San Diego has long since shed its reputation as that sleepy Navy town just north of Tijuana; but meeting and incentive organizers who haven't visited recently might be surprised at just how far it's come. The city now has so many top-quality cultural offerings that a group would never want for things to do.
The classical music scene is alive and thriving under the auspices of the La Jolla Chamber Music Society. Last year, its 33rd season, the society brought in guest violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, pianist André Watts, and The St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. And every August the society puts on a dynamic, three-week music festival.
Then there's 1,200-acre Balboa Park, with its 15 museums and the world-famous San Diego Zoo. In Balboa Park, The San Diego Natural History Museum has completed a major expansion, doubling it size. It offers some intriguing meeting and event space, including a theater that seats 300 and can handle multimedia presentations and teleconferencing, and a 400-square-foot rooftop deck for receptions or sit-down meals.
The San Diego Convention Center expansion opened in September, with the 2½-year project doubling the waterfront facility to 2.6 million square feet. There are seven exhibit halls; 525,701 square feet of contiguous exhibit space; the 90,000-square-foot, glass-enclosed Sails Pavilion, with an industry-standard trade show floor; and 72 meeting rooms totaling 204,114 square feet, including a 40,000-square-foot ballroom.
For more info, contact the San Diego CVB: (619) 696-9371.