5 Reasons to Choose Magic Box for Your LA-Based Venue
In a city as expansive as Los Angeles, deciding on the right venue for your next trade event, art show, or gala can be difficult. While dozens of iconic spots dot the city, many event venues in LA offer a one-size-fits-all approach, leaving event producers to do the heavy lifting to secure the right vendors and services to keep the event unique. Magic Box @ The Reef replaces the one-size-fits-all approach with total flexibility and adaptability. With an impressive ability to deliver an all-encompassing event — covering aspects that range from space rental and floor plan design to labor and audiovisual services — Magic Box does most of the work to bring the event to life while leaving room for event producers to make the space their own. Housed in the historic LA Mart, built in 1958, Magic Box is ideally located in the heart of downtown, merging the glamour of old LA with modern touches. If you’re on the hunt for the best LA event space, here are five reasons why Magic Box tops the list.
1. Magic Box Does It All
Long gone are the days when attending an event meant making your way into a stuffy hall to listen to someone speak at a podium for an hour or two — maybe using a projector to boost the excitement factor! Event attendees have come to expect more. They want to be engaged and immersed in an experience like no other. This can put a lot of pressure on event producers, who may have to pull from all directions to create a moving experience for guests. Magic Box acts as a true partner to event producers. As General Manager Wayne Fernandez explained, “We don’t just hand them the space and walk away; we are there with them through every step of the process.”
2. The Space Is a Blank Canvas
Magic Box offers all traditional event services: space rental, parking, a loading dock, freight elevators, power, internet, audiovisual support, inventory, labor, floor plan design, and sinage, just to name a few. Event producers, however, remain in the driver’s seat. That means Magic Box can do everything — or nothing. It’s up to the event producer. “Magic Box is a blank canvas,” Fernandez said. “We keep the spaces white, like art galleries, thus allowing clients to create anything they want.” Additional services, such as fabricating, building, painting, etc., can be quoted separately.
3. You Get a Seasoned Onsite Team
Fernandez brings 30 years of experience to Magic Box, and the rest of the team also consists of seasoned veterans. Everyone comes from the event production field, and they deliver event-ready productions that no one else in the city can match. “When clients tour our spaces, they immediately know that they are talking to people that ‘get it,’” Fernandez said. “We are here to help them from unique ways of saving money through to jumping in on event days where there are problems.”
4. Event Management Software is FREE
Seasoned exhibitors know how difficult it is to keep track of every aspect of the event, from initial outreach to organizing load-in and load-out procedures. Magic Box gives producers free use of its EMT — Exhibitor Management Tool. The value of this fully customizable system for managing exhibitors cannot be understated. It centralizes communications and compilations of all necessary data, cleaning up the exhibiting process while significantly reducing HR needs. This is an ingenious way to help event producers stay under budget.
H2: 5. The Space Has Housed Legends
Despite all the modern conveniences of Magic Box, the space itself is still an LA icon. Having played host to countless productions for special events and trade shows as well as for art, design, fashion, film, television, advertising, and the music industry, the legacy lives on, accommodating new artists, designers, and organizations. In 2019, Magic Box hosted P-Diddy and the production team Superfly. Meeting their needs was sometimes challenging and required out-of-the-box solutions, Fernandez explained, adding, “They tested us at every turn and we were able to produce. Working with clients that challenge us is what makes our jobs so exciting.”
To challenge Magic Box with your next event idea, visit MagicBoxLA.com.
Erica Garza is an author and essayist from Los Angeles. Her writing has appeared in TIME, Health, Glamour, Good Housekeeping, Women's Health, and VICE.