Smart Meetings

The people are friendly. The culture is rich in art, music and theater. The food is outstanding. And the surrounding Bay Area offers a blend of communities and nature that is as diverse as San Francisco’s many unique neighborhoods. In fact, the only people who seem to find anything to complain about are those looking for an apartment to rent—naturally, everyone wants to live here.

Geographically restricted by the 7x7-square-mile peninsula it stands on, the downtown is necessarily compact and walkable. Surrounded by the Bay and Pacific Ocean, and with a skyline punctuated by such postcard standards as the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Treasure Island and the rolling hills of Marin County, San Francisco’s hilly terrain provides endless opportunity for taking in its myriad views.

What you will see from these vistas is a greater Bay Area that is almost 10 times the population of San Francisco, harboring distinctly unique regions in every direction—and a diverse range of meeting options. To the east, just across the mammoth Bay Bridge, Oakland and Berkeley claim a number of excellent hotels, restaurants and meeting venues, with rates well below downtown San Francisco. In tech-central Silicon Valley, to the south, Santa Clara and San Jose each boast convention centers surrounded by first-rate hotels and friendly, walkable downtowns. To the north, the Golden Gate Bridge provides a five-minute transition from urban metropolis to the idyllic and relatively rural communities of Marin. And, while the Bay Area may not have the bikini reputation of Los Angeles, it’s not without its beautiful beaches. The small town of Half Moon Bay provides a tranquil coastal escape just minutes from the city, while, a bit farther south, the beach town of Santa Cruz has the surf and sunny beaches to compete with any Southern California destination.

San Francisco, however, is the clear epicenter for both visitors and meetings. Its convention center, Moscone, sits right in the middle of the city’s hip SoMa District and just two blocks from BART (rail transit) and the city hotel core. Among these hotels, you can find everything from full-service convention hotels with 1,000+ rooms to Five-Star luxury to small and quirky boutique properties. Best of all, the city’s eclectic neighborhoods give it a multifaceted identity, a constant, fun-loving energy with a different personality every dozen blocks.

From the Gold Rush to the Roaring ’20s, the Summer of Love to today, San Francisco has always been a city known for its good times. Yet, with a meetings side that is as professional as the nightlife and recreation are fun, groups are virtually guaranteed to have meetings that are as productive as they are memorable.

SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco is a quirky city. It is not tied to simple stereotypes the way many major cities are—Los Angeles for Hollywood, New York for business, Las Vegas for entertainment. If you really want to know the City by the Bay, you have to get to know its neighborhoods.

“There are so many distinctive neighborhoods here; so many places to explore,” explains Leonard Hoops, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Many attendees who come to the city for large conventions may only be familiar with the downtown core. With most of the large hotels clustered near Moscone Center, and with the shopping mecca that is Union Square just a few blocks away, it’s a natural destination for anyone who wants to dine at a stellar restaurant, go on a quick shopping spree and get a feel for the city—all within walking distance. But venture a few minutes farther in any direction and you will find yourself in a neighborhood that is completely different.

“Meeting delegates are surprised by the compactness of the city,” Hoops says. “They expect the restaurants and the iconic images like the Golden Gate Bridge and the cable cars. But then they find that they are in walking distance of everything they need.”
Just a block south of Moscone is ground zero for the SoMa (South of Market) District, famous for multimillion-dollar loft apartments constructed for the nuevo-rich of the dot-com phenomenon. Until the bubble burst at the beginning of the decade, this neighborhood was just about the trendiest in the country—opening weekly were nightclubs, restaurants and other venues for spending cash that seemed to grow on trees. Today the area is still thriving with those same restaurants and hangouts (though with a much broader clientele). The area is also home to the world-class MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art, perfect for a few hours’ break between meetings or an evening reception. If you want to take advantage of SoMa’s hip reputation, consider a reception at the new (and large) Temple nightclub, available for complete buyouts or private room rental.

To the north of downtown, the corner of Bush and Powell presents you with the inviting gates of Chinatown. Established in the 1850s, San Francisco’s Chinatown is the oldest in the U.S., and a walk down any of its bustling side streets—replete with creaky hole-in-the wall noodle restaurants, tea and herb shops, and whole ducks strung up on display—can make you feel as though you’ve stepped through a portal. Adjacent to Chinatown, North Beach is a thriving area known for its Italian restaurants, Beat Generation history and nightlife. If you miss Francis Ford Coppola making his own pizza at Tommaso’s, stop by a cafe frequented by the Beat poets in the ’50s or pop into Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Bookstore (just don’t ask anyone where the beach is).

