Guide to Meeting & Event Planning in

Sacramento

Learn why you should host your next meeting, event or conference in Sacramento, California.

Why Sacramento for Your Next Meeting or Event?

California's charming capital offers 2,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center, along with myriad restaurants, bars, coffee shops, farmers markets and more. 

Only in Sacramento

Known as "America's Farm-to-Fork Capital," Sacramento's food scene has grown to become one of the hottest in the country, while redevelopment in the Downtown core has added exciting retail, nightlife and recreational options. 

Transportation In & Around the Area

Sacramento International Airport, about 12 miles from Downtown. Transfer costs:

• via taxi: $66 round-trip between the airport and Downtown 
• via Lyft: $21-$24 
• via Uber: about $28

The Sacramento Regional Transit District's Route 142 runs daily express bus service from the airport to Downtown every 20-30 minutes.

Travel Essentials

Taxes: Room tax, 12%; sales tax, 8.75%; Sacramento Tourism Marketing District tax, 1-3%, based on zone (the city has four zones); Sacramento Infrastructure District assessment, 1% per night; total tax on hotel rooms, 13%, plus STMD

Convention Center: Safe Credit Union Convention Center (formerly the Sacramento Convention Center); exhibit space, 160,000 square feet; meeting space, 37 rooms, including a new 40,000-square-foot ballroom. The center, also offers 22,000 square feet of flexible outdoor space. (916) 808-5291

CVB:
Visit Sacramento, (916) 808-7777, (800) 292-2334

Meeting & Event Venues

New & Coming Soon to Sacramento

• The Safe Credit Union Convention Center (formerly the Sacramento Convention Center) has unveiled its $245 million renovation/expansion. New features include an expanded exhibit hall, a ballroom, additional meeting rooms and an outdoor plaza.

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Learn everything you need to know at Destination California, Northstar's premier event for meetings and incentive pros looking to book business in the state.

• The latest information on health and safety resources, citywide venues and attractions, hybrid- and virtual-event capabilities, and more can be found in Gold Star Guide: Rebuilding Meeting Plans & Recovery in 2021 from Visit Sacramento.

• The new 14-story Sacramento Capitol Hotel is being built in the center of downtown. The property will have 275 Hilton Canopy guest rooms on the first 11 floors, plus 50 luxury apartments on the top three floors. Amenities will include a ground-floor bar and café, a third-floor terrace, a pool and fitness center, and a rooftop bar.  

• The  Sacramento County COVID-19 page is regularly updated with the latest health and safety protocols for the county.

• Downtown businesses have taken the Health and Safety Pledge — a community-wide commitment to follow the best health practices and guidelines to provide safe accommodations for everyone during the pandemic.

• The 105-room Fort Sutter Hotel Sacramento, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, has opened in Midtown, across the street from Sutter's Fort State Historic Park. The property offers 1,800+ square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor event space, including a large ballroom with two flexible breakout meeting rooms. Dining takes place at the casual Cafe Bernardo and Four Palms lobby bar. Stringent Hilton CleanStay and Hilton EventReady health and safety standards are followed throughout.

• In Midtown, the. 11-story, 172-room Hyatt Centric Hotel, created within the preserved brick facade of the historic century-old Marshall Hotel, will open in late 2021 with a loft-inspired design. The hotel will include a sixth-floor outdoor terrace with panoramic views of the city's skyline, and sixth-floor dining, lounging and social amenities one floor above the 2,500+ square feet of meeting space.

• Also slated for completion in 2021 is the 100-room Exchange Hotel, an adaptive renovation of Downtown's iconic California Fruit Building. This Hilton Curio Collection property will have a rooftop bar and event space. The building dates from 1914 and was the city's first high-rise building.

• Looking toward an opening in 2022 is a new AC Hotel by Marriott along Downtown's I Street; the project will include 179 guest rooms, ground-floor retail, and meeting space, still to be determined.

• The three-story, 50,000-square-foot 1201 J Street in Downtown is being refitted to include retail spaces such as a 4,000-square-foot bar and restaurant called Loyal Legion, which will feature 99 taps of local Northern California breweries and a pub menu offering several vegetarian and vegan options. Also onsite will be the Cora Coffee coffeehouse adjacent to meeting space near the building's entrance,  and further event space is being fashioned on the roof. Stay tuned for details.

More Event Venues

• The Old Sugar Mill houses 14 wineries under one historic roof: a former beet-sugar refinery built in 1934. Visitors enjoy varietals from all over Northern California; private tastings can be arranged. The venue has 27,000 square feet about equally divided between indoors and out, including the 4,746-square-foot Boiler Room and 14,184-square-foot Plaza Lawn.

• On 350 acres less than 5 miles from Downtown, Cal Expo is a multifaceted indoor/outdoor collection of attractions in the Point West Marketplace. More than 1,600 hotel rooms are in the area, along with numerous restaurants, family-entertainment venues, landscaped grounds including a lagoon, the Raging Waters theme park and a racetrack. The site includes 242,000 square feet of exhibit space, including the Show Arena that seats 4,000 people. As with all venues, please consult state and local Covid regulations that may affect openings and capacities.

• Home of the Sacramento River Cats, the AA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, the 15,000-seat Sutter Health Park also hosts religious gatherings, trade shows, team-building events and more. Among spaces that can host groups, the ballpark's beer garden can accommodate up to 1,500 people, while the SacTown Smokehouse can hold 1,000.

• With more than 140 native, rare and endangered species of animals, the Sacramento Zoo also is a site for meetings and events, including receptions for up to 600 people and banquets for up to 400 on the Reptile House lawn; classroom sessions for 300 and theater presentations for 200 are also accommodated.  

Things to Do in Sacramento

Museums, attractions, restaurants and other activities are currently governed by state and local COVID-19 protocols; please check their status with Visit Sacramento.

• The Crocker Art Museum, known for its collection of California impressionist art, German drawings, International ceramics and other assorted creativity, is housed in two wings: the Victorian House, built in 1873, and the modern Teal Pavilion.
 
• Make tracks to the Sacramento State Railroad Museum, said to be the largest such repository of railroad history west of the Mississippi, to ogle some larger-than-life engines, learn train lore and enjoy excursions on the vintage Sacramento Southern Railroad.
 
• Pleasant strolling and eating await in the Old Sacramento Waterfront district, site of the founding of the Transcontinental Railroad, the terminus of the Pony Express and the home of California's first thriving business district, thanks to gold, agriculture and commerce along the storied Sacramento River. Activities include riverboat, horse-carriage and train rides; mini golf; dining; shopping, and a colorful nightlife. At press time, visitor numbers and and hours are limited.

Getting Active & Outdoors 

• Those who like to bike can enjoy a variety of scenic excursions, including more than 32 miles of paved trails on the scenic American River Parkway, 12 miles constituting the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail, 9 miles along the Sacramento River Parkway Trail and 2.5 miles comprising the Two Rivers Trail. Find out about these rides and ways to rent bikes here.
 
• Sacramento is full of parks perfect for walking, jogging, picnicking and flower-sniffing. Capitol Park is full of statues and monuments; McKinley Park in East Sacramento includes a beautiful rose garden and tennis courts, while Southside Park has a pond that reflects fall colors and the city skyline, along with basketball and tennis courts.
 
• The Haggin Oaks Golf Complex has two championship courses, more than 20 junior, senior, group and private lesson programs and a lighted driving range with over 100 stalls, five practice greens and two bunkers.

Where to Eat in Sacramento

The following restaurants are favorites with tourists and locals alike.