On Wednesday 29 March our Chief Executive Ros Morgan welcomed Deputy Mayor of International Affairs for Los Angeles, Erin Bromaghim as the fifth guest in our online webinar series.

LA is known as the entertainment capital of the states and a cultural mecca with more than 100 museums. The city is home to people from more than 140 countries, speaking 224 identified languages.

The interview centred around Los Angeles’s Tourism Action Plan, what the city is doing to combat the homelessness crisis as well as how the city is preparing for major sporting events such as the FIFA 2026 World Cup and the Olympic Games in 2028.

Erin is currently the only Deputy Mayor of International Affairs in the US. Her remit focus’ on three core areas; international relations policy and protocol, international trade and investment and international events. As a city that speaks multiple languages, part of her role is to ensure LA citizens feel part of both the city’s core identity and community.

Our top takeaways are:

1. A successful tourism plan is one that considers smart growth and how it can be used as an economic driver to benefit the local population
2. Investment in legacy programmes will create new opportunities for a city’s inhabitants
3. A 360 approach from streamlining housing production to making use of current spaces is required to combat the homelessness crisis
4. Community building is key to enhancing both a city’s regional and international offering
5. Reassessing the use of current infrastructure can lead to more sustainable public realm decisions

LA is the first city to receive investment in its legacy programmes from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the LA 2028 Organising Committee ahead of the Games. As a result, the city has been able to expand its programmes such as Swim LA into additional sports such as soccer and provide its inhabitants with free access to a variety of sports. The city is also examining how to make the public realm more accessible with open streets and increased connectivity between sporting venues.

One of LA’s top priorities is to alleviate the homelessness crisis. At present, there are approximately 47k rough sleepers and the Mayor of LA has declared the city is facing a state of emergency. Some of the ways in which the Mayor’s Office is addressing the crisis include streamlining housing production, working with outreach providers to create a new supply of transitional housing and making better use of publicly owned land.

To end the interview Erin revealed her definition of a world-class destination: a place that feels familiar and new at the same time and makes anyone feel welcome. 

To watch the webinar in full, click here.

To stay up to date with our future events, please visit our events page here.