SPEAKER BIOS
Steve Goodling
President & CEO, Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau
Under Steve Goodling’s leadership since 2001, the Long Beach CVB is at the forefront of modern meeting trends, offering new experiential ways to create successful, memorable events. Goodling’s vision for Long Beach is to be an “innovation leader” in the hospitality industry.
In 2017, BizBash inducted Goodling into their prestigious Hall of Fame. BizBash Media is a global leader in the meetings and special events industry with an audience of more than 225,000. Successful Meetings Magazine named Goodling to its “Top 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry 2017,” listing him as a “Trailblazer.” Successful Meetings is one of the most influential meetings trade publications, with a print and online audience of more than 60,000. Also in 2017, Northstar Media Group presented their 2017 Stella Award for “Best CVB in the
West” to Long Beach, a testament to Long Beach’s commitment to quality service. Northstar Media is the leading B-to-B information and marketing company in the travel and meetings industry, connecting with more than 2.7 million content customers.
Using the TED Conference as a guide, Goodling pioneered the creation of new “turn-key” event spaces for imaginative event choices. These cost-saving spaces include professional sound, lighting, and decorating systems. “The Pacific Room at the Long Beach Arena,” the first of its kind in the country, has generated over $180 million in new revenue. “The Cove” takes advantage of an underpass to create an “under-the-pier” seaside atmosphere for receptions, dinners,and food truck parties, and the “Terrace Theater Plaza” offers an outdoor setting with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and the downtown skyline.
Goodling was born in York, PA and graduated from Penn State University, bringing to Long Beach more than 20 years of hotel and destination marketing experience, first with Marriott and then with Shangri-LaHotels, a Hong Kong-based company operating luxury resorts throughout Asia.