According to Steve Goodling, president and CEO of the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, the year has a glass-half-full feel to it. In an economy that has devastated much of the city — and practically all of the state and nation — Long Beach fared better than most of its neighboring communities.

Goodling said that, overall, the city’s Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar) perspective was down 16 percent in 2009. When you compare that number to the 23 percent loss in the city of Los Angeles, and similar numbers in Orange County and other surrounding areas, it could very well be looked at as a pretty good year.

“Even though the economy has been difficult,” said Goodling, “we still kept pace with last year’s numbers and goals, and we are very pleased.”

Goodling points to several key events that kept Long Beach afloat this year. Those successes, as well as achievements in other areas in the city, gives him an optimistic outlook for 2010… and should do the same for all of us.

Here’s a look at the best news to come out of Long Beach in 2009.

One of the more high-profile events which received national coverage was the 2009 Women’s Conference in October. Hosted by California First Lady Maria Shriver and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, more than 25,000 were in attendance for the conference, billed as “The Nation’s Premiere Forum for Women”. We look forward to hosting the event in 2010 as well. But according to Goodling, the future of the conference in Long Beach beyond next year will probably be determined by who is elected governor of California, as Schwarzenegger’s second term ends in 2010.

The Technology Entertainment Design Conference (TED) celebrated its 25th Anniversary in Long Beach in February, with more than 1,200 in attendance. The conference featured guests and speakers, such as former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Al Gore, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Academy Award winning actor and comedian Robin Williams.

“The TED Conference was something that gave the city [the opportunity] to appear on a world stage,” said Goodling. “We received a lot of great comments from many of the people in attendance, and we look forward to having it back next year.”

Just off the heels of one of the nation’s largest comic book conventions in San Diego in July, Long Beach hosted one of its own for the first time. For three days in October, more than 5,000 comic book enthusiasts filed through the convention center to meet some of their favorite celebrities, characters and artists at the Long Beach Comic Con.

“What made this convention unique was that it was a little more intimate,” said Goodling. “We were able to give people the opportunity to meet with characters and artists they couldn’t meet in San Diego.”

The Fraternal Order of Police National Conference in August attracted more that 5,000 officers from all over the nation. What made this year’s conference unique was that it featured Cambridge, Massachusetts police Sgt. James Crowley, who received a standing ovation from everyone in attendance.

Crowley, who is white, was the officer who many say caused a nationwide firestorm — and sparked yet another national debate — on race relations. His claim to fame came when he arrested African-American Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. at Gates’ home in July.

Ending the year on a high note, the American Kennel Club celebrates its 125th Anniversary in December at the convention center. The three-day event will utilize 260,000 square feet of space utilized for conformation, 30,000 square feet for Obedience, and a 60,000-squarefoot unique structure for the AKC Agility Invitational.

For more information on the AKC show, see Pets & People on page 72 in this issue. The defeat of Proposition 8, which would have allowed gay marriage in the state of California, as well as the presence of the proposition’s strongest supporter, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, was sort of a rallying call for this year’s Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Festival in May.

“Gavin Newsom’s lending his involvement and support was a big help,” said Carl Highshaw, Administrative Director for Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride. “In spite of the economic downturn, the defeat of Prop 8 was a reason to rally and come together.”

Highshaw said that, by all estimates, this year’s festival was one of the most successful in the state. Attendance was only slightly down — five to 10 percent from last year’s 90,000 — for the two-day weekend. The event raised $1.7 million this year compared to $1.8 million last year. Highshaw said he knew from the beginning that some adjustments were going to have to be made.

“Overall, we are on par with normal years and were able to do more with less,” said Highshaw. “We were able to meet revenue goals, raise money for the community, and not come out in any real pain. Even though people had less disposable income, they still made the effort to come out and enjoy a great weekend.”

This year the Long Beach Grand Prix featured something it hasn’t done in its 35-year history — all the cars that competed here also competed at the Indianapolis Grand Prix in May. The Grand Prix had an attendance of 175,000 throughout the four-day weekend. That’s about the same number as last year, according to President and CEO, Jim Michaelian. However, Michaelian said that he and his staff had to come up with some very aggressive and creative marketing strategies to keep the attendance numbers on par with last year’s.

“We had concerns because the economic cycle reached its low point in March, and our race was in April,” said Michaelian. “This year we were more aggressive in promoting the races, due to the fact that we had to compete for the consumer dollar in Southern California in a bad economy.

“We engaged in a number of pre-race events and went to more Indy-related events, auto shows in Southern California, and we did more on-air promotions.”

Michaelian said that not only did that help, but they also relied on the fact that the Grand Prix is such an established event in Long Beach and is watched all over the world.

“We have one of the best and largest events in the Southern California market,” said Michaelian. “People who come here not only spend money on the race itself, but they spend money in town at our restaurants, hotels, etc.”

The 25th edition of the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon, held in October, was the largest in history. An estimated 23,000 runners competed on the scenic beach course in the marathon, half marathon, 5K, kids one mile run, and the bike tour, making it one of the top races in the state. Last year, the grand total of runners for the entire event was 18,000. This year, that number alone went to participants in the full and half marathons.

When you think of who’s the best in Long Beach high school sports, you will get pretty good arguments from just about every school in the area.

But after the Long Beach Poly girls track and field team captured a state record 10th CIF state championship in June, that was good enough for the school to be named the Best High School Athletic Program in the nation by Sports Illustrated.

The 110-year-old school won the honor from a list of more than 38,000 high schools, based on overall excellence during the past 10 years. The honor also gave a clear meaning to the school’s slogan — “Home of Scholars and Champions.”