In November 2023, when the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Summit lands in San Francisco, everyone will be paying attention to the performance of this Asian gateway city on the national stage. The five-day global gathering, based at the renovated Moscone Center, included President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and then-Mexican President Andres Manuel. Lopez Obrador, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanez and 19 other leaders. Thousands of business leaders attended the related APEC CEO Summit.
The theme was “Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All” and officials discussed trade, investment, facilitation, digital economy, clean energy and climate, health, gender equity and equality, as well as anti-corruption and food security. question.
a powerful meeting
John R. McKinnon, CSEP, DMCP, president of Voila Events and the 2024 Meeting Professional of the Year, will provide event management, production support and venue arrangements for a limited time. “Approximately two months before the event date, I was contacted by the U.S.-China Business Council in Washington, D.C., with a wide-ranging RFP that included a range of services that most event companies would like to secure two years prior to an event date. ,” he recalled.
McKinnon is responsible for managing communications with SOMA Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown, Encore Global, Hensley Event Resources, Ornamento forflorals, three local printing companies, simultaneous interpretation services and additional security services to augment the U.S. Secret Service and Chinese government teams. communication. “Given the timeline and the politics involved, the primary focus is to get the job done successfully and most importantly, get it done safely,” he said.
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Hosting a public-facing event for China’s leader presented challenges unlike anything McKinnon had done before. The closest comparison is the Committee of 100 Annual Meeting and Gala in May 2023. This nonprofit organization of prominent Chinese Americans focused on advancing constructive relations between China and the United States requires some of the same considerations, but on a much smaller scale.
“This is, without a doubt, the most challenging situation I’ve ever been in in my career,” MacKinnon shared. “It’s a delicate balancing act, trying to mediate between very powerful forces within the U.S. Secret Service and China’s Ministry of State Security, both of which have the same end goal, but are very at odds with how to achieve that goal. means of conflict.”
The hotel and voila worked through these intricacies to create an impactful evening. “Positive change seemed possible after President Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier in the day at the Fillory Historic Home and Gardens in San Mateo,” McKinnon said.
“This event taught me that experience is key, as is surrounding yourself with the best and brightest, from key employees to key suppliers. Without their support and expertise, you cannot succeed,” he claim.
Dream Force is returning to San Francisco
In September, Salesforce hosted what it called “an unforgettable three days of innovation, inspiration, learning, and fun” centered in and around Moscone Center. The city drew 45,000 people to its vibrant streets for product launches, speeches by naturalist Jane Goodall and actor and author Matthew McConaughey, and at Oracle Park Pink and Imagine Dragons. More than 100,000 people signed up to watch remotely.
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The company used its user conference to reposition itself as an AI-powered customer relationship management company, launching Agentforce, “a way for humans and agents to work together to drive customer success.”
The company held a landmark conference in the city where it is headquartered in 2003 and announced that Dreamforce will return to San Francisco in 2025 to delight hoteliers across the city. The economic impact to the city is estimated at $93 million.
Forward-looking
At the annual Visitor Impact Summit hosted by the San Francisco Hotel Council, the San Francisco Tourism Bureau announced that 23.22 million visitors are expected to inject $9.24 billion into the city’s economy. In 2023, San Francisco will receive 23.1 million tourists, and tourist spending will reach 8.8 billion US dollars. (Audience spending does not include meeting planner and exhibitor spending).
With bookings falling from 34 events in 2023 to 25 events in 2024, the agency is focusing on 2025, with 29 events planned involving 590,000 hotel room stays.
“We are on the right track with the return of larger rotating events at Moscone Center next year. These will boost our visitor economy and bring more business to our restaurants, cultural institutions and local businesses. ” said Anna Marie Presutti, newly appointed President and CEO of San Francisco Tourism.
She pointed to other highlights on the Pacific horizon, including major sporting events like the NBA All-Star Game in February. “High-profile events such as this put 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 and rolling out updates and new attractions. The iconic Transamerica Pyramid Center in the Financial District (FiDi) recently added a lobby open to the public as part of a $400 million renovation that includes exhibition space, a florist and Sightglass coffee shop. Outside, Transamerica Redwood Park, with more than 50 trees, has been restored and expanded into an urban oasis.
Nearby, the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco will soon move into The Cube on Montgomery Street to host free art exhibitions. A new entertainment district on Front Street in the Financial District, known during the gold rush as the Barbary Coast, allows visitors to enjoy al fresco alcoholic beverages during special events.
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