Booking an L.A. Live event photographer is just one of many steps involved in rolling out a successful function at an entertainment complex of that size. L.A. Live is home to four professional sports franchises, 20 restaurants and numerous live performances. Its 4 million square feet of event space has been the backdrop for significant celebrations, motion picture screenings and crowded concerts, plus corporate kick-offs and fundraising galas.
But the vast indoor/outdoor event space at L.A. Live facilitates operations in a wide range of sizes. If your event is occupying any part of this world-renowned venue, you have layers upon layers of plans in the making.
L.A. Live event photography shows that Microsoft Square is a place to make money and make a statement.
Day or night, street party or commercial sensation, Microsoft Square can seat 750 for a reception with dinner, but up to 5,000 people can take in an outdoor festival or other cultural experience on this huge open-air plaza, which has 65,000 square feet of exhibit space when you close the vehicle access.
If your event is drawing thousands of spectators to the streets of downtown, it’ll be a serious challenge to get good photo images. That’s why you call in the professionals.
Finding an L.A. Live event photographer with experience in red carpet and PR photography is probably your best bet because there’s a lot of ground to cover, especially if you choose to close off Chick Hearn Court and 11th Street – the area that runs between the Staples Center and Microsoft Square. You may even want an expert in parties and celebrations photography because of the pedestrian-friendly factor, which adds up to A LOT of moving parts.
The space has been a statement-making choice for press conferences also, where they set up pre-arranged staging for media photographers to ensure they get good images of the event’s heavy-hitters – literal ones, in some cases. The launch of a 2017 boxing match “world tour” was held at the Staples Center, where boxer Floyd Mayweather and UFC champion Conor McGregor announced details about their “money fight.”
Outdoor concerts, festivals and corporate events reaching thousands of fans, guests and attendees are par for the course in Microsoft Square, which is sort of a middle-earth for the world of contemporary entertainment. Using live broadcasting for some events, there are tents erected on the plaza with about 20,000 square feet of LED signs lighting up the space and “plug-and-play” technology.
Because it’s such a flexible rental space, an L.A. Live event photographer needs to gain access to, sometimes, multiple tents of up to 23,000 square feet. And on top of that challenge, there is pressure to create photo products that meet the standards of such high-profile vendors as L.A. Live caterer Wolfgang Puck.
The Event Deck is the site of star-studded galas, awards and fundraisers photography.
Referred to as the biggest carpeted tent in the city, the L.A. Live Event Deck is a Hollywood stage, a top-tier fundraising venue and a preferred place for elaborate corporate parties. It’s an indoor/outdoor space that’s customized according to the company renting it and the type of function being held on the premises.
A lot of red carpet and PR photography on the Event Deck has come from wrap parties including the ESPY Awards post-party and the “Hunger Games” premiere after-party. Never short on Hollywood attention, the “All-Star Chef Classic” has used the facility, and “Netflix” booked the Event Deck for an anniversary party.
Commercial and robust non-profits meet their fiscal goals from events held in the space, which has a capacity for 3,000 guests – or 5,000 with stairs added. Children’s Hospital held a fundraising gala on the Event Deck, taking advantage of the 42,000-90,000 square feet available for corporate functions. Renters customize by adding or removing tent bays and including other features to fit their event models. Corporate and holiday party photography from the Event Deck proves how vastly different the atmosphere can become, according to each unique theme and function.
Event photography is not allowed inside The Novo theater.
Nearly 2,500 audience members can take in a concert or other live performance at The Novo, which is a 59,000-square-foot space with a theater, lobby, pit, lounges, and bars. Its versatility means it caters to all forms of performance art and various guest groupings. Flexible floor plans provide event organizers with options of main floor seating or standing, and a VIP experience such as 212 premium leather seats in the balcony. There’s also VIP lounge space with a capacity for 350 individuals.
The stage is 1,100 square feet and The Novo has five backstage rooms, four dressing rooms, a green room, and three full-service bars.
Bands and musicians photography from inside The Novo is prohibited, as well as footage from awards ceremonies or other performances in the theater, so an L.A. Live event photographer has to limit the shots to post- or pre-parties outside, or from inside the tents.
L.A. Live event photography from The Terrace includes 180-degree views of the city.
Whether or not you’re using The Novo or Grammy Museum for your event, the rooftop is available for rent as a standalone venue. It’s a flexible space where guests in the city center have a view that stretches across downtown and sweeps past the Hollywood sign.
The entertainment complex itself – L.A. LIVE – used The Terrace for its 10th Anniversary celebration. The 8,100-square-foot outdoor space can seat 150 or house 350 occupants, offering two bars, a water wall, and a private VIP entrance. Food service is provided by Wolfgang Puck catering.
