Scuba Show’s Relocation: Los Angeles Convention Center June 1 & 2, 2024

27 Oct Scuba Show’s Relocation: Los Angeles Convention Center June 1 & 2, 2024

Scuba Show moving from Long Beach to Los Angeles for 2024 is kind of a big thing, and a change for our exhibitors and attendees, so we want to tell you more about it and pass along the information and our impressions.

First, about the change. For all but a few years, since 1987 Scuba Show has been in Long Beach; first on the Queen Mary, and since 2000 at the Long Beach Convention Center. After Scuba Show 2023 was over we learned that the City of Long Beach has taken in a citywide event that will happen during our 2024 dates, something to do with electric cars, and it will take up almost all of the city’s parking, including at the convention center. They offered us alternate dates that we couldn’t make work, so for the first time in a long time…

I have been in a few different industries, and between their various trade and consumer shows to quite a few of the nation’s convention centers. But when I realized that we would have to move the show is when it first occurred to me; I had never seen the Los Angeles Convention Center. So my introduction was from a completely blank slate, as it will be for most of you who will be attending the show. So here is the layout and what we can expect.

First, the regional Los Angeles County area (Long Beach) has worked well for the show because it is central and convenient for the large southern California diving community. And for our attendees that come from farther out – from northern California and the western states — and our exhibitors that travel in from around the world, obviously getting to LA is easy.

In the land of meeting spaces, the LA Convention Center is certainly a world-class facility. It is situated in a major LA entertainment area called LA Live, which is the primary sports and entertainment district that includes the Lakers’ Crypto.com Arena, the Peacock Theater (a 7,100 seat concert and awards show venue), Peacock Place (a cool 40,000 sq. ft. open air space with six 75-foot-LED towers), night clubs, 13 restaurants, a bowling alley, the GRAMMY Museum, a 14-screen Regal Cinema, a number of good hotels and of course the convention center. It’s all in a short walk, right there.

The convention center is situated at major N-S and E-W freeways, with parking under the building for 3,800 cars. The parking will be $10 more expensive than Long Beach, at $25 a day. There is also a Metro stop a block away, so there’s an option to take the train rather than drive and park.

The exhibit hall for the show is 14,000 more square feet than it is at Long Beach, the six seminar rooms that will run throughout the weekend are an escalator ride above the show floor, and of course we will bring back the pool, the photo stations, the 16 foot video wall and the DECO Zone, complete with concessions and bars. We haven’t decided yet about the Saturday evening party.

Are we excited about the move? Actually, the feeling has gone from disappointment in having to leave Long Beach, to appreciating how cool things can be and a fresh new venue. So yes.

And it should be as convenient for most of our attendees; the drive from the farthest point south (San Diego) is an extra 14 miles, while it’s closer for people to attend from the inland empire and the more northern counties. And you’ll be able to park.

We will continue to provide information about the show as it develops, in the meantime we hope to see you in LA, thank you.

Mark Young, Producer