Well Oiled

My recommendation would be to get the hell outta LA ASAP after your seminar.

We did a West coast tour 10 years ago when we lived in the states. We visited LA but I found it to be awful. Congested, dirty and at times scary if you stray into the wrong area. Maybe worth visiting Hollywood just as a "must do thing"

I would hire a car, book into budget hotels and make a loop, suggestion:

Head up to San Francisco along the coast road, maybe stopping a night along the way. It's a much cooler place to be. Worth a 3 day stay to see Fisherman's wharf, China town, ride the trolley bus, drive over the Golden Gate etc. From SF you can drive to Yosemite which is stunning. Then you can go across into death valley and on to Las Vegas. If you don't gamble LV is dead cheap as everything's subsidised to get the gamblers in. Worth visiting just to see the ridiculous theme hotels!! From there you can drive accross the Mohave desert back to LA.

For car rentals and hotels I would just search the usual budget hotels and car rental firms via the internet.

Cheers Keith