San Francisco:A Proven Global Stage for Citywide Events
Scale. Capacity. Global relevance.
For organizations weighing where to meet, San Francisco offers a high-visibility platform. The city consistently hosts complex, big-name programs across technology, life sciences and medical, and sports that capture international attention and measurable ROI, supported by a compact convention district, proven logistics, and coordinated partners.
San Francisco Travel looks forward to continuing momentum, with a pipeline that includes football’s biggest Sunday, FIFA World Cup 26™ SF Bay Area matches, and a robust calendar of marquee business events. Here's the proof of San Francisco’s capacity and performance.
How San Francisco Is Built for Big Events
The Moscone Center
San Francisco’s largest and greenest convention venue is in the heart of the city. This LEED Platinum-certified facility has the lowest carbon emissions per delegate of any major convention center in North America. As a world-class hub for innovation with more than 1 million total square feet of space, The Moscone Center has a legacy of drawing record-breaking attendance and hosting historic moments of transformation.
Hotel Inventory
More than 19,000 of the city’s 35,000 hotel rooms are within a few minutes’ walk from The Moscone Center, creating an event-ready downtown core. Of the more than 250 hotels across the city, 60 properties offer meeting space. Nine have more than 500 guest rooms, and four have more than 1,000.
The Tech Conference Ecosystem
San Francisco’s Moscone Center has been the site of world-changing milestones, including Google’s unveiling of the Android operating system, Apple’s introduction of the iPhone, and Microsoft’s announcement of the Surface Pro.
Among the recent, returning, and upcoming tech events at The Moscone Center:
- Game Developers Conference (now GDC Festival of Gaming)
- RSAC Conference
- Databricks’ Data + AI Summit
- Snowflake Summit
- Microsoft Ignite
- Visa Payments Forum (VPF)
- SEMICON West
Together, these industry meetings reinforce San Francisco’s role as a long-term anchor destination for global tech conferences, with repeat commitments, international attendance, and the infrastructure required to support tens of thousands of participants annually.
Case Study: Dreamforce
Few events illustrate San Francisco’s scale like Dreamforce, one of the world’s largest and most influential tech conferences. With tens of thousands of attendees annually, the conference, led by tech giant Salesforce, continues to affirm the destination’s capacity for major citywide programs, activating The Moscone Center campus, the Chase Center, and neighborhood venues with keynotes, sessions, and musical performances featuring high-profile names.
Since 2005, the annual Dreamforce conference has become a staple of The Moscone Center’s calendar, with attendees from all over the world coming to San Francisco. Dreamforce, marking its 24th iteration in 2026, will continue to be held in San Francisco through at least 2027.
Life Sciences, Medical, and Healthcare Events
San Francisco’s medical and life science portfolio demonstrates the ability to execute content-rich programs. The J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference draws thousands of investors, executives, and innovators each year, producing significant hotel compression and extensive ancillary meetings across the city’s premier properties.
The recent medical conference and meetings calendar validates sustained demand for large-scale scientific programming:
- American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2025 International Conference
- World Transplant Congress 2025
- ENDO 2025
- 2025 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting
- Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics® (TCT®) 2025 Conference
- American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 2026
- SPIE Photonics West 2026
- Biophysical Society's 70th Annual Meeting
- ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium 2026
- American College of Physicians (ACP) Internal Medicine Meeting 2026
- American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2026 Annual Meeting
- Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) 52nd Annual Convention
Many of these events draw several thousand attendees annually. Their compliance regulations, multi-track scientific programming, specialized exhibit requirements, and international delegations illustrate San Francisco’s readiness for highly complex professional medical congresses.
Sporting Events on the Global Stage
San Francisco’s recent and upcoming sports events slate showcases multi-venue coordination and citywide attendee experiences across the core convention and hotel districts.
“From music festivals and global sports to conventions at Moscone Center, San Francisco is in demand.”
- Anna Marie Presutti, President and CEO of San Francisco Travel
2025 Marquee Moments
- NBA All-Star Game (more than 142,000 global fans in attendance)
- NCAA Men’s Basketball West Regionals
- Laver Cup (most attended in the tennis event’s history, with 81,500 international fans)
Upcoming Sports Spectacles
- Weeklong festivities surrounding football’s biggest game in 2026, activating The Moscone Center, major cultural venues, citywide hotel core, and Levi’s Stadium
- FIFA World Cup 26™ SF Bay Area (expected to bring 500,000 visitors to the region)
- Pokémon World Championships 2026
- 2028 PGA Championship
- 2033 Ryder Cup
These events paint a holistic picture of San Francisco’s position as one of the world’s premier destinations for sports, business, and leisure travel.
What San Francisco Offers You
Scale and Reliability
San Francisco consistently hosts successful events that bring tens to hundreds of thousands of attendees within compressed timeframes.
Walkability and Convenience
With hotels, restaurants, and cultural attractions clustered around The Moscone Center, attendees benefit from an efficient, elevated urban event ecosystem.
Global Access and Appeal
From the NBA to Salesforce, organizations that choose San Francisco as the host destination for events attract large international audiences and gain worldwide exposure.
San Francisco Is Ready for Your Biggest Event Yet
Whether you need to host a global product launch, medical congress, or the next era-defining live event, San Francisco delivers the infrastructure, inspiration, and partnership to support your vision.
Contact the SF Travel team to explore customized planning support or submit an RFP today to get started.
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