Event Policies and Procedures

To assure your event functions smoothly at the California Science Center, please review the following policies and procedures. Once a client’s Letter of Agreement is signed and the Science Center’s Events Department has received a deposit, an Event Manager will handle scheduling and be the liaison between the client and the Science Center. By signing the Letter of Agreement, you are acknowledging your agreement with these policies and procedures. The California Science Center Foundation reserves the right to refuse to schedule any private event in its sole and absolute discretion.

REQUESTS:
Requests to reserve space for a special event at the California Science Center may be accepted up to two years in advance of the event date. Only two holds per potential client are allowed at any one time. A potential client’s requested date will be held for 10 business days, by the end of which time the Science Center requires a signed contract and deposit. If a signed contract and deposit have not been received within 10 business days, the date will be released to others by the California Science Center. If a definite request from a second potential client has been received for a date on hold prior to the expiration of the 10 day period, the Science Center will contact the potential client with the hold to make a final decision, sign a contract and make the deposit within three business days.

RATES:
Rental rates include event space and California Science Center standard staffing as applicable (determined by the Science Center’s Event Manager) -- public safety officers, an event manager, floor staff, a house engineer, janitorial services, an exhibit technician, or coat check staff. Rental of the IMAX Theater includes theater staff only. The time period for an event is three hours. Additional time will be charged on a per hour basis and will be quoted in your Letter of Agreement. Clients will be asked to sign an overtime contract if guests are in the California Science Center more than 15 minutes past the end of the contracted event time. Overtime will be billed on a net-30 day basis. Three hours of set-up/staging time and one hour of teardown time (or two hours of set-up/staging time and two hours of teardown time) are complementary. Set-up/staging times are determined by the Science Center’s Event Manager. Rates are also based on guest count. An increase over 500 guests will affect pricing.

DEPOSITS AND FINAL PAYMENTS:
A 50% deposit, credited towards the total rental cost, is required with the signed Letter of Agreement to secure an event date. This deposit is 100% refundable if your event is cancelled over 180 days before the event date, 50% refundable if cancelled between 180-90 days before the event date, and is not refundable if cancelled less than 90 days before the event date. A deposit will not be forfeited if the event is moved to a different available event date within one year (48 hours advanced notice required). Final payment is due 10 days before the event to prevent cancellation of your booking and is not refundable. You are liable for any vendor costs associated with your event’s cancellation or date change.

NOTIFICATIONS:
If the need to cancel your event should arise, the Event Services Office requests immediate written notification, regardless of any refund opportunity.

START/END TIMES:
The Donald P. Loker Conference Center and the Wallis Annenberg Building are available for rent 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Events within the main visitor circulation or gallery spaces are available for rent from 6:00 P.M. to 2:00 A.M. and from 7:00 A.M. to 9:30 A.M. in most cases.

AVAILABLE FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT:
The California Science Center has furniture and equipment that will be available on a first come, first served basis for your event. Such equipment includes tables, chairs, easels, and A/V equipment. Contact our Event Manager to obtain a list of possible equipment. The California Science Center can not be held responsible for equipment malfunction, damage, or non-availability on the day of your event.

INSURANCE:
All clients and outside caterers are required to provide a certificate of public liability and property damage insurance in the amount of $2,000,000, naming the California Science Center, the California Science Center Foundation and the State of California as additional insured for the term of your event (including setup, event, & teardown time). Please provide the Science Center’s Event Manager evidence of your insurance coverage at least one week before your event date.

LIABILITIES:
By signing the Event Price Estimate (EPE), clients agree to pay the cost of repair, restoration, replacement of damage done by you, your subcontractors, vendors, agents, or invitees to the California Science Center, its equipment or exhibits. The California Science Center shall be held harmless for all claims arising out of use of the California Science Center and the California Science Center’s property. Client assumes full responsibility for theft, loss or damage to any property and equipment brought to the California Science Center by you, your subcontractors, vendors, agents, or invitees. Contracts made directly with your vendors are solely between you and your vendor. Clients are to ensure that all vendors review and agree to comply with all requirements established by the California Science Center. The Client is also responsible to abide by all fire codes set forth by the City of Los Angeles’ Fire Department. By signing the Event Price Estimate you acknowledge that the California Science Center is not responsible for policing fire code adherence and is not responsible for the refunding of rental fees due to the closure of an event by a Fire Marshall.

