We come here once a year to watch my grand daughter's volleyball tournament. Restrooms are usually clean. I cost $18 to park with a credit card. $20 for cash. There's a coffee shop on one end and the American grill on the other side. read more

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Plenty of parking however you may be charged a parking fee. youll have to pay because there are no other close options in the area to leave your car. I went for the Gem Show and the parking fee cost (I think it was $15) even more than the event fee. Felt weird. it is what it is. the parking lot is spacious and plenty of space. I guess it depends on the event and how popular it is. restroom is in back left corner of the building. large space. can hold lots of vendor booths read more

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I haven't been here in a long time. I had gone with my niece for the West Coast Asian Foodie Festival. The place was big and clean as I had remembered. They had a stage setup outside for performances. A children's play , vendor area, and a ton of food vendors. read more

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We are here for an outdoor event. I was amazed at how clean the restrooms are. There was even an attendant keeping everything sparkling. The grounds and courtyard eating area were also immaculate. We will gladly make the drive for events here. read more

San Mateo County Event Center - Car show - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The first thing they need to do is when people enter the parking lot and pay the parking fee, to advise people that credit cards, debit cards, Venmo, ApplePay, etc. is NOT accepted. The only thing they'll accept is ... wait for it ... cash! Yup. In this era, cash is apparently king there. So basically, you can pay for parking, get to the even, have no cash because who even carries it anymore? And worst case scenario, have to head back because the parking fee is non refundable. After a lot of hems and haws and missteps, if you're lucky, somebody might tell you there's an ATM around the corner at which point you sigh a relief and head there. But guess what? The machine is malfunctioning and doesn't work and isn't giving cash. So now you've paid for parking but can't get into the event. Not a great set up. Ifd you manage to get inside for whatever event you're at, the inside is what the organizers will make of it, e.g. it's a cavernous massive empty box of a place and people can make more or less of it. We went for tje gem and jewelry show and it wads a sad sight to see. Rows and rows of sameness everywhere. One stall was horrifyingly hysterically funny: they were selling bags/purses with a huge sign "We don't sell knock-offs." In front of the sign are purses with "Hermes," "Chanel," "Chloe," "Gucci" ... and they're less than a hundred bucks. Sure a mini kelly for $50. But it's not a knock off. On the plus side, there's a small coffe/tea/snack kiosk where you can get snacks and sit for a bit. Not sure if this was put on by the event people or if it's always there. Either way, it's a welcome perk. read more

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I've been here several times in the past for events. This time, it was for the County of San Mateo job fair. Very heavily attended. Great place and everyone who works for the county were excellent. The place for all events. read more

Came here for the K-Play Fest/Anime Impulse/Sneaker expo this past weekend and it was a decent experience. This review is just for the venue and not really the event. Pros: 1) Given that there were 3 sub-events in one, you can imagine how long the line was to get into the venue initially - fortunately, the line moved steadily and security was pretty organized and quick about checking bags, scanning QR codes, generally moving things along. 2) The space was well utilized and I never felt like there was overcrowding. Maybe because we went on a Sunday and there were less crowds to begin with, but we were able to move freely in almost every part of the venue. 3) It was a hot day but mostly everything took place indoors and it seemed well-ventilated. Bathrooms were easy to find and no long lines to wait in. Cons: 1) I don't recommend parking here for events. It's usually $15 or more and really not worth it if you're only planning to stay a few hours. On Sundays, street parking is free and you can probably find a spot next to the venue or a couple blocks down. Don't waste your money on parking since it's harder to get in and out when you're leaving so you're not saving much on time anyway. 2) There could have been better signage, especially when it comes to getting into the venue. We almost walked the entire way around to get to the entrance but if there were signs in the parking lot/outside the venue, this could be avoided. QR codes should also be posted further down the line to get inside for those who didn't purchase their tickets in advance. Also instructions about re-entry could have been clearer - we didn't know until we were leaving that we could get a hand stamp to come back in. read more

