For the first time in over a decade, the NPA conference will be held on the west coast. On odd years, the conference is held at the University of Connecticutt. This year's conference is held in the city which is the port city for the city of Los Angeles.
Long Beach features a revitalized ocean front with the Aquarium of the Pacific, and the new Pike area with restaurants and ocean front stores and activities.
Cal State University Long Beach is the largest of the Cal State colleges with 35,000 students on one large campus. According to a report by USA Today in 2000, Long Beach is the most ethnically diverse large city in the United States and the campus reflects this diversity.
It features the "Pyramid" facility and beautiful Japanese gardens.