Next Generation Technology, Inspired Design, Resources of UCLA Inspire, Inform & Motivate

Los Angeles, CA, January 29, 2016 — Next-generation technology, inspired architecture and the technical and intellectual resources of a renowned university will usher in a new era in meetings at the UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center. Every aspect of the new Conference Center has been carefully designed to create a distinctive meeting experience that is personalized, sustainable, relevant and highly productive, with far-reaching implications for the global community.

Rising on the UCLA campus and scheduled to open August 1st, 2016, the new Luskin Conference Center will bring together global thought leaders, professional meeting planners and conference guests dedicated to learning and discovering solutions to the complex issues facing the world today. Every aspect of this singular new meeting experience is designed to fulfill the center’s mission: To offer an inspired learning environment to the University and greater global community in a thoughtfully-designed space that fosters excellence, engagement, inspiration and breakthroughs.

The Luskin Conference Center will attract the best academic minds, medical innovators, scientific researchers, political leaders, and social visionaries. More than a gathering place, the Conference Center will bring meeting guests together in a new facility designed to optimize the best in technology to enable productive, inspiring conferences and far-reaching results. Conferees will also find modern accommodations, healthful dining and an array of meeting and recreational facilities. The UCLA campus is noted for its natural beauty and striking architecture and the Luskin Conference Center will reflect those elements with its elegant landscaping and thoroughly modern design that references UCLA’s original Romanesque Revival buildings that opened in 1929.

“We have created an exclusive environment that enables achievement, and draws on the impressive resources of the university,” says General Manager Les Utley. Reflecting UCLA’s leadership in technology, the Luskin Conference Center’s technical facilities are unmatched, with advanced connectivity, audiovisual equipment and teleconference services available, supported by a highly trained technical staff. From ergonomic chairs to free, ultra-high speed Wi-Fi throughout the conference center, every aspect of the meeting experience has been thoroughly and thoughtfully planned.

“We addressed several pressing issues of concern in the meetings industry,” Utley explains, “and none is more important than adequate bandwidth.” Today’s conferences demand sufficient connectivity to host Internet access, teleconferencing and the myriad of devices and apps used by planners, speakers and attendees. The Luskin Conference Center's high-speed service attaches to UCLA’s backbone Internet wireless service and is so powerful that it can support the meeting requirements for any group or number of groups. “Video conferencing is crucial to the center’s global mission,” Utley says and the exceptional technology will enable planners to host speakers from any location. Meeting planners can also take advantage of wireless capabilities that support audience feedback applications, and vanity URLs.

This sophisticated system ensures the security and comfort of guests and protects confidential information and sensitive equipment. With Wi-Fi operative throughout the Center, the facility can be constantly monitored for enhanced privacy. Guestrooms and conference rooms as well as elevator banks and connected entryways are accessed via smart cards that track usage history. All internal card readers will be wireless, resulting in significant cost and energy savings.

The conference center will have centralized audiovisual controls. Its background music and paging system, room reservation system, and the building data distribution frame will be integrated, providing controlled interconnection with other rooms and systems. Simple touch-screens will provide control of audio and visual within all individual conference and meeting spaces. “Intelligent inputs” will take the headache out of “Bring Your Own Device” connections: any laptop’s signal, once connected, will be up-converted automatically to the correct signal type and resolution so that it will display correctly on the installed projection systems. Presenters control the entire meeting room environment from a centralized control panel: LED lighting, projectors, Blu-Ray players and window coverings all at one’s fingertips.

The Centennial Hall ballroom is wired with highly sophisticated LED ceiling lighting. The system also accommodates third party event coordinators who bring in their own lighting companies, as the lighting rigging is already installed in the ceiling. Distinctive atmosphere for group events can be created or suggested by multi-colored LED ceiling lights.

With 25,000 square feet of versatile meeting space, the Luskin Conference Center is designed to accommodate a wide range of groups and configurations up to 750 attendees at indoor/outdoor functions. The multi-level conference wings and the sub-divisible Centennial Hall allow up to six groups to comfortably use the property simultaneously while maintaining adequate privacy and separation. Each of the three main Conference Center wings is organized around a primary meeting room capable of accommodating 120 conferees or, in the case of the ground level of the south wing, a tiered classroom with seating capacity of 90. Each of the three conference wings has a series of smaller breakout rooms. Facilities include:

  • Reception/Entry Court, accommodating pre- and post-lecture receptions of up to 100 guests
  • Deck adjacent to the main dining room hosts receptions of 80 guests
  • Patio off the Centennial Hall accommodates up to 200 conferees during meeting breaks
  • Centennial Hall accommodates up to 750 people
  • Centennial Terrace accommodates up to 600 people in a variety of outdoor event configurations
  • Multipurpose Centennial Hall accommodates plenary sessions of up to 750 people and banquets up to 500

There are 25 separate meeting rooms, each named to reinforce the Luskin Conference Center’s mission to be a place of education and inspiration. Names such as Artistry, Catalyst, and Synergy mark the rooms and quotes from leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Ansel Adams and Steve Jobs add the perspective of society’s most creative and committed social, technological and artistic leaders.

That inspiration informs the entire conference center. A carefully curated collection of art and sculpture can be viewed in a setting of luminous natural beauty, the golden California light streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows. Conference attendees have access to the university’s facilities – visiting the UCLA campus is in itself an exceptional meeting experience. The cultural, entertainment and recreational attractions of the Los Angeles area add to the richness of the Luskin Conference Center experience.

Today’s conference attendees are environmentally conscious as well as tech-savvy and the Luskin Conference Center is committed to optimizing resources and operating on a highly sustainable level. The Center is working to achieve a LEED Gold Certification, utilizing the latest design and construction practices and technologies to conserve water and energy, and to maximize the use of recycled and renewable materials.

Concerns for health and sustainability extend to guest dining. At PLATEIA, the Luskin Conference Center's 162-seat restaurant and lounge, Mediterranean flavors combine with fresh ingredients locally sourced in California.

Just as the meeting rooms are meant to ensure productivity, the center’s 254 guest rooms provide a soothing, comfortable space for rest, reflection and work. Warm gold, cream and wood accents reflect the surrounding trees and California sunlight. Guests rest easy on quality mattresses and linens and the most advanced technology is at the guest’s fingertips. Amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi, flat screen HDTV, docking station for electronic devices, speaker phone with voicemail and in-room safe, coffee maker, robes and earth-friendly sustainable toiletries. Express Room Service will offer a quick and convenient dining option.