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This past Sunday was my first trip ever to the San Mateo County Fair. A few family members and I figured it would be a fun time for the kiddo in our household to get out a bit and see some sun. Pros: This is a very easy venue to get to. There is tons of parking and relatively little walking to get to the entrance. They also have a covered cart that is dropping people off at their cars, which is great for anybody who is tired after a long day at the Fair. The place was fairly clean with a decent amount of garbage cans located every few steps. There wasn't much garbage to be seen. The rides, for the most part, all worked. We were bummed that the train was down, but otherwise all the other rides and attractions were up and running. There is plenty of food stands for food and beverage. The typical fair food was found such as ice cream, sodas, funnel cakes, hot dogs, and even alcoholic beverages such as beer and White Claws. The workers were all pretty friendly and just doing their thing which I appreciated. They were working efficiently and moved quickly to get people in and out. Cons: Expensive. Boy is it expensive. It's $20 per adult to just enter the place. Children under 5 get in for free. But $100 just for us to walk in seems excessive. Once you're in, you'll need to buy tickets if you plan on riding the rides and playing the games. I do like the wrist band idea as well as paying for the tickets using a credit card on an iPad style kiosk. From everything I saw, it's 3 tickets per person/per attraction. Keep that in mind when figuring out how many tickets to purchase. I wish there were more restrooms and benches to sit and eat the food purchased at the food bars. I came here to have a good time with family. We can all agree that the County Fair should be a neutral place that is family friendly. Right as we walked in, I saw a man/woman twerking on stage. Not really what I'd like to see when I'm with my mother-in-law and a 4 year old child. It's just not the right time and place. I wish they would keep it Rated G and a place where families feel comfortable. It was really cringey. Overall, I had an OK time but didn't feel like I got great value. Between the high costs for everything and the inappropriate dancing, I'm not sure if I would go back. read more

We go there for volleyball tournaments. Parking is way too expensive. $20 if paying cash, $18 credit card. Then you have to pay to get into the venue. The Food they sell is subpar and overly priced. They search your bags so no food can be brought in. Some rude security staff. I wish NCVA would choose a different venue. read more

Re: Gymnastics Tournament: For the amount of money you pay park and get into the event you would think that they would have had it planned and coordinated a lot better. They did not anticipate the amount of spectators so there was not enough places to sit and the security and staff were unwilling to find a solution for the situation. We asked to speak to the coordinator of the venue but she was a no show. read more

I'm one of those people that are pro vaccine, so if you're not or don't want to hear about it then stop reading right now. Reservations only for the Covid 19 shot...... San Mateo has opened up a Mass vaccination site here at the San Mateo event center and though it's been a slow roll out for California (we're behind many other States in terms of how many people have been vaccinated so far), I'm thankful that they opened up this place and for how smoothly this went. San Mateo county contacted my handicapped mother to say her turn was due and I'm thankful that she was able to get her shot because 1) she is handicapped 2) she is a stage 2 Cancer survivor So she's definitely at a higher risk group. Reservations are done online and it's a drive through vaccination center that took about an hour to weave in and out of. They herd you indoors and line your car up at one of many stalls, have you roll down your window, and then you wait for 20 to 30 minutes depending on your risk level outside to make use you don't have an adverse reaction. They have fire, police, and medics on hand in case you have an adverse reaction. They gave her a card to take home with the details of the vaccine as a reminder for this shot as well as her second upcoming shot. They were administering the Moderna vaccine at this site in case you want to know. This was smooth and efficient and I can't wait until they open this up for every tier so that younger folks like me can get their vaccine when it's our turn. Everyone wore masks and as drivers or if you have a patient everyone has to wear a mask at all times and it is enforced. read more

San Mateo County Event Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - San Mateo, California

No food or drinks allowed, so, if you have a medical diet you go hungry or are forced to eat their unhealthy venue overpriced hot dogs and burgers with cold greasy ore ida fries. Parking is $20.00 cash, or $15.00 if you join the new world order and go cashless with a card. The security are overly aggressive, wandering the event looking for people who snuck in their own food, or dared to bring a folding chair for their disability needs. Don't you dare move one of their broke down white plastic folding chairs to a safe location where you might not get hit by a volleyball. Parking is a nightmare. There is only one entrance to begin with, so it takes forever to get to the tollbooth, then, the actual car park is narrow, but spread out so that you have to walk a quarter mile if you aren't one of the first 100 or so cars there. Then you get to the single entrance to the facility, pay another $15.00 for a wristband for 'admission' and have to walk a quarter mile back if you are unlucky enough to have your event in the secondary building. Also , if your organization wants a tailgating or picnic table you pay extra, AND get to walk to the opposite side of the lot. Again. San Mateo County, you suck and it's time to trash this place and rebuild a user friendly facility. Hell, even the state fair charges only $10.00 for parking, while they bring in thousands more cars, they take one fourth the time to do it, and you end up closer to the gate. read more

