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Ground Breaking Held for Fairplex Conference Center

Fairplex a 543-acre convention and entertainment complex in Pomona California, features more than 325,000 square feet of column-free exhibit space and a newly renovated, 247-room Sheraton Fairplex hotel, which also boasts 11,000 square feet of meeting space. But this complex, will soon be offering planners a new, state-of-the-art, meeting facility.

In February, a ground-breaking ceremony was held for the new Fairplex Conference Center, an 85,000-square-foot facility that is scheduled to open in 2011. According to Fairplex officials, the new venue is designed to have comprehensive, high-tech capabilities, will be flexible enough to accommodate events large and small, and feature a variety of configurations: from sit-down banquets to large conference rooms to small break-out classrooms.

Approximately $30 million was raised to complete the project, spearheaded by the Los Angeles County Fair Association, who also worked with the Economic Development Administration, the Small Business Administration, the county of Los Angeles and the city of Pomona.

Fairplex in Pomona, California, is known as “Southern California’s Event and Entertainment Center,”. The complex began in 1922 when a former farm became the setting for the LA County Fair, still held at Fairplex every year and includes the 40,000-seat Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, 10,000-seat grandstand in the Fairplex Park horse racing facility, The Barretts Equine Center’s Hinds Pavilion with theater-style seating for 787, Twelve acres of carnival grounds and Parking for more than 30,000 vehicles.

The groundbreaking event was attended by government and business leaders, who even in these difficult economic times, are convinced of the viability of meetings and other events at Fairplex and welcome that the project will create jobs and spur the local economy. "The Conference Center will bring in businesses and associations from across the world, and create much-needed jobs here in Pomona,” said Congresswoman Grace Napolitano. “This is a great opportunity for chambers of commerce, businesses and

Local and statewide politicians attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the Fairplex Conference Center, including: (left to right) Elliott Rothman, Mayor of Pomona , Congresswoman Grace Napolitano and Congressman David Dreier.

entrepreneurs to network and bring opportunities to the area. I am proud to have supported this project for over a decade, and look forward to the prosperity that it will bring to Pomona and the surrounding areas for years to come."

The Fairplex Conference Center will feature a 12,441-square-foot Ballroom, 16,515 square feet of conference space, 3,483 square feet of smaller meeting rooms, a 949-square-foot Boardroom, and 9,108-square-foot Pre-

The 247-room Sheraton Suites Fairplex features 11,000 square feet of meeting space.

Function Hall.

Fairplex books multiple meetings and events year-round, including the annual LA County Fair, hosting more than 3 million people annually, from concert-goers to consumer and trade show attendees, and from racing buffs to flea market devotees. The new Fairplex Conference Center will augment nine spacious exhibit halls with a combined total capacity of 375,000 square feet, a 30,800-square-foot exhibit/warehouse building, the 40,000-seat Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, 10,000-seat grandstand in the Fairplex Park horse racing facility, Barretts Equine Center, with accomodations for more than 800, 12 acres of carnival grounds and parking for more than 30,000 vehicles.

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