The resurgence of San Francisco29th January 2026 | published by Conference & Meetings World SHARE

San Francisco has faced its share of challenges in recent years, but the city is experiencing a significant renaissance that’s transforming its reputation on the global stage. With a new mayor driving unprecedented improvements in safety and urban vitality, a packed calendar featuring the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup, and a booming convention sector delivering over 700,000 group room nights annually, the city by the bay is firmly back on form. CMW’s Iain Stirling had the chance to catch up with the Anna Marie Presutti, CEO of San Francisco Travel, to discuss the city’s remarkable revitalisation, its position as the AI capital of the world, and why it remains one of the most compelling destinations for meetings and conventions worldwide. Iain Stirling: There’s been a certain perception internationally about San Francisco in recent years – homelessness and urban challenges being highlighted in the media. It would be good to set the record straight about where the city actually is currently. Anna Marie Presutti: Let’s get the record straight, because that’s definitely not the case. You know, I see it all in my job, and I’m often thinking, “That’s not true.” That was a clip from 2021. I often tell people, rather than me being a talking head about my city and telling you how great it is, I’d rather just show you. Why don’t you just come here and see it for yourself? We’ve partnered with United Airlines on a campaign where we can fly over our customers complimentary and show them the city and their direct route in. We’re proud of what we have. You walk it for yourself; you see for yourself what’s going on here. As a result of that campaign, which we’ve extended into this year, we’ve booked more meetings and conventions with people having boots on the ground, seeing and believing and realising, “Wow, I do believe in San Francisco. What I’m seeing in the media is not exactly truthful.” IS: What’s driven this transformation? AMP: We have a new mayor in San Francisco, Mayor Daniel Lurie, who is a born and raised San Franciscan, attached to the Levi family and the Levi brand. He’s very invested in the city, first and foremost as a citizen, and now as mayor. He has really been able to turn things around, and he’s not messing around whilst doing it. During the pandemic, things got a little wonky for us – that’s no secret. But what has happened in literally one year to 18 months is remarkable. San Francisco is better than it was pre-pandemic. We have the best safety record of any US city from a [low] crime perspective I quote our district attorney, Brooke Jenkins, who said there was a time when we had some crime, and it was frivolous crime. But she said crime is illegal once again in San Francisco. If you do something wrong, you will get caught and you will be prosecuted. I think we had a softer approach earlier, but now with her, the mayor, and the new chief of police, they’re all in lockstep with one another, and that has moved mountains for the city. A fleet of historic ships looms in the background as one of San Francisco’s famous cable cars scales Hyde Street. IS: How is the mayor engaging with the business events sector specifically? AMP: We are so fortunate that he meets with every convention customer that’s coming into town for a site inspection. He meets with our customer advisory board when they’re here, sits down and talks to them about whatever issues they might be facing. He’s there for them. We just had a couple of groups come through for final site inspections, and they went to City Hall because they’re running an event there. He was there to meet them and talk to them, asking, “Tell me a little bit about your convention.” He’s very engaging. IS: San Francisco is set to host several significant sporting events this year. Can you walk us through those major events and what makes the city particularly well suited to host them? AMP: In 2025, we hosted the NBA All-Star game and the Laver Cup. This year, we were in Pasadena for the Rose Parade – over 50 million people viewed that parade, and San Francisco showed up so beautifully. Then we have the Super Bowl, the NCAA Men’s Basketball quarter-finals, and then we roll into the FIFA World Cup. San Francisco is incredibly well suited for these events because, first of all, it’s an incredibly walkable city. Once you’re here, you can walk everywhere you need to – the Convention Centre, sporting facilities like Chase Center and Oracle Park where the Warriors and Giants play. That’s all within walking distance or a quick train ride. We just know how to do this. It’s in our DNA. We’ve hosted the Super Bowl before. It’s something the city embraces. The city’s on the rise again, and people want to come here. It’s such an international destination, and the airlift getting into San Francisco is second to none. It doesn’t matter where in the world you’re coming from, you can probably get here via a direct flight – yes, including direct flights to Europe. IS: Looking at your convention calendar, what particular sectors or industries are you seeing significant growth in? AMP: The tech industry, for sure. Stanford – this is the AI capital of the world, and it all starts here. People want to be where this innovative, groundbreaking technology began. San Francisco is the only place where you can take the oldest form of transportation, which is the cable car, and right next to you, sharing the roadway, is the newest form of transportation – a driverless vehicle. There’s nowhere else in the world you’re going to experience that. It shows you can blend the new and the old and the charming, and it becomes a very nice fabric. Union Square IS: What are some of the biggest events you host? AMP: We have Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference, RSA Conference, Databricks, Snowflake, Microsoft Ignite, GDC Festival of Gaming – a lot of technology. But then there are also associations like the AGU Geophysical and psychiatric conventions. We still do a lot of medical conventions here as well. It’s a nice combination of association, technology, corporate, and medical. IS: How do you leverage your strengths in technology and innovation to position yourself competitively in the global meetings sector? AMP: We position ourselves as where it started first. This is where the innovation happens. The airlift getting here is very easy. The ride from the airport to the city is simple, whether you take an Uber or the BART train – it’s a short ride. Then you have some of the most beautiful, world-class hotels within walking distance to the convention centre. It’s a meeting planner’s delight to be able to come to San Francisco. That package is really nice. Then there’s world-class dining. We have more Michelin-starred restaurants in San Francisco than any other city in the country. If you’re a foodie or into arts and culture, it’s a city that appeals to everyone. IS: Tell us about the convention centre itself. AMP: The centre is over a million square feet of contiguous space. It’s three buildings – two are attached, and there’s a third building, Moscone West, that can host a smaller convention. We can actually host multiple conventions at the same time. If you have a programme that might be just a West user, we can also put something in North and South. We have a lot of flexibility. It’s LEED Platinum certified, which is terrific. People talk about sustainability and green initiatives in the convention space – just remember that started in San Francisco. We were the first to enter into that space. We’ve been doing this for 20 years now. It’s not so new for us. That’s refreshing to meeting planners because they know it’s a sure thing. When they come here, we have a plan, and they can tap right into it. They don’t have to create it themselves. IS: What about your hotels? Are there new properties coming in? AMP: Our hotel product here in San Francisco is renovated and new, but we also have iconic hotels that people recall and remember – the Fairmont Hotel, the Westin St Francis, the Palace Hotel. The historic Huntington Hotel will reopen on Nob Hill this spring after a major renovation. People remember these old-world beauties, and they still are. Then you’ve got very sophisticated hotels like the Hotel Nikko and the St Regis, and lots of boutique product. There’s a variety of whatever suits you. Not everybody needs the Convention Centre. Some people just need a hotel with a great ballroom, and we’ve got a plethora of that. That’s a huge part of our business.