Had a volleyball tournament here pretty average space. However balls kept getting stuck in the weird cut outs they had in the walls. THEY DID NOT HELP. Staff was extremely disrespectful and not helpful at all. Very disappointed in their entitled behavior and horrible managemen. WOULD RECOMMEND NEVER GOING HERE OR EATING HERE. read more

Fair grounds drive in Props for bringing back drive in movies. Yeah we know it's not a real Drive in theater adventure but come on people today have never experienced the true drive in so it's a sweet gesture to get that old school drive in feel First of all pack your car with all your fun snacks and drinks load up the car bud people under the sears or trunk for the true old. School style Drive in to your spot that you are assigned to they try their best to fit everyone In and have the best viewing area for all to see big screen. Movies are old But who cares it's a fun adventure out for a family or friends night. Especially on a nice hot summer night read more

We take part as a vendor at the center 4 times a year. In the past we were able to buy a parking pass that reduced the $15 a day parking fee, which we bought the day we set up. They stopped this; you can now buy a pass online just before the show starts and you will have to pay a fee. It is difficult to park on city streets because the gate near the buildings is closed and you have to walk around the grounds and then through the parking lot to enter. This is shortsighted vendors come from all over the country to set up for this gem show. These people go to local restaurants and hotels if they changed venues the city and county would lose that income. I don't mind paying a parking fee for one-day events. They need to reinstate parking passes for multi-day events and make it easy to purchase them. The reason I gave them 3 stars rather than 2 is that the Starbucks services tasty soups and wonderful beef chili. I ate 3 bowls of chili in 3 days read more

Parking Supervisor Nash and his unacceptable behavior this morning at SMCC. I have been attending Young Women Volleyball Club games both with both the WCVA and NCVA at the SMCC for the last 4 years. Each year I come here, I have seen and encountered your attendant Nash. My first encounter with him was the first time I came in 2019, he became extremely aggressive toward myself while with my young daughter about my positioning of my car. While I remained calm, he finger pointed and yelled, threatening to tow my car and made it a point to target my car the entire weekend. I called about his behavior after this incident and reported that this man disregards human kindness with his disrespect and engages in dangerous behaviors toward women. Coming to SMCC after that, my daughter has shared that she is filled with anxiety because "the mean man with the neon hat is there". Up until today I have tried to stay away from engaging or being near this man. This morning, I arrived just after 7am to find the line for the parking wrapped around. Historically there is a drop off line for the girls to go in at. Parents like to grab coffee or food outside the center and kill time so the drop off line in extremely convenient. So when I saw the 1st lane open - WITH NO CONES- NO MARKING- NO EXIST ONLY SIGN, I assumed this was the drop off line. When I turned into the parking lot- there were still NO SIGNS to show the driver this was a designated lane of any kind. I did not try and enter the parking lot at anytime. I simply pulled over to let my 2 daughters out of the car. Once I stopped and my daughters were getting out of the car, NASH comes burling out of his booth screaming at me and my daughters to MOVE, MOVE, MOVE you get out this is an exist, do you see the trouble your causing, sticking his fingers inches away from my child.... He is irrate! I get out of the car because this is a grown man screaming at my daughters and I am trying to calm him down. He continues to yell and say I cannot come in, when I am not trying to come in, now I am asking him to move so I can turn around and get out, which he refuses. The other cars now have come behind me- all filled with women and children, and he is NOW yelling at us all. He is taking my picture, telling me he is calling security that my daughters will be kicked out of the tournament. Now my daughters are crying and I am still trying to figure out why this man is so angry. I kindly speak to the other Mothers in the line and we figure out how to work together to reverse out instead of him allowing us to turn around- he kept pointing his finger at me saying "you caused this - you caused this". His co-workers tried to calm him but continued to say he was the manager and they couldn't do anything. They all agreed that he was out of line and that he should not speak to women and children like that but also stating he "didn't talk to them like that". Justin, I would like to discuss with you the severity of my experience and the experience of the young women and small children that come here to watch, grow, and confidently continue their craft of sports. We play at a high-level and PAY a painful amount of money not just for our daughters to play but for us to be in the facility. We pay for NASH TO BE HERE- AND WE DO NOT FEEL SAFE. WE HAVENT FELT SAFE AND WE ARE CONTINUALLY BULLIED AND HARRASSED BY THIS MAN. I look forward to hearing from you about your plans of action as well as mine. I have no problem bringing in the City, County, convention center board, ACLU, the Womens Volleyball leagues, and the league of Women Voters, NAACP, and a plethora of others willing to assist in the protection of women and girls sports events and not be a victim to harassment and threatening the threatening behavior of a uncontrollable man with severe aggression toward women and childre read more