Because there’s no photography allowed inside The Novo if you plan a post-performance party on The Terrace you have the opportunity for an L.A. Live event photographer to create a visual record of the occasion.
A lot of headlining concerts and live performances photography comes out of the Conga Room.
The world-famous Conga Room spent its first years on Wilshire Blvd. before moving to L.A. Live in 2008. It established the Latin experience as a lifestyle brand in L.A. and though it began with mostly salsa, it has expanded its nightlife to include music and dancing – from Bachata to Top 40. It also offers VIP bottle service.
Among the notables who own the Conga Room are Jennifer Lopez, will.i.am, Sheila E., Paul Rodriguez, Jimmy Smits, Baron Davis, and Amaury Nolasco.
The party destination has performance event space with full lighting and sound, and there’s a capacity for 1,000 or more guests in the Main Room, where you can seat 300, theater-style. The Conga Room is 15,000 square feet in total, with separate areas including Azucar and BOCA Gallery.
There’s a dance floor and a live broadcast booth – a good venue for lively parties from record launches and movie premieres to company openings and awards shows – so your L.A. Live event photographer has to really be able to move.
Other perks for Conga Room visitors and event planners are views of “red carpet activity” at L.A. Live, balcony access, five LED TVs with two projectors, and in-house audio-visual, including broadcast capabilities.
Microsoft Theater
While the Staples Center is larger, the Microsoft Theater is a better fit for mid-sized award shows, dance and comedy acts, televised productions, as well as corporate meetings and product launches. More than 125 such events are held there, including the American Music Awards, the ESPYs and the Emmys.
With 7,100 seats in 235,000 square feet, its audience gets a spacious experience at a high-profile function. There are full bars and concessions on every level and performers and planners have access to 14 private rooms backstage, plus 10 dressing rooms, a green room, and three flexible spaces.
It’s the venue for a lot of award ceremonies, which typically means there’s a photo op in front of the theatre for guests. Audience members can count on logo walls at the Radio Disney Music Awards, the BET Awards and the People’s Choice Awards. Crowds also fill the seats for boxing championships and concerts with leading entertainers such as Toni Braxton and Babyface.
Because non-professional cameras are not allowed in the Microsoft Theater, you must hire a professional L.A. Live event photographer if you’ve got something on the calendar there and you want images.
Event planners can take advantage of amenities that include:
- Lighting, sound and video in-house
- 2-Story VIP Lounge and private entrance
- Outdoor balcony for 250 people
- Two 29-foot x 16-foot LED screens alongside stage
- 6 motorized catwalks
- Loading dock to accommodate up to three 53-foot trailers
The experience of thousands of guests in JW Marriott Ballrooms are captured by L.A. Live event photographers.
For hotel guests at L.A. Live, the Marriott means easy access to ongoing sights and sounds of performances, celebrations and pop culture events. They aren’t limited to the amusement of its rooftop pool, elite spa menu or high-profile bar services.
A glass façade defines the hotel’s contemporary style and it’s just a 4-minute walk from the Staples Center arena and just over a mile to Walt Disney Concert Hall. The complex is also adjacent to the Convention Center, which makes the hotel a popular pick for vendors, sponsors and conference visitors.
Marriott and Ritz-Carlton both have a presence at L.A. Live, with residences in a 54-story tower. There are more than 100,000 square feet of Marriott event space, including three ballrooms:
Diamond – 25,000 square feet/2,800 capacity
Platinum – 21,000 square feet/2,300 capacity
Gold – 17,000 square feet/1,900 capacity
Sporting event photographers are a mainstay of L.A. Live programming.
The ESPN broadcasting studio was a part of the second phase of development at L.A. Live, putting it at the epicenter of West Coast athletics beginning with the broadcast of “SportsCenter” in 2009.
There’s no dearth of action for L.A. Live event photographers, mostly because of athletics in the Staples Center. It’s where Luc Robitaille fans cheer on their hero and his L.A. Kings teammates. And it’s where NBA fans go to see the L.A. Clippers or watch LeBron James raise his stats with the Lakers.
The Staples Center is also where Coach Derek Fisher brings his team to the floor for L.A. Sparks games. The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team was originally owned by L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss, and the Sparks have qualified for the WNBA playoffs in the majority of seasons since its inception in 1997.
It’s impossible to portray the magnitude of impressive events going on simultaneously at L.A. Live without the publicity pouring out of PR offices following an event. Commercial success hinges on conventions and tradeshows photography that affirms branding and gains traction on social media.
A professional L.A. Live event photographer is essential to record the experience, performance, celebration, awards show, or maximize publicity after a corporate function, as well as maintain the public’s interest in downtown entertainment.
