San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. and home to 70 miles of sandy beaches, biodiverse landscapes, and many neighborhoods to explore. The oceanfront city offers planners and attendees alike a canvas of venues and activities to try—allowing them to see for themselves why San Diego is such a sought-after destination for meetings and events.
“What makes San Diego unique is the ability to get outside year-round, to enjoy the weather [and] fresh air, [and] to take your thoughts from a ballroom to the outdoors,” says Kavin Schieferdecker, chief sales officer for the San Diego Tourism Authority. “The ability to be near water [is] so invigorating. [And] when [people] do come and meet here, they want to know what they can do outside.” With a fall season keeping the temperatures around 60 to 70 degrees alongside an average number of 263 days with sun per year, visitors can do just about anything or go anywhere.
The city is a 10-minute drive from San Diego International Airport, currently undergoing a major expansion of its Terminal 1, Schieferdecker explains. “It’s adding 30 gates—19 of the new gates will open in 2025, and the 11 remaining gates will open in 2028, so it’ll give us 62 total gates—it’s a 94% increase in gate availability, which is pretty impressive.” The renovation will include local food and beverage concessions alongside an outdoor dining terrace overlooking one of the runways.
Venue Revamps
Located at Petco Park, home of MLB’s San Diego Padres, just outside its outfield wall but still inside the ballpark’s gates, Gallagher Square is undergoing $20 million in enhancements and upgrades slated to finish next spring. “It’s one of the biggest … outdoor event venues that our customers like to utilize in San Diego,” Schieferdecker says. The 2.7-acre venue is adding a playground and play area; a fenced, off-leash dog park; the Tony Gwynn Terrace viewing deck and picnic space; and more. The square can accommodate up to 5,000 for seated dinners and 10,000 for concerts.
Freedom Park on Navy Pier, which was announced earlier this year, will be located adjacent to the USS Midway Museum (the world’s most-visited ship museum, honoring San Diego’s rich military history and featuring more than 30 restored aircraft), and will feature 5 acres of pedestrian walkways, landscaping, and large private event space rentals. “A lot of our groups will have private parties on the Midway—and now we’ll have, right next door, [the] beautiful Freedom Park [as] another option for them as well,” Schieferdecker says.
Hot Hotels
The San Diego cityscape is seeing hotels flourish this year. Slated to open in 2027, The Fairmont Manchester Hotel will feature 1,060 guest rooms, 69 suites, 36 floors, and 120,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space high-lighted by two 28,000-square-foot ballrooms. The Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina finished a multimillion-dollar refresh of its 1,366 guest rooms and introduced the M Club Lounge alongside two new culinary destinations. Also, the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter completed a $22 million renovation. “It has kind of given it a 1970s California vibe to all 265 guest rooms, 30 suites, and their 16,000 square feet of event space,” says Schieferdecker.
In the northern part of the city, the Rancho Bernardo Inn celebrated its 60th birthday this year with a complete renovation of 286 guest rooms that feature “Spanish Revival elements with modern tech upgrades,” Schieferdecker adds. And getting accolade after accolade is the Fairmont Grand Del Mar, San Diego’s Forbes Five-Star, AAA Five Diamond property. Its on-site restaurant, Addison, recently became San Diego’s first Michelin 3-Star eatery, and its spa also recently won a Five-Star rating from Forbes, giving the property a total “15-star rating,” as Schieferdecker says. The Del Mar hotel also opened an outdoor lounge in mid-June called Grand Social, featuring 23,000 square feet of lawn space for groups up to 300.
Staying Active & Nourished
Fall in San Diego is perfect to get out and explore the city streets and natural landscapes. One of the top spots to visit is Balboa Park, the country’s largest urban cultural park and home to the San Diego Zoo, a 100-acre wildlife park with 14,000 rare and endangered animals representing more than 700 species and subspecies. Explore the park’s Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, stunning gardens, 17 museums, and outdoor recreation.
Groups can visit the Mingei International Museum’s “25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee” exhibit through Oct. 15. The exhibit raises awareness of the number of refugees displaced around the world by county and acknowledges each displaced person with a handsewn stitch. The museum also offers several options for private event spaces, from balconies overlooking Balboa Park to a courtyard for smaller groups. If attendees are looking to get up and moving, head out to the shoreline for miles of walking paths in the Embarcadero area, or try out mountain biking, rock climbing, paragliding, and more. There are also more than 70 golf courses in the area for the golfers in your group.
Several new restaurants have opened in the Seaport Village area of San Diego, including Los Angeles-based chain Gladstone’s, which features fresh seafood and classic cocktails, and Zytoun, which serves Mediterranean cuisine. Also coming to the area this year is Cork & Batter, a baseball-themed restaurant serving sliders, sandwiches, pasta, and more. In total, the city boasts nearly 9,000 eateries alongside 150 independent craft breweries/brewpubs and 100 vineyards, wineries, and tasting rooms within a one-hour drive. “We have a ton of rooftop bars that are open 10, 11 months out of the year for the most part,” Schieferdecker says, making an outdoor cocktail and dining experience easy to arrange for planners.
Planners have many flexible options when arranging event itineraries for San Diego. You can’t go wrong when there are warm fall temperatures, an ocean-side location, and a plethora of opportunities for venues, lodging, dining, and activities that will keep attendees happy and engaged.