San Mateo County Event Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - San Mateo, California

A great venue for the local volleyball championships. Tons of courts and plenty of restrooms. They also have a snack bar and plenty of parking. Easily accessible from the 92 freeway and the 101. Be sure to bring a jacket in the winter, cement floors tend to keep the place nice and cool. read more

San Mateo County Event Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The San Mateo event Center is money, hungry, and unethical. I paid $15 to park. It was towards the end of the day. I left to grab some thing. I saw other people returning without paying for parking. When I came back and showed them my receipt they still said I had to pay again to park in the huge empty parking lot that I had already paid to park in. read more

I will be coming back for Aloha Festival if it is here next year. I missed it when it used to be in the Presidio, but oh well I still had fun. Spent a grip on food and accessories. I'm officially an Island girl now! The SMC event center has good bones for events like this, plus plenty of room left over for a personal party with friends. You'll have to convince SECURITY, but after that you might be alright! read more

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I went here with my family for the Minecraft Minefaire in this event center. Parking is relatively easy as there are plenty of them. It seem three facilities share the same parking area which is therefore, large. There are bathrooms on each side and it was quite clean. The place does have a warehouse feel to it. The ceilings aren't finished and the floor is similar to a garage floor being unfinished concrete. There were only two places to purchase food and drinks. A Starbucks and some American type food (hotdog, burgers, etc). The line was ridiculously long where the wait was about an hour. The Minecraft event itself was great. There were plenty of Youtubers answering questions for the kids, plenty of booths and exhibits, and merchandise. read more

San Mateo County Event Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - San Mateo, California

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This review is for the SFO long term parking. We were going to park here for about 2 weeks. The attendant told us that it is not 24 hour security and it's an outdoor parking. The gate also does not close at night. When we parked we saw a vehicle with a smashed back window. When we saw that we hi tailed out of there. I canceled my reservation and got back my payment like in 3 business days. So we went to Skypark which was quite a bit more and closer to SFO but we didn't have to wait for the shuttle because it was waiting for us and we drove our vehicle up to the front and the valet took our vehicle and luggage was emptied and out in the shuttle. There were donuts and hot available coffee for the customers right where you drop off your vehicle. Now that's customer service! read more

We had a horrible experience with the events center. We had an event we were attending in the Redwood building and the only option of getting in was on the Saratoga side. There were zero signs saying where to go and none of the front gates were open to get in or out. I had my baby with me and am pregnant and had to walk a mile because there were zero signs about how to get in the event. That is unacceptable hospitality and horrible guest experience. Get it together or you will lose business over simple things like opening gates and putting out signage. read more

We've been here several times for NCVA Volleyball Tournaments. The facilities here are fine and the bathrooms are clean. Here are a few useful tips: - Parking is $15 with NO in/out privileges. They do take cards and cash at the gate. - A team tailgate space is $25. This gives you a spot to tailgate in and entry into the tailgate area for 2 cars. Personally I recommend setting up your tailgate area and EZ-up along the south fence. That gives you shade/protection from the wind and allows you to easily secure your tent on the fence with a bungee cord or rope. - There is a decent coffee bar inside. It also offers fruit cups, soups, pastries and pre-made (decent) salads/sandwiches. Prices are reasonable(ish). - in addition to the coffee bar, there is the "American Grill" concession stand which opens for lunch. This offers all of your typical greasy foods such as pizza and chicken strips w fries. This venue is one of the better ones, but watch out for all of the hidden costs/fees!! read more

Here to see the International Gem and Jewelry show. Parking is $12. Discounted price for the venue $6($8 regular price). I've been here many years ago and there were more gold jewelry. This time there was more beads. Clothing. Etc. read more

No in and out for the 15 dollar parking is just lame...why? This place is raking it in.

