HispanicBusiness

After a hiatus, the Conga Room has relocated to the L.A. LIVE entertainment complex at 800 W. Olympic Blvd. Founding partner Brad Gluckstein and many of his celebrity partners, including Jimmy Smits, Jennifer Lopez, Amaury Nolasco, Sheila E., Trevor Ariza (of the L.A. Lakers), Baron Davis (of the L.A. Clippers) and Will.i.am (who headlined that night's performance), welcomed an appreciative crowd to the new 15,000-square-foot facility.

HispanicBusiness.com spoke briefly with Mr. Gluckstein about the Conga Room's reopening event, and his expectations for what's looking to be one of the most exciting venues and hottest destinations in the City of Angels.

HB.com: What are your expectations for the Conga Room in the current economic climate?

BG: We benefit from the combination of all the venues at L.A. Live, and the proximity to the Staples Center, which has about 250 nights a year of programming. The Conga Room will benefit from several types of demographics, including tourism, sports/entertainment traffic, destination, patrons for the Conga Room, and downtown business and residential traffic.
We have a locked-in and very diverse audience in that particular district.

HB.com: Having celebrity business partners/co-owners -- is there anything inherently different than in a normal joint venture?

BG: Well, yeah -- we're in the entertainment capital of the world. Celebrities are very important in brand building. In our case, our celebrities are very passionate and active in the club. Sheila E. performed on stage last night, Will.i.am was the headliner, Jimmy Smits was gracious and talking to everybody in the club last night and telling the Conga Room story. Even the new NBA player partners, Trevor Ariza (who brought Kobe Bryant and the entire team to the event) and Baron Davis are opening up the Conga Room to an entirely new demographic, sports and entertainment.

HB.com: I've read that your love for Latin culture and dance was the original catalyst for the Conga Room. Was there one specific experience or transformational moment or event that inspired that interest?

BG: Probably learning how to salsa dance, back in the mid-1990s, and becoming a Latin dance enthusiast as a hobby. It was something I translated into a business concept, as there was really no live entertainment venue that was fashioned in a sophisticated setting for an upwardly mobile Latino demographic.

HB.com: Chef Alex Garcia's bona fides are impressive. What of his cuisine has most impressed you? What can diners expect from the Conga Room's restaurant, Boca?

BG: Garcia features Pan-Latin cuisine -- it's really a melting pot of the Caribbean and Mexico and South America. He comes from a restaurant background in Miami and New York -- three of the top restaurants in the world in Nuevo Latino Cuisine -- notably Yucca in Miami and Patria and Calle Ocho in New York. In connection with Wolfgang Puck Catering, the reviews on our food have been unprecedented.