LOSS OR DAMAGE:
The California Science Center is not responsible for any damage or loss of articles placed or left in the California Science Center prior to, during or following an event.

EXCLUSIONS:
The facility rental fees do not include the following services: parking, live science demonstrations, IMAX film screenings, food or beverage service, special tour requests, décor, more than three event walkthroughs, linens, radios, or a Fire Marshall’s time. All of the above services will be called out individually in a client’s contract if provided. Services may not always be available.

PAYMENT:
100% payment of the amount stated in the Event Price Estimate is due at least 10 days before the event. Payments can be made with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, check or money order payable to the California Science Center Foundation. All charges incurred during the event, i.e. damage, additional parking, event overtime, rentals, etc. will be billed after the event and are due net-30. A service charge of 1.5% per month will be billed on all accounts over 30 days. Any invoices not paid within 120 days of invoice date will be forwarded to a collection agency.

CHECKS RETURNED FOR INSUFFICIENT FUNDS:
The Science Center will charge a $20.00 processing fee for any check returned for insufficient funds. If two checks are returned, a cashier’s check or credit card payment will be required.

OVER-PAYMENT:
Any over-payment due to over-estimated parking expenses will be refunded within 60 days of the event. Any over-payment due to over-estimated attendance for an IMAX theater group sale is not refundable.

PARKING:
Self-parking in the Science Center’s parking lots is $10.00 per car and $25.00 per commercial van, limousine, or bus (subject to change). Clients are welcome to pre-pay for their guests or let guests pay on their own. Valet parking can also be arranged per car through the Exposition Park Manager’s Office (Adrianna Vasquez at 213.744.7458). Consult in advance with the Science Center’s Event Services Office for information about other parking arrangements. Specific parking spaces can not be reserved ahead of time.

EXHIBITS:
We strive for 100% exhibit operation, but some exhibits are routinely removed or shut down for scheduled maintenance based on attendance and/or use. The Special Exhibits Gallery also closes periodically for varied amounts of time to remove and replace traveling exhibits. No discounts or refunds will be made for these closures.

MATERIAL EQUIPMENT:
California Science Center personnel are not responsible for moving, setting up, or taking down any equipment that does not belong to the Science Center with the exception of banners. All requests for movement of Science Center owned furniture and equipment must go through the California Science Center’s Event Manager. All non-Science Center items must be removed immediately following the event.

SET-UP & STAGING:
Set-up/staging of events is only permitted to take place within the Donald P. Loker Conference Center and Wallis Annenberg Building or in the service hallways during Science Center operational hours (8:30 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. daily) provided express permission is granted from the Event Services Department. If the event is a buyout of the California Science Center, the Loker Conference Center will be available the day of the event from 10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. for staging, free of charge. All other events are subject to a setup fee if the Loker Conference Center is needed more than (3) hours before the event begins. Rental of the Loker Conference Center for staging purposes is also subject to availability. Any event that needs to set up lighting the night before is required to purchase a setup package.

TEARDOWN & CLEAN UP:
Teardown and clean up must be completed within two hours after the event ends for non-buyouts and three hours after buyouts to not incur additional charges. The client and its sub-contractors (caterer, event co., décor co., etc.) are responsible for removal of all personal and company property within that time unless other arrangements are made in advance with the California Science Center’s Event Manager. Teardown and clean up for events occurring before operational hours (other than in the Loker Conference Center or Wallis Annenberg Building) must be completed by 9:30 A.M. The client and its sub-contractor’s responsibilities for teardown and clean up include: returning the event area(s) to the condition immediately prior to the event, removal of all trash from the Science Center property (including catering trash), removal of any carpet or furniture stains (including any necessary replacement of carpet tiles which must be done by the Science Center at the client’s expense) and repair of any damage. See related information under “insurance.”