We love doing events there! We had a wonderful time working a largecorporate event there for their employees. The sounds and staff were awesome! Thank you Dana for all your help. Everything was smooth and easy. Charles pipedreamevents.com read more

San Mateo County Event Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - San Mateo, California

Attended the - Sing Tao Expo - that was held at this event center I was working one of the booths, so it was interesting to see the set up of the expo to the place being fully occupied and running throughout the day. The parking was plentiful and the center was pretty large in size, there were many food vendors, goods being sold, informational booths, a music and cultural program as well. The bathrooms and exits were easily accessible and for the amount of people in the building it didn't get too hot or too cold. Good venue and very spacious! read more

** Kawasaki Demo Event Review ** Good event but my husband was a bit let down at the fact he wasn't able to get to test drive the ZX-10 though. The plan was for us to get there early but due to having to take the car in for a service we got there a bit late and all their spots were full. Not that I think getting there much earlier would have made a difference as the lady at the event we spoke to said that people were there waiting at 7:30am! The bike did look awesome though and my hubby was glad he was able to see what it looked like in both Black and Green - he was 70% sure he wanted Black but after see them he now wants Green. Typical really, he has to go for the one that has the longest wait on as everybody else wants it too! The staff there were really friendly and helpful too and allowed hubby to have a sit on the bike and start it up - revved it a little to the excitement of others looking. Nice selection of bikes to look at and everybody there was really friendly and in good spirits. Plus free parking (once we managed to find it!). read more

I thought this place was ok. Twice I been here and thought nothing special of it. First time was the San Mateo fair ground. Very small, have to pay for almost everything. Touch the cows, pay! Touch the sheep, pay! Touch the goats, yes! You got it.. you got to pay for a ticket. One stage for performances. Second time was for the hula festival. Parking was $15, but admission was free. One place was to buy all Hawaiian's novelty and the second place was arts and crafts etc. the security should do something about the car entering the parking structure or lot cause we see a lot of cars that would drive on the left side and try to squeeze into the right lane to get into the parking structure. It's irritating the people who been waiting to get into the parking lot read more

If you are thinking of holding an event here, I would think twice. They really need to stop ripping people off on parking. I discourage organizations from having their events here for this reason alone I've been to many events here, and I'll go to the same event annually, bienially, or every few years depending: the home show, the harvest festival, the JBF sale, the San Mateo County fair, Maker Faire, and probably some events here including once a real estate auction. If I had to pay for parking here, I WOULD NOT ATTEND the events. They were charging $10 for parking until recently. now it's $12! I've always been able to find street parking, thank goodness. however, at the most recent event, they closed off the main gates and the only way you could walk in from parking off site was through a really long loop, and this was in the rain. It was miserable. If they continue to be a**holes and not open their main gates to pedestrians, I will no longer be coming to ANY of these events, except for maybe one that I really like, and even if I did, it certainly would not be as often as present read more

Japan Expo - This is an event to celebrate Japanese Culture and Entertainment. Japan Expo blends the very best of Japanese traditional culture with modern Pop sensations. Here you will have a chance to meet manga publishers, anime creators, video games designers. You could participate in their cosplay or maybe spend an afternoon in front of the cultural stage for great traditional arts demonstrations. Or if you want more excitement, come watch a martial arts demonstration and/or one of our j-music concerts! So, I believe this is the first year in the United States for this event and it is off to a great start. Not as big as some of the other events, but kind of a nice size such that there is not a bunch of people pushing and shoving. Here are some of the pictures from the event. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/japan-expo-santa-clara?select=WZ0XRUIQOr8TsfhUUZUINA#WZ0XRUIQOr8TsfhUUZUINA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/japan-expo-santa-clara?select=WZ0XRUIQOr8TsfhUUZUINA#trkUxgRHQY0V6p5D3BF68A http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/japan-expo-santa-clara?select=WZ0XRUIQOr8TsfhUUZUINA#ExjDHDDNSfj65fZSGq2wIg http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/japan-expo-santa-clara?select=WZ0XRUIQOr8TsfhUUZUINA#M_Csc5rNe3Tcq3FvFwpCPA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/japan-expo-santa-clara?select=WZ0XRUIQOr8TsfhUUZUINA#gI0HOFvvFAb-JkrLL3EijQ http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/japan-expo-santa-clara?select=WZ0XRUIQOr8TsfhUUZUINA#itCqXl46S-6X6M3XA0Ebxg http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/japan-expo-santa-clara?select=WZ0XRUIQOr8TsfhUUZUINA#aTOC7BLtq7KVK91fZ5XIpA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/japan-expo-santa-clara?select=WZ0XRUIQOr8TsfhUUZUINA#CtlOU3jQ-ydaFi-zcC60jQ http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/japan-expo-santa-clara?select=WZ0XRUIQOr8TsfhUUZUINA#UoNDF2GRnsiG1jQyFKPQew http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/japan-expo-santa-clara?select=WZ0XRUIQOr8TsfhUUZUINA#yyqOR7m7lx9yuJUq_JDt2Q http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/japan-expo-santa-clara?select=WZ0XRUIQOr8TsfhUUZUINA#GLOeNIW0TzOgqd1cKY2Ysw read more

