Conga Room to Offer ”One-Stop” Latin Destination with Scheduled Fall 08 Launch at L.A. Live

Dubbed the Latin House of Blues, the original Conga Room featured the best in local and international Latin artists, bringing together thousands of patrons seeking great music, dancing, food, drinks and atmosphere. Now, as it readies to reopen its doors this fall, the new Conga Room is poised to reclaim its position as the preeminent Latin music venue. Founded by entrepreneur Brad Gluckstein and co-owned by Jimmy Smits, Jennifer Lopez, Paul Rodriguez and Sheila E., the venue is on track to launch at L.A. Live, the hot new entertainment complex across from the Staples Center. The new Conga Room will offer a significantly larger, more sophisticated destination for loyal patrons and the anticipated twenty million complex visitors seeking an exciting, authentic Latin sabor.

“The Latin music scene has remained largely fragmented,” explains Gluckstein. “But the new Conga Room at L.A. Live will change that. Come this fall, the preeminent Latin and world music performers, the best atmosphere and the most inventive Latin food and drinks will be under one roof. The new Conga Room will be a one-stop destination for top Latin entertainment and culture!”

Having swept onto the L.A. social scene in 1998, the Conga Room earned a following with its hip ambience and hot performers. It hosted record launches, movie debuts, award shows and parties, including the 2001 Latin Grammy Award Presentation. It featured concerts by top Cuban and Latin tropical stars such as Celia Cruz and the Buena Vista Social Club and its stage was graced by the likes of Shakira, Juanes and Carlos Santana. The Conga Room broadened its musical repertoire beyond salsa to spotlight popular artists in other genres: rock en Español (e.g., Aterciopelados, Julieta Venegas), world beat (e.g., Susana Baca, Lila Downs, Hugh Masekela, Bebel Gilberto), jazz (e.g., Billy Cobham, Poncho Sanchez, Jack DeJohnette), urban (e.g., Common, Wyclef Jean) and pop/rock (e.g., Jose Feliciano, Nelly Furtado, Los Lobos). After nearly a decade, the original Conga Room closed its doors in May 2006.

With its rebirth at L.A. Live, the Conga Room will again host a broad array of artists and parties, many in the wake of entertainment, social, political and sporting events at the nearby Staples Center, Nokia Theatre, Club Nokia, ESPN, and JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels. It will also be able to reach global audiences through onsite TV/radio production broadcasting. For larger Latin-flavored events, the venue has access to the outdoor Nokia Plaza, which can hold several thousand people.

Encompassing 15,000 square feet and accommodating 1,100 patrons (three times its former capacity), the Conga Room will scintillate audiences with world-class performances, pan-Latin cuisine and a distinctive architecture and design motif that aggregates contemporary elements from Mexico, Barcelona and the Caribbean. Gluckstein adds, “The new Conga Room will provide an unmatched cultural immersion in the most stunning venue in the heart of LA!”

For Conga Room
Kristen Chin or Stephanie Molina, 310-550-7776
kchin@bwr-la.com or

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