DECORATIONS:
No candles or open flames are permitted inside the Science Center unless a permit from the Fire Marshall is submitted to the Event Manager prior to the event. (Note: the Fire Marshall allows some types of candles and a diagram or sample should be submitted to the Fire Marshall for approval.) Absolutely no pins, nails, staples or tapes of any kind are permitted on any walls, ceilings or floors on the Science Center property. No pyrotechnics are permissible on Science Center property. No helium balloons (air-filled OK) are permissible inside the Science Center. No objects can be hung from the ceiling without express prior permission and assistance from the Science Center’s Exhibits Department (additional fees may apply). Also, no glitter, sequins, confetti, fake snow, etc. is allowed on the Science Center property. Decorations are not allowed in the exhibit halls. The client is responsible for removing or causing the removal of all decorations immediately following the event.
Only the Science Center’s Exhibits Department can hang banners. The Exhibits Department will hang (2) banners for free – additional banners will be hung for $50.00 per banner. Banners will most likely not be taken down immediately after your event. If you need your banners returned, please arrange for a messenger to pick them up the following day. Clients must notify the Event Manager when the messenger is scheduled to arrive. Any banner left for more than one business day will be discarded.

SMOKE FREE FACILITY:
The California Science Center is a smoke free facility. No smoking is permitted in this building or within 20 feet of its entrances.

MUSIC:
Live music is allowed after the California Science Center has closed to the public for the duration of your event. Recorded music is permitted in the Loker Conference Center during all hours. More information can be obtained by speaking with the Event Manager in the Event Services Office.

ACTS OF GOD CLAUSE:
The California Science Center is not responsible for weather or road conditions (including traffic), power outages, acts of God, criminal activities, economic downturns, political changes, or any other activity, event or condition beyond its control. There will be no refunds or allowances resulting from these conditions.

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS:
It is required that the Event Services Office approve, for technical and factual accuracy, all promotional materials mentioning the California Science Center produced for your event (including invitations, programs, press releases, etc.) prior to printing or broadcast. Please allow sufficient time for this approval.

MINIMUM RENTAL/MAXIMUM GUEST COUNT:
The maximum amount of guests allowed inside the Science Center for a buyout is 4,000. The maximum amount of guests allowed inside the Wallis Annenberg Building for a buyout is 1,100. Guests will be click-counted if the number of estimated guests is near Fire Marshall capacities on any room or near 500 total guests for the appropriate rate structure (See additional information under RATES).

CATERING:
The California Science Center encourages the use of our in-house caterer, Kensington Caterers, which can be reached by calling (323) 935-4300. If a client chooses to use an outside caterer, that client will be charged the $1,000 outside caterer fee (also, a $1000 outside liquor fee if applicable) and the caterer must be approved in advance by the Event Services Office. A signed agreement must be entered into between the California Science Center Foundation and any outside caterer at least two weeks before your event (see also INSURANCE above). Food and beverage is not allowed inside the exhibit galleries or without contracting with a caterer. Outside caterers are responsible for bringing jack-stands and trays to be placed outside of exhibit galleries for glassware. The Science Center’s Event Manager will determine upon request how many jack-stands will be needed outside exhibit galleries.

Outside caterers are not permitted to use the in-house kitchen facilities for any reason and must build an off-premise kitchen in an area designated by the Science Center’s Event Manager. Equipment brought to the Science Center used to heat or cook food must be approved in advance by the California Science Center’s Event Manager. Sternos are allowed inside the Science Center for warming food only. Propane stoves and ovens and charcoal grills are only allowed in designated Science Center outdoor areas. Outside caterers must bring their own trashcans/bags and remove all trash at the end of the event. A limited amount of electricity is available in the designated kitchen areas – water is not available. Any outside caterer must attend a final event walkthrough with the Science Center’s Event Manager and the client at least one week before the event.

Alcoholic beverages may be served by Kensington or by approved outside caterers or other pre-approved vendors provided that they obtain written proof of a one-day serving permit from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (213-897-5391). The California Science Center’s Event Manager must receive a copy of the permit at least one day before your event. In addition, a $1000 outside liquor fee will be charged.

ON-SITE EVENT WALKTHROUGH:
Once the Letter of Agreement has been signed, the Science Center’s Event Manager will arrange an on-site event walkthrough with the client and any caterer to discuss plans, policies, procedures and any equipment or materials necessary for your event. Outside vendors will also be invited to attend. A final walkthrough is required no later than (2) weeks prior to the event and must include your outside caterer. All event walkthroughs are scheduled by the Science Center’s Event Manager during weekday business hours and by appointment only. There will be an additional charge of $50.00 per event walkthrough over three. Please consult the Science Center’s Event Manager if more than three event walkthroughs are anticipated.

