IndyCar: Long Beach CVB President Steve Goodling Named Grand Marshal of GP

Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau President & CEO Steve Goodling has been named Grand Marshal of the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10.

Goodling has led the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau (LBCVB) toward a path of innovation and modernization for nearly two decades. His background in hospitality stems from joining Marriott International when the company only had 100 hotels worldwide, then progressed to Shangri-La Hotels, a Hong Kong-based company operating luxury resorts and hotels throughout the world.

Meetings and Conventions and Successful Meetings magazines have awarded the LBCVB as “Best in the West” for the last five years. The LBCVB won the Gold award three out of four years for the Best CVB in the region with only one winner per category, beating out competitors such as Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego, San Francisco, and Anaheim.

Goodling has been recognized as one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry” by Successful Meetings, which touted Long Beach and Steve as a “Trailblazer.” In addition, BizBash magazine, a leading publication focused on large-scale special events, inducted Steve into its prestigious Hall of Fame.

“I am honored and excited to start the cars for Sunday’s big event, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race,” said Goodling. “The Grand Prix has been a premier event and key economic driver for Long Beach for 46 years, and it’s great to invite race fans back to celebrate without COVID-19 protocols.”

“We are extremely honored to have Steve as our Grand Marshal for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on Sunday,” said Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President & CEO Jim Michaelian. “He has been highly instrumental in the rebirth of the convention business in Long Beach, especially as we’ve emerged from the pandemic. Steve has contributed mightily to the economic growth of the City over the years.”

Steve has been highly engaged in the community and has served on various boards such as Musica Angelica, International City Theater, CCEJ (the CA Center for Equality and Justice) and the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership at California State University Long Beach.

Fans can select and pay for their Grand Prix seats, parking and paddock passes online at gplb.com or by calling the toll-free ticket hotline, (888) 827-7333.  Sunday ticket prices start at $79 for a General Admission ticket to $250 for a three-day ticket that includes Sat./Sun. reserved seating in grandstand upper levels.  Pre-paid parking packages are also available, along with handicapped seating, NTT INDYCAR SERIES Paddock passes, Super Photo tickets and a wide variety of hospitality packages.

Fans can also follow the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Facebook (GrandPrixLB), Twitter @GPLongBeach (#AGPLB), Instagram @GPLongBeach and YouTube (GPLongBeach).