Long Beach played host this spring to its second annual Site Selector Conference—a gathering designed to spotlight the City’s assets and business opportunities while forging new pathways for growth and investment.

Organized by the Long Beach Economic Development Department in partnership with the Long Beach Economic Partnership, the three-day event in April welcomed an impressive roster of business leaders, policy makers and location strategy specialists from around the country. The City was transformed into a hub of networking, industry insights and strategic conversations aimed at driving sustainable economic development.

The largest business attraction event in Long Beach, the conference brought together five nationally recognized site selectors, also known as professional location scouts—whose evaluations guide where major companies choose to set up operations and host major events. These experts look at factors such as talent availability, infrastructure, market access and cost analysis to determine the best locations for business growth.

Attendees took part in various workshops, including panel discussions and networking receptions. Highlights of the conference included a harbor tour of the bustling Port of Long Beach, behind-the-scenes visits to aerospace headquarters in the City’s rapidly growing “Space Beach” sector, and an exclusive experience at the 50th Anniversary Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Participants also explored the City’s unique attractions, from the historic Queen Mary to the modernized Long Beach Airport, along with visits to downtown’s thriving eateries, hotels and retail corridors—all part of an effort to give them a comprehensive sense of the economic and cultural landscape of Long Beach.

The professionals in attendance represented a range of sectors, including real estate, manufacturing, aerospace and technology. Among them were Lauren Berry of Maxis Advisors, Sean Ferguson of Firetiger Technologies, Ann Rybka of Atlas Insight, Jeffrey Garza Walker of SRS Real Estate Partners and C. Paige Webster of Webster Global Site Selectors.

The conference served not only as a showcase for Long Beach’s assets but also as a listening session, providing local leaders with valuable feedback on how the City can enhance its business attraction strategies and shape its own economic future.

Supported by a wide range of local and regional partners—including Visit Long Beach, California State University, Long Beach and the Downtown Long Beach Alliance—the Site Selector Conference demonstrated a commitment to collaboration in Long Beach, where event organizers say our business community demonstrates a readiness to compete in a fiercely competitive market for jobs, development and investment.

With this year’s conference, Long Beach positioned itself not only as a City with a storied past but also as a destination with an ambitious vision for the future—one that’s actively courting the companies and industries of tomorrow.