DELIVERIES/LOADING DOCK:
The Science Center does not take responsibility for deliveries or storage of materials and equipment. Any delivery to the Science Center must be met by a representative of the client and arranged in advance with the Science Center’s Event Manager. The client is responsible for bringing their own cart or hand-truck to transport materials or equipment from the loading dock to the event area if necessary. (Any overnight storage of materials or equipment is based strictly on available space and must be accompanied by a dedicated Department of Public Safety Officer at the hourly overtime rate.)

CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
Any guest management function at an event, e.g. nametags, entry restrictions, early entry, registration, etc. is solely the responsibility of the client and not the responsibility of California Science Center staff.
While the Event Manager will inform the client when the event is approaching the end of the contracted time, it is the client’s responsibility to make sure all guests leave the California Science Center by the end of the contracted event time. Clients will be required to sign an overtime contract if their guests are in the California Science Center more than 15 minutes past the end of the contracted event time. Overtime will be billed on a net-30 basis.

OUTSIDE SECURITY FORCE:
Under no circumstance is an outside company permitted to provide a security function on California Science Center property. Under certain conditions, with the express written permission of the Department of Public Safety Chief in advance, individuals may be hired to perform body-guard functions in conjunction with State DPS officers.

IMAX THEATER:
Seats can not be reserved in the IMAX Theater for group sales. All group sale tickets are final. The IMAX Theater is not included in a Science Center buyout and will still be open to the public during regular IMAX hours (currently 9:00 A.M.-9:00 P.M.) unless contracted for separately.

PRE-FUNCTION SPACE:
Pre-function spaces are offered to events that need an area for cocktail & hors d'oeuvres receptions before a seated event begins. Minimum setup of 8ft. tables is included. Silent auctions, large reception setups and double use (before and after a seated event) are not included. Ask an Event Manager for further details.

AVAILABLE ELECTRICITY:
Electricity in the California Science Center is limited to approximately (2) 20 amp circuits per floor in the central atrium. The Loker Conference Center has (4) 20 amp circuits, (1) per wall. The Big Lab in the Wallis Annenberg Building has (7) 20 amp circuits. Both the Multi-Purpose room and the Muses room have (5) 20 amp circuits each. A walkthrough with an electrician can be arranged by contacting the Event Manager.

RENTAL/BACKSTAGE SPACES:
The following spaces are available for rent in the California Science Center: Edgerton Court, Disney Court, the Donald P. Loker Conference Center, the World of Life, Creative World 2nd Floor, Creative World 3rd Floor, Sky Court Gallery, Weingart Special Exhibits Gallery, Lorsch Family Pavilion, Science Plaza, the Rose Garden Café dining area, and the IMAX Theater.

When renting the entire California Science Center (buyout), all areas above excluding the IMAX Theater are included in your rental agreement and are available for use. The IMAX Theater is not included in a Science Center buyout and will still be open to the public during regular IMAX hours (currently 9:00 A.M.-9:00 P.M.) The McDonald’s area is included in a Science Center buyout (an additional staffing fee will apply).

The following spaces are available for rent in the Wallis Annenberg Building: The Big Lab, The Exploration Grove, The Muses Room and the Multi-Purpose Room.

Backstage spaces can include (at the Event Manager’s discretion) certain service hallways for kitchen prep-work or setup staging.

WALKIE-TALKIES:
Clients and vendors are not permitted to use California Science Center walkie-talkies or Nextel. They are welcome to rent their own and, if necessary, rent an additional radio for the Science Center’s Event Manager at their expense.

ESCALATOR USE:
Escalators will not be set to run in the “down” mode.

FILMING ON STATE PROPERTY:
Production companies must have current insurance on file at the California Film Commission which names the State of California as 'additionally insured' in the amount of $2 million general liability and $500,000 hired and non-owned automobile coverage. The certificate holder must be named as the State of California with the following agency: California Film Commission, 7080 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 900, Hollywood, CA 90028. Student and still photography projects are not exempt from these requirements.