10 September 22, 2026
Honorable Mayor and City Council
City of Long Beach
California
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation to authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to amend Contract No. 36740 with Visit Long Beach, Inc., dba Meet Long Beach, of Long Beach, CA, a California non-profit corporation, to provide the City of Long Beach with a marketing program for conventions and tourism, support economic development initiatives that position the City of Long Beach as a destination for entertainment, sports, and tourism, and support small businesses, to increase the contract amount by $230,434, for a revised total contract amount not to exceed $4,839,110, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
City Council approval is requested to amend Contract No. 36740 with Visit Long Beach, Inc., dba Meet Long Beach (Meet Long Beach), to increase the total contract amount to $4,839,110 to meet the contractual obligation for fiscal year (FY) 2026. The City of Long Beach (City) established a Special Advertising and Promotion Fund Group, which collects revenues from the transient occupancy tax pursuant to the provisions of the Long Beach Municipal Code. Revenues may be used to support advertising and marketing programs and activities that attract visitors, conventions, meetings, and businesses to the City.
At its meeting on November 14, 2023, the City Council authorized an agreement with Meet Long Beach to provide the City with a marketing program for conventions and tourism in an amount of $4,608,676. The Agreement’s term was originally established as a two-year period ending September 30, 2025, with an option for the City Manager to extend the agreement for up to three additional one-year periods, for a maximum term ending on September 30, 2028. Amending Contract No. 36740 will increase the total contract amount by $230,434 to meet the contractual obligation with Meet Long Beach.
Meet Long Beach and Visit Long Beach, Inc. (Visit Long Beach) were previously a part of a single organization, the Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), which contracted with the City for many years to provide tourism, convention, and meeting marketing services. In 2023, CVB leadership determined that, to remain competitive in securing conventions and meetings, the organization should align its operations more City Manager
411 W Ocean Blvd, 10th Floor, Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 570-6711
Honorable Mayor and City Council
September 22, 2026
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closely with those of peer cities. As a result, the CVB’s sales division, responsible for booking events, conventions, and meetings in Long Beach, was established as a separate nonprofit entity, Meet Long Beach.
Meet Long Beach and Visit Long Beach, both of which continue to contract with the City, will further strengthen their strategic partnership with the City to advance tourism and economic development priorities and build upon successful efforts already underway.
Over the past five years, Visit Long Beach has significantly expanded its media and promotional capabilities to elevate Long Beach as a premiere travel destination. By leveraging its website, social media channels, influencer partnerships, and media relations, the organization generated 14.5 million social media impressions and 2.4 million website views in FY 2024 – 2025, launched a new destination website, and secured $7.2 million in earned media.
Together in FY 2024 – FY 2025, Visit Long Beach and Meet Long Beach achieved 101 percent of their hotel room-night sales goal (202,327), marking one of the strongest years on record for the City. Meet Long Beach also earned its ninth consecutive “Best in the West” Gold Award from the Stella Awards. Visit Long Beach maintains membership of approximately 400 businesses, primarily local small businesses, and supports them by increasing visibility and directing consumer traffic. As a result of both organization’s combined efforts, Long Beach has recently outperformed comparable destinations within and beyond California in key hospitality performance indicators, including hotel revenue per available room (RevPAR) and average daily rate (ADR), two widely recognized measures of market strength in the industry.
The agreement amendment will support the advancement of the City’s strategic plans and priorities by further positioning Long Beach as a destination for conventions, meetings, entertainment, sports, and tourism. It will also help the City prepare for major upcoming events, including the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and bolster longer- term efforts to grow the local tourism and hospitality industries.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Atoy H. Wilson on September 3, 2026, Procurement Analyst Tommy Ryan on August 14, 2026, and by Revenue Management Officer Valerie Valentine on September 3, 2026.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action to amend Contract No. 36740 is requested on September 15, 2026, to ensure there is no interruption to services.
LEVINE ACT
This item is subject to the Levine Act. The Mayor, Councilmembers, and Commissioners who have received a contribution of more than $500 within 12 months prior from a party, participant, or their representatives involved in this proceeding may do either of the Honorable Mayor and City Council
September 22, 2026
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APPROVED:
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THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER
following: (1) disclose the contribution on the record and recuse themselves from this proceeding; OR (2) return the portion of the contribution that exceeds $500 within 30 days from the time the elected official knew or should have known about the contribution and participate in the proceeding.
All parties, participants, and their representatives must disclose on the record of this proceeding any contribution of more than $500 made to the Mayor or any Councilmembers within 12 months prior to the date of the proceeding. The Mayor, Councilmembers, and Commissioners are prohibited from accepting, soliciting, or directing a contribution of more than $500 from a party, participant, or their representatives during a proceeding and for 12 months following the date a final decision is rendered.
FISCAL IMPACT
The requested action increases the contract authority with Meet Long Beach by $230,434, for a revised total contract amount not to exceed $4,839,110. Sufficient appropriation for the contract is currently budgeted in the Special Advertising and Promotion Fund Group and the Tidelands Operating Fund Group in the City Manager Department. The recommendation has no staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities. Approval of this recommendation will provide continued support to the local economy.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully submitted
April Walker
Assistant City Manager