Planning a conference in Santa Monica
This guide covers 26 mapped venues in Santa Monica, California, what each one holds, and how attendees get to them. Aero Theatre is the largest room on record at 427 seats.
Aero Theatre states a capacity of 427. The dots show what event67 would bill at that head count, and where the price stops.
Venues in Santa Monica, by what they are for
Santa Monica has a recorded population of 90,729 (2024), inside the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area of about 13 million people.
Across the city the dataset records 1 exhibition or convention hall, 1 arena or stadium, 6 theatres and concert halls and 18 independent event spaces.
That is roughly 29 venues per hundred thousand residents, which is a dense field for a city this size — you will usually have a second choice at the same capacity.
By type that is 18 event spaces, 4 theatres, 2 performing-arts centres and 1 convention centre, plus a longer tail below.
Exhibition and convention halls (1)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica Civic Auditorium | convention centre | not published | 1.2 km (0.7 mi) |
Arenas and stadiums (1)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackie Robinson Stadium | stadium | not published | 5.3 km (3.3 mi) |
Theatres and concert halls (6)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theatricum Botanicum | theatre | not published | 14 km (8.6 mi) |
| Eli Broad Stage | theatre | not published | 0.3 km (0.2 mi) |
| The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage | performing-arts centre | not published | 0.3 km (0.2 mi) |
| Bergamot Station | performing-arts centre | not published | 2.3 km (1.4 mi) |
| Memorial Open Air Theatre | theatre | not published | 1 km (0.6 mi) |
| Wadsworth Theater | theatre | not published | 4.9 km (3 mi) |
Independent event spaces (18)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aero Theatre | event space | 427 | 1.4 km (0.9 mi) |
| Nuart Theatre | event space | 303 | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Magicopolis | event space | 150 | 0.5 km (0.3 mi) |
| Saint Matthew's Episcopal church | event space | not published | 6 km (3.7 mi) |
| Santa Monica Playhouse | event space | not published | 0.6 km (0.4 mi) |
| The Venice West | event space | not published | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
| Serra Retreat Center | event space | not published | 18 km (11 mi) |
| Froggy's Topanga Fish Market | event space | not published | 13 km (8.3 mi) |
| Pacific Resident Theatre | event space | not published | 4.4 km (2.7 mi) |
| UCLA Marina Aquatic Center | event space | not published | 7.1 km (4.4 mi) |
| Mayfair Music Hall | event space | not published | 0.7 km (0.4 mi) |
| NuWilshire Theatre | event space | not published | 0.8 km (0.5 mi) |
| McCabe's Guitar Shop | event space | not published | 3.2 km (2 mi) |
| Valley Music Theater | event space | not published | 18 km (11 mi) |
| Wadsworth Theatre | event space | not published | 4.9 km (3 mi) |
| Civic Center Parking | event space | not published | 0.9 km (0.6 mi) |
| Venice Branch | event space | not published | 3.5 km (2.2 mi) |
| TR!P | event space | not published | 1.4 km (0.9 mi) |
Every venue mapped in Santa Monica appears above. The ones with enough published detail to be worth reading have their own guide and are linked; the rest are named here, which is honest about what the record holds without giving each of them a page made of three facts.
Where an exhibition fits
One venue in Santa Monica is classified as exhibition or convention space.
- Santa Monica Civic Auditoriumsize not published
Capacities are the figure the venue or an encyclopaedia entry published. They are usually the seated maximum, and the same room in banquet or reception layout can differ by half. Confirm the layout you want before you plan around a number.
Flights, time and distance
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) sits 12 km (7.5 mi) from the centre, close enough that a same-day arrival is realistic for most of your speakers.
Local time is Los Angeles time (America/Los_Angeles) — set every session time in the app to that zone and let attendees' phones do the conversion.
At about 10,790 residents per square mile the city is compact enough that a venue and its hotel block are usually walkable, which removes a shuttle line from your budget.
