of ways to make your meeting special.

“While many people are already excited to travel to attend a conference and see their colleagues in person again since the pandemic, it’s important to think about ways to make their experience fun and memorable,” says Steve Goodling, President & CEO of the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We are fortunate in Long Beach to have access to many high-tech vendors, a world-class food scene, and innovative planners who can create events and spaces people won’t want to miss.”

Booking fun activities and special extras will help ensure attendees will want to return year after year. Plus, people want to post about everything they’re seeing, doing, and eating, so providing experiences and visual landscapes they want to capture for social media is a smart idea. This helps spread the word about what a great event you hosted and could attract their colleagues to attend next year.

Speaking of great visuals, you may have seen celebrities on the red carpet interacting with high-tech cameras that circle them while they stand on a platform or zoom in to create a slow motion video clip. Make your conference attendees feel like stars with a 360 video booth from Bella Expressions or Magic Lens Photo Booths. Not only is taking turns with the video booth fun for your guests, but also they get an amazing souvenir they can share on social media. Local photobooth company Snap Yourself! can create a custom selfie spot for your attendees with a themed backdrop and a remote, so they can take control of when the photo is captured.

Take advantage of the vibrant Long Beach food scene to add a pub crawl, food tour, or wine tasting during your event. Popular breweries, swanky wine bars, trendy restaurants, and other fun eateries—from Parker’s Lighthouse (435 Shoreline Village Dr) to Cafe Sevilla (140 Pine Ave) and District Wine (144 Linden Ave)—are all within clusters of good restaurants that are just a few walkable blocks from the convention center and other downtown event spaces.

With technology constantly changing the game, event experts are seeing new games and other activities being requested for conferences, like golf simulators and other virtual reality experiences. Birdies and Brews and Top Golf are two local golf simulator companies that can bring their equipment to your location. For those who want to take groups offsite for team building during the convention, Dave & Busters and Bad Axe Throwing offer games to stoke a little friendly competition.

More and more people are interested in sustainability and ensuring their events demonstrate environmentally conscious practices around catering, etc. This is a great time to offer reusable water bottles and hydration stations, compostable food service items, etc. Local vendors who can provide these items include Red Swag and Long Beach Clothing Co. One organization that plans to host their event in Long Beach for several years consecutively held a tree planting at their 2023 conference, and plans to visit their grove to see its growth in 2024 and 2025. They can also feel good about giving back to the host community. Other options to give back include hosting a food or toy drive during your conference or working with staff at the convention center to donate unused items or product inventory after it’s over.

Health and wellness is emerging as a trend for event planners, who are seeing more requests for setting up options like 5K run/walk events and yoga sessions for attendees. Yogalution Movement and Wellness is well known in Long Beach for their daily free yoga sessions for hundreds of people in Bluff Park. Their staff can lead a yoga class for your attendees that will help break up a long day of sessions. Other athletic events can help get the blood flowing. One recent convention hosted a pickleball and cornhole tournament on the Terrace Plaza. An idea that will boost everyone’s serotonin and relieve stress? Create a puppy zone where attendees can get their fill of furry cuddles and cuteness.

Ready to get started but concerned about the cost? Consider bringing in your event sponsors–many of these events and activities make great opportunities for your partners to sponsor a special offering for your attendees. And if you’re wondering which vendors to work with, the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau can connect you to our member businesses and vendors to help make these ideas a reality at your next conference. Visit our Meetings page to get started.

About the Author

Claire Atkinson

Claire Atkinson is a Southern California native who has lived in Long Beach for nearly 20 years. She spends her free time visiting local parks, farmers markets, and museums, and loves learning about Long Beach history and culture.