When Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit landed in San Francisco in November of 2023, everyone was watching how the Asian gateway city would perform on the national stage. The five-day global gathering headquartered at the renovated Moscone Center brought President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, then-Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and 19 other leaders along with thousands of business leaders attending the associated APEC CEO Summit.
The theme was “Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All” with officials addressing trade, investment, facilitation, the digital economy, clean energy and climate, health, gender equity and equality, along with anti-corruption and food security.
A Powerful Meeting
John R. McKinnon, CSEP, DMCP, president of Voila Events and 2024 Meeting Professional of the Year, was there to provide event management, production support and venue arrangements—with limited notice. “I was contacted by the US-China Business Council out of Washington D.C. approximately two months prior to the event date, and given a wide-reaching RFP that included a scope of services that most event companies would hope to receive two years before the event date,” he recalled.
McKinnon managed communications with Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA, Encore Global, Hensley Event Resources, Ornamento for florals, three local printing companies, simultaneous interpretation services, additional security services to augment the U.S. Secret Service and the Chinese government team. “Given the timeline and the politics involved, the primary focus was on being getting the job done successfully and most importantly, safely,” he said.
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Producing a public-facing event for the leader of China presented challenges unlike anything McKinnon had ever done before. The closest comparison was the Committee of 100’s Annual Conference & Gala in May of 2023. The nonprofit organization comprised of prominent Chinese Americans focused on advancing constructive relations between the U.S. and China and required some of the same considerations, but on a much smaller scale.
“This is without a doubt the most challenging situation I’ve ever faced in my career,” McKinnon shared. “It was a delicate balancing act of trying to mediate between what were very powerful forces within the U.S. Secret Service and China’s Ministry of State Security Services, who both had the same end goal, but very conflicting means as to how it would be achieved.”
The hotel and Voila navigated those intricacies to produce an impactful evening. “After President Biden’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier that day at the Filoli Historic House & Garden in San Mateo, it seemed that positive change was a possibility,” said McKinnon.
“This event reinforced to me that experience is key as is surrounding yourself with the best and the brightest, from your key staff to your primary vendors. Without their support and expertise, you can’t succeed,” he declared.
Dreamforce Will Return to San Francisco
In September, Salesforce produced what it called “three unforgettable days of innovation, inspiration, learning and fun” with the core of the activity in and around Moscone Center. The citywide drew 45,000 people to the animated streets to see product launches, listen to naturalist Jane Goodall and actor/author Matthew McConaughey and see Pink and Imagine Dragons at Oracle Park. More than 100,000 registered to follow along remotely.
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The company repositioned itself at the user conference as an AI customer relationship management company by introducing Agentforce, “a way for humans with agents to drive customer success together.”
The company, which launched the landmark conference in the city where it is headquartered in 2003, also announced Dreamforce would be returning to San Francisco in 2025 to the joy of hoteliers all over the city. The economic impact was estimated at $93 million for the city.
Forward-looking
At its annual Visitor Impact Summit hosted by the Hotel Council of San Francisco, San Francisco Travel announced that a projected 23.22 million visitors are expected to inject $9.24 billion into the city’s economy. In 2023, San Francisco received 23.1 million visitors, and visitor spending reached $8.8 billion. (Visitor spending does not include meeting planner and exhibitor spending).
Because bookings are down from 34 in 2023 to 25 in 2024, the agency is focused on 2025, when 29 events are planned, encompassing 590,000 hotel room nights.
“We are on the right track next year with the return of larger rotational events at Moscone Center. These will boost our visitor economy and drive more business to our restaurants, cultural institutions and local businesses,” said newly appointed San Francisco Travel President and CEO Anna Marie Presutti.
She pointed to other bright spots on the Pacific horizon, including the major sports events such as the NBA All-Star Game in February. “High-profile events such as these place the city on the global stage and will attract sports fans from around the world,” she said.
The city has been preparing for the return of international visitors with updates and new attractions. The iconic Transamerica Pyramid Center in the Financial District (FiDi) recently added a publicly accessible lobby as part of a $400 million renovation that will include an exhibition space, florist shop and Sightglass Coffee. Outside, Transamerica Redwood Park, home to more than 50 trees has been restored and expanded as an urban oasis.
Nearby, the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco is moving into The Cube on Montgomery Street with free art exhibits. And a new entertainment zone on Front Street in a part of the Financial District known as the Barbary Coast during the Gold Rush, will allow visitors to enjoy outdoor alcoholic beverages during special events.