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Text Message Diary 1 of 4 7ish PM saturday night I'm on my way to the Yahoo Xmas Party again this year..... and I'm running behind. -wer r u? u got the drinks? *on way -we r in 2039. call wen you get hir. we hav ur room key. *k i got booz I finally meet my ticket into the party and take the shuttle bus to the venue. It is just as nice as I remember it to be from last year. Excessive food binging, open bar drinking, beat pounding orgasmic experience for the body and soul..... and Jerry Yang is alright too.... despite not having a hookah section this year yahoo made up for it with twin big screens of the Paquiao fight WOOT! read more

First Yahoo! Christmas party....shit! I am glad that I got an invite from my friend's coworker. They hooked it up with everything....LAS VEGAS Style! free booze all night! free food all night! (buffet style of different assortments like asian, comfort food, fried stuff, italian, etc.) Elvis and Wedding Chapel....hilarious! free games all night! (too bad they didn't have real poker tournaments or whatever....I would've enjoyed playing...especially winning big money!) guest DJ was off-the-hook! I got a lil' bit of dancing in between all the fun and excitement Lounges....great way to relax for a little bit, especially in stilettos! My feet were killing me towards the end of the night. Negative side....it's hard to locate your friends and family in one huge event. However, thank goodness that we had our phones....we were still able to locate each other at the BAR! Overall experience....I am looking forward to another one! Hoping they have hooka the next time. read more

i've come here for many events since moving to the bay area and this is a great central location with the real estate to host a variety of different functions, including the very popular maker faire, which takes place every spring. i've attended the ultimate women's expo twice, and all of the vendors filled up the space nicely, along with some stages to allow presenters to demonstrate their craft and attendees to sit and listen. i've also attended a couple of job fairs here and they had a nice set up where ample walking space was allowed in between rows of perspective employers so that we, the candidates, could walk around and speak to these employers, asking questions, networking, etc. since i'm not a big fan of the $10 event parking fee, cash only, i usually drive a few blocks to the residential area, and park on the street since parking is free there (sometimes it's timed, so you have to check if you choose this option). read more

This review is for for the 2015 Aloha Festival. This makes our 3rd of 4th time attending the Aloha Festival in San Mateo. Although the previous site at The Presidio was nice because it was outside the outside made it difficult to walk on the uneven terrain. It was also lacking in shade, places to sit and toilets. The SM County Event Center is a perfect venue to handle the crowds featuring a huge indoor space for vendors selling clothing, Hawaiian snacks and cookies, comforters and much much more. There is also an outdoor pavilion featuring music and dancers performing Hawaiian and Tahitian dancers. There is also a large area near the outdoor pavilion with food including shaved ice. We arrived around 2pm. Not enough time to enjoy the vendors,dance and musical performances and food. Next year we'll go earlier. Admission was free but the parking cost $10 cash. I'm glad they mentioned this in their'website. I also noticed there were several ATM's a necessity since many of the food places were cash only. The best part was the people watching. I think every Asian and Pacific Islander group was represented as well as the Bay Area collection of folks from all over the globe. I loved seeing this mis of the world plus all the family dynamics. I loved the shared feeling that people were there to enjoy themselves and have FUN! I also think that many people felt the way I did---like we were getting a visit to the Islands without actually having to go there. read more