Inglewood, Hawthorne and Redondo Beach are close enough to draw from for a day rate, and to fall back on if Santa Monica has nothing free on your dates.
- Nearest major airport
- LAX
- Los Angeles International Airport, 12 km (7.5 mi)
- Local time
- UTC−7
- America/Los_Angeles, in September
- City population, 2024
- 90,729
- 13 million across the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area
Worth knowing before you sign
The city is smaller than the market
90,729 people live in Santa Monica itself, but about 13 million live in the wider Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Your local audience is far bigger than the city line suggests, and so is the commute your day-rate attendees will make.
A worked example, sized to Santa Monica
Suppose 430 attendees claim their invite and open the app at a Santa Monica event sized to Aero Theatre, the largest stated capacity in the Santa Monica dataset. Here is exactly what event67 charges, with the free 50 taken off the top.
- activated attendees
- 430activated attendees
- billable, after the first 50 are free
- 380billable, after the first 50 are free
- for the whole event, at $5 each
- $1,900for the whole event, at $5 each
You are billed for people, not for the venue, so the room you choose in Santa Monica does not change this figure. Nothing is charged for an attendee who registers and never opens the app.
Which kind of event this suits
427 seats is the largest room on record, so Santa Monica suits a training programme, a regional chapter meeting or a single-track conference rather than an exhibition.
- trade shows and exhibitions
1 exhibition or convention hall means a booth plan is possible in Santa Monica without renting a marquee.
- multi-track conferences
The exhibition space here doubles as plenary space when the floor is cleared.
- association annual meetings
An association meeting needs one big room, several small ones and a hotel block, which is the combination Santa Monica is set up for.
- award ceremonies
6 fixed-seat houses give you a stage, lighting and sightlines without building any of it.
Where this data comes from
- GeoNames, CC BY 4.0
- US Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 estimates
- Wikidata, CC0
- Geographic data © GeoNames, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Venue data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License.
- US population figures are US Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
- Retrieved 3 September 2026. event67 has no commercial relationship with any venue listed.
Last updated
What it costs
- Free up to 50
- activated attendees, on one live event
- $5
- per activated attendee beyond 50
- $4,750
- the most one event can ever cost, whatever happens past 1,000
Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
Questions people actually ask
How much is event67 for a 430-attendee Santa Monica conference?
430 activated attendees means 380 billable after the free 50, so $1,900 for the event. The price is $5 per activated attendee beyond the first 50, and the total for one event stops at $4,750 however many more attend. Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
What is the largest venue in Santa Monica?
Of the 26 venues mapped in Santa Monica, the largest stated capacity belongs to Aero Theatre at 427. Capacities in open data are the figure the venue itself published, and they are the seated number rather than a standing or exhibition figure, so confirm the layout you actually want before you plan around it.
Does Santa Monica have a convention centre?
Yes — 1 venue is classified as exhibition or convention space in Santa Monica, including Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Exhibition halls are booked by floor area rather than by seat, so ask for the hall sheet with column spacing and load-in access rather than a capacity number.
Which airport do attendees fly into for Santa Monica?
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), about 12 km (7.5 mi) from the city. It is the highest-traffic airport within reach in this dataset. Local time is America/Los_Angeles; publish every session in that zone and let attendees' phones convert it.
What happens under 50 attendees?
One live event with up to 50 activated attendees costs nothing. Beyond that it is $5 per activated attendee beyond the first 50, and the total for one event stops at $4,750 however many more attend. Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
Keep reading
Nearby cities
- Holding an event in Inglewood
5 venues mapped
- Holding an event in Hawthorne
1 venues mapped
- Holding an event in Redondo Beach
4 venues mapped
- Holding an event in Gardena
3 venues mapped
- Holding an event in Los Angeles
261 venues mapped
Up a level
Running something in Santa Monica?
Set the schedule, invite the room and watch who actually turns up. Free for your first 50 activated attendees, on one live event.