1. BENTLYRESERVE;HASKELLIMAGES
Bently Reserve
Wow your attendees in the heart of downtown San Francisco at the
beaux arts-style Bently Reserve, a massive meetings and events venue
that occupies nearly a whole city block. Built in 1924, the venue has a
deep history. Two ships, the Apollo and Niantic, were discovered beneath
its foundation in 1925, and it once served as a major branch of the
U.S. Federal Reserve.
Now on the National Register of Historic Places, it underwent a
two-year renovation, as well as the addition of Bently Conference Center,
in 2008. Restored features—think ornate molding and marble, rich
walnut paneling and antique fireplaces—add a modern (thanks to LEED
certification) yet nostalgic touch to the building, and an impressive mural
by artist Jules Guerin welcomes guests as they enter the lobby.
For meetings, there is more than 14,000 square feet of space split
among meeting rooms, boardrooms, a ballroom and a lounge. Eight
smaller rooms accommodate groups of 10 to 68 people and, in addition
to the conference center lounge, have more than 6,400 total square feet
of usable space. The opulent 8,000-sq.-ft. Banking Hall was named the
best ballroom in North America by BizBash in 2013.
Grand Theatre Center for the Arts
Planners can add cultural flair to events in Northern California at the
historic Grand Theatre Center for the Arts. Located in Tracy, California, the
Grand Theatre is an hour’s drive from Sacramento and a 90-minute drive
from San Francisco. This 37,000-sq.-ft. venue originally opened in 1923
as a vaudeville house and now regularly hosts plays, concerts, comedy
shows and weekly Friday night jazz performances. “The beauty of the
original brick walls in the lobby combined with the new retro style of the
renovation makes the venue especially appealing,” says Kim Scarlata,
division manager of the Tracy city manager’s office.
The Grand Theatre Center has two separate meeting spaces.
Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Theatre (known among locals as ETK)
seats 584 people and has advanced audiovisual capabilities. The more
intimate Studio Theatre can accommodate up to 104 guests.
PLACES | SITE VISITS
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InsiderTip
Planners can use Bently Reserve iPads in each meeting room to customize
lighting, windows, projectors and other technology with a single swipe.
InsiderTip
Stop for a bite at new gastropub The Commons, a five-minute walk
from Grand Theatre Center, to dine on farm-to-fork dishes or wind down
with barrel-aged cocktails.
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