Or, head west to Japantown—brimming with authentic restaurants, a beautiful center square and, at night, a lively karaoke scene. Japantown is also home to the recently renovated Hotel Kabuki, featuring traditional Japanese baths and two junior ballrooms.

A few block south brings you to Hayes Valley, a small, relaxed neighborhood that has lately become popular for its happy blend of boutique shops, sidewalk cafes and excellent restaurants. Hayes Valley is a great option for getting some local flavor; consider the private dining room of Absinthe for an evening function.

The next neighborhood south, the Castro, is the center of gay life for a city known for its significant gay population and fervent gay rights. The Castro is also home to some fun restaurants, such as Catch and 2223 Restaurant and Bar.
In the southern end of the city, the Mission District is at once a distinctly Hispanic-influenced neighborhood as well as a popular area for young bohemians and artists. While locals crowd into its dozens of authentic taquerias, the Mission also hosts several upscale restaurants and has a thriving bar and club scene. Sheltered from the Pacific Ocean and the Bay, the Mission boasts the best weather in the city.

No part of San Francisco better represents a thin slice of its past than the retro-’60s scene of the famous Haight-Ashbury. As the center of the hippie movement and the Summer of Love, the Haight still retains a handful of colorful psychedelic-inspired clothing stores, dusty alternative bookstores and plenty of young free-thinkers. It also borders the colossal Golden Gate Park—larger than New York’s Central Park and featuring everything from a Japanese garden to the de Young art museum to a small herd of bison.

MEETING VENUES
Ideally located in the SoMa District, and surrounded by restaurants, nightlife and museums, Moscone Center is likely the hippest convention center in the country. In addition to housing more than 800,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space, attendees can step outside the building and be right where they want to be. “San Francisco has a few really great things that other cities don’t—everything is centralized,” says Jodi Morrison, senior director, event marketing technology and operations for Oracle. If anyone knows events in San Francisco, it’s Morrison, who has been in charge of the annual Oracle OpenWorld conference for the last seven years. With more than 43,000 attendees over five days, OpenWorld occupies up to 16,000 hotel rooms and completely takes over Moscone. However, in the last few years, the event has required even more space—the city shut down an adjacent street so that Oracle could erect massive tents for extra room—in addition to the meeting space used at seven neighboring hotels.

“The city really came together to make this happen,” Morrison says. “Chicago has tried to convince us [to move the event], but we really want to stay here.”

The InterContinental San Francisco opened just last month, offering 550 guest rooms and 43,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Directly adjacent to Moscone, the hotel offers excellent views through its floor-to-ceiling windows. Across the street, the San Francisco Marriott provides 1,498 guest rooms and more than 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. A bit closer to the shopping of Union Square, the 1,010-room Parc 55 Hotel contains 21,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, while The Westin St. Francis (westinstfrancis.com), a historic hotel, sits literally on Union Square.

SOUTH BAY
Wrapping around the southern end of the San Francisco Bay, Silicon Valley is the technology and Internet capital of the world. While the list only begins with such companies as Google, Apple, Oracle, IBM, Facebook and Yahoo, the valley is also home to the neighboring cities of San Jose and Santa Clara, both with their own convention centers, hotel core and major attractions. Not only does Silicon Valley offer the San Jose International Airport, for easy access, but the valley weather is significantly sunnier and warmer than the peninsula.

San Jose, a city larger than San Francisco, is home to such hours’-long attractions as the Winchester Mystery House and The Tech Museum of Innovation, as well as the sparkling-new shopping and entertainment district called Santana Row.

For meetings, look to the folks at Team San Jose, a partnership between the San Jose McEnery Convention Center and its two connected hotels, the San Jose Marriott and the San Jose Hilton. The partnership allows any salesperson to book rooms or meeting space at any or all three of the venues.

The city of Santa Clara, just north of San Jose, has its own clutch of attractions, such as the California Santa Clara Paramount Great America, a theme park with thrilling rides as well as several unique meeting venues. The city is also currently engaged in an effort to woo the San Francisco ’49ers football team with offers of a brand-new stadium.