Ohhhh how I hate this place. I've had the pleasure of taking both the MPRE (a national ethics test for lawyers) and the California Bar Exam here, and I can honestly say it is the worst test center I've ever experienced. The MPRE was the absolute worst experience. They put us in a room that smelled like manure and give us awful, rigid, plastic chairs that cut into my back. I couldn't focus on the test because I was so distracted by how horrible the atmosphere was and how uncomfortable I was. The Cal Bar is better, at least in terms of the testing environment. We have a decent smelling room and padded chairs (nice to know that $600 some in application fees will get you a PADDED CHAIR), but the expo center is still miserable. The bathrooms are gross (and are getting grosser as the test goes on), they charge you $10 per day to park, which is like getting slapped in the face after paying thousands of dollars for a bar prep class and hundreds of dollars just to sit for the actual exam, and the absolute worst part is the INSANE lines to get out of the parking lot. When you're finally released from the exam at 5:30 the last thing you want to do is sit in the parking lot for A SOLID HOUR trying to get out, but that's exactly what I did yesterday. It's worse than any concert I've ever seen. I pray that I don't have to take the bar exam again, but if I do, I guarantee it won't be here. read more

This review applies to the use of this place as an MPRE testing center. As a stop for bead and antique fairs I bet it has a certain charm. As a testing location, the Expo Center gave a morning of aggravation and anxiety that added touch of hauntingly bleak despondence. That the process of administering the CA Bar is designed to sap the will of potential lawyers is not really in doubt. The profession wants barriers to entry, and who can blame them. The MPRE is part of this process (60 multiple choice questions on legal ethics), as such the choice of the Expo Center was an inspired one, adding discomfort and depressing surroundings to the expected dose of stress, impersonality and pettiness. These facilities have seen better days, and appear to have been abandoned since their mid-century construction. Water stains, rust spots, cracked concrete and close cropped laws give the general appearance of a Central Asian army base, handed over to poverty stricken local authorities with the exit of the Red Army. The hanger like interiors are kept either bracingly cold or uncomfortably hot. The test chairs were a nice humiliating touch. Small rickety folding chairs, the white plastic ones used at outdoor weddings: musty, rusted and with seats of cream plastic gone brittle with age. My greatest fear was not testing failure, but that the chair wouldn't support my weight and, with a creaking scream or rotten snap, some part of it would give way, suddenly and shamefully dropping me to the concrete floor, a Dixon Ticonderoga clutched in my right hand. At least the testing period was sepulchral in its silence. read more

My sister-in-law and I came here to attend the San Francisco Flower and Garden show in March. This is my third year attending the Flower Show every year and I really enjoy it! Expo Hall was incredible with the display gardens and awesome shopping booths. I swear, that building seems like it's getting bigger every time I walk through it. The Event Center usually creates a nice wine garden where you can buy a glass of wine to sip and enjoy as you walk around to look at the gardens. We had my 2-month old nephew with us so we didn't splurge on the wine but we saw lots of people sipping and smiling as they walked around. What a nice touch. I was thrilled to see the fabulous Vulcan,the steampunk nautilus that was also here for Maker Faire last year. Fiesta Hall had plants for sale, and we purchased more plants than we have time to care for! I love to visit the Bonsai room and see all of the amazing bonsai trees on display. Some of those trees are older than I am and they are so perfectly trimmed and pruned it's just awesome to see that kind of commitment to this art. The Event Center just opened a new catering company recently - I noticed new uniforms and a new logo at their concessions counters. Creative Touch Catering - last time I remember it was Ovations. The food is freshly cooked to order. For lunch we shared a salad and some pasta from Expo Cafe. The weather was so warm and lovely the Event Center put out picnic tables on the grounds so it was like having a picnic in a lovely park! A plus for us, there are easy to find restrooms everywhere and they are always kept so tidy and clean. Kudos to the crew for making everything so nice! read more

I've only been here for Maker Faire - it's a pretty big facility and seems to be pretty well organized. Parking is close to the buildings but there's plenty of neighborhood parking if you don't mind walking to save the expense. read more

As a planner looking to throw a corporate picnic, this venue does the trick and then some! Lush green grass, trees for shade, LOTS of power to plug into and (properly labeled) restrooms for guests. The grounds offer ample space for any installation you can dream up (reptiles, petting zoos, games, you name it!) Just make sure you secure one of the giant halls with the roll-up doors for your production space - you won't regret it. My client loved it and so did my staff. Easily fit our group (and the 200 extra guests that showed up!) Thanks to SMEC for hosting a fantastic event and special thanks to Dana for her help in the planning process. I look forward to our next event here! read more