Part of Los Angeles County, City of Industry lives up to its name: this San Gabriel Valley city has more than 2,500 businesses (and no business tax) and more than 80,000 workers – but only 780 residents! Which means that any group meeting at City of Industry venues has the chance to be a "citywide."
It is approximately 22 miles north of Downtown Los Angeles; it is very close to interstates 10 and 605. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is 34 miles to the west, in the suburb of Westchester. This is far closer than the Los Angeles region's other large airport, John Wayne (SNA).
The sizable, 294-room Pacific Palms Resort & Conference Center is chief among meeting venues in City of Industry; it has 45,000 square feet of function space, including a 12,000-square-foot ballroom and 28 meeting rooms, as well as two 18-hole championship golf courses, a spa, an equestrian center, an Olympic-size swimming pool and numerous tennis courts. In addition, the Industry Hills Expo Center just added a $10-million covered arena with seating for more than 5,000 persons. Its Grand Arena can host indoor and outdoor events, and a pavilion can look after 600 persons; the Avalon Room, 80 guests; an adjoining lawn, 100.
When it comes to hotel venues in City of Industry, there are more rooms than residents. As well as the Pacific Palms, hotels here or in very close proximity include the 101-room Ayres Suites at Diamond Bar, 150-room Courtyard Los Angeles Hacienda Heights, 222-room Hilton Los Angeles/San Gabriel and 258-room Radisson Suites Hotel Covina.
The City of Industry has one of Southern California's bona-fide treasures, the Mexican-style Workman & Temple Family Homestead Museum, a six-acre pioneer estate dating from 1841 and with many new (for the 19th century) American touches. The Workman House currently is being renovated as exhibit and function space.
There are numerous restaurants to feed all those employees and accompanying road warriors, but nearly all are parts of chains. (Groups can book them, but there are few private rooms.) In addition to the Red Restaurant & Bar at the Pacific Palms, which has a nouveau-American menu and space for groups, a good, fun choice is Frisco's, a retro-1950s joint complete with finned cars, checkerboard floors and roller-skating waitresses.
For all venues in the area, browse the Los Angeles event venue directory.