As for meetings, the Santa Clara Convention Center features 262,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and recently broke ground on a new 24,000-square-foot ballroom. Nearby, the Santa Clara Marriott offers 759 guest rooms, while the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara provides 501 guest rooms, completely renovated last year.
When it comes to extracurricular activities, the Intel Museum provides an interesting (and free) history of Silicon Valley’s computer history, while Strike, in nearby Cupertino, offers a foray into the new trend of upscale bowling, perfect for a group outing.

EAST BAY
If you imagine San Francisco as a miniature Manhattan, then the East Bay is its Brooklyn. While the city of Oakland is a thriving city and a major international port, its hotel rates are a few notches below those of San Francisco—an excellent choice for anything but the largest meetings. Jack London Square offers a tight and friendly collection of shopping and restaurants along the waterfront, a natural destination for free time or an evening function. A few blocks away, the Oakland Convention Center provides 64,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, while the adjoining Oakland Marriott City Center offers an additional 25,000 sq. ft. and 483 guest rooms. Book both for your next meeting with a little help from the Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Adjacent to Oakland, Berkeley offers a more-relaxed downtown, with excellent dining and several great meeting options. While it may have a hard time defining itself beyond the reputation and omnipresence of UC Berkeley—the college town still retains a distinctly anti-establishment attitude from its ’60s protest days—it has more to offer than nostalgia. With plenty of brains and creative energy within the city (not to mention money), it’s no surprise that pedestrian-friendly downtown Berkeley is full of great restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores and galleries, intermixed with the occasional head shop (just enough for cultural flair). With so much meeting and event space, the university is an obvious choice for groups; there are also some great hotels in town and along the waterfront.

NORTH BAY
Take a drive north across the Golden Gate Bridge and you may wonder into what country you just emerged. While it makes perfect sense that, surrounding San Francisco, the East Bay and South Bay would be dense with residences, business and commerce, the North Bay is conversely covered in trees and rolling green hills. It’s no surprise, then, that Marin is one of the most coveted places to live in the world—it’s also a great place to bring your group.

If outdoor activities are in order, the North Bay has got you covered. Mount Tamalpais State Park, for example, offers miles of beautiful hiking trails, with panoramic views as a reward for those who make it to the top.

But you don’t necessarily need to bring your hiking boots for the vistas—at the all-new Cavallo Point – The Lodge at the Golden Gate, you simply cannot find better views of San Francisco (outside of Alcatraz, but the rooms there aren’t that great). Located on a former army base, right at water’s edge, Cavallo is slated for completion next month, and will offer 142 guest rooms and 25,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, not to mention exquisite outdoor grounds.

COASTAL
With such an exciting and all-encompassing region—and a bay that ties it all together—it’s easy to forget that San Francisco is on the Pacific Ocean. Much of coastal Bay Area is protected and fairly pristine, and in minutes you can be out of the city and burying your feet in the sand. And, several small destinations along the coast make it possible to bring your next meeting to the beach as well.

In Half Moon Bay, a quaint seaside town less than an hour from the city, you can find a number of top-tier hotels and B&Bs, in an intimate, local setting. At the new Oceano Hotel & Spa, groups can relax in the 95 luxurious guest rooms while enjoying views of the harbor. In addition to 8,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, the hotel is connected to Harbor Village, packed with an assortment of boutique shops.

Drive a bit further down iconic Highway 1—you will think you arrived in Southern California when you hit the sunny surf town of Santa Cruz. Graced with palm trees, beautiful beaches and a fun and quirky downtown, Santa Cruz is a paradise of laid-back attitude and artistic diversity. Both Seascape Resort and Chaminade are nearby top-of-the-line resorts that specialize  in upscale meetings and conferences.

If you really want your group to focus on the task at hand, head to Costanoa, an upscale lodge and meeting center tucked into a remote, natural environment, right between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. You’ll find all the amenities and services you need, but without the distraction of, well, just about anything. Back to Top

Getting There

The Bay Area hosts three major airports: San Francisco International Airport, Oakland International Airport and San Jose International Airport. Back to Top

Not To Be Missed

• The Golden Gate Bridge—if not to drive or walk over it, at least to see it.
• A visit to the Museum of Modern Art or the de Young art museum.
• A ride on a cable car.
• Exploring as many of San Francisco’s  neighborhoods as possible.
• Splurging at a highly recommended San  Francisco restaurant.
• In Marin County, a photograph of San Francisco across the Bay.
• In San Jose, the Tech Museum of Innovation.
• In Berkeley, a walk down Telegraph Avenue.
• Group indoor skydiving (iflysfbay.com).

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