ustainability, Local Sourcing and Creativity Take Centerstage at Bay
Area’s Biggest Conventions
Thousands of guests attended Dreamforce 2023 at The Moscone Center in
September 2023. Photo courtesy of ASM Global.
SAN FRANCISCO – Oct. 16, 2023) — ASM Global [1], the world’s
leading venue-management company and producer of live-event experiences,
has announced that The Moscone Center [2], San Francisco’s premier
convention venue generated more than $20 million in food and beverage
revenue in 30 days, breaking the record for the most successful month
for food and beverage in its history.
2023 is also predicted to be The Moscone Center’s best year for food
and beverage revenue since the pandemic forced closures worldwide,
totaling more than $51 million.
The driving force behind the achievement, The Moscone Center hosted the
technology industry’s most anticipated “mega conferences”
back-to-back in September, including the 40,000-guest Dreamforce, billed
as the “world’s largest AI event,” which brought in more than $90
million in economic impact for the city of San Francisco, and capped off
the month with the heavily attended Workday Rising 2023 event. Other
notable events hosted by The Moscone Center in 2023 included Google
Cloud Next, TechCrunch Disrupt, RSA Conference, Config and Game
Developers Conference, among others.
“The Moscone Center continues to draw record-breaking attendance
numbers for both IT and association conferences,” said Ken Bukowski,
director of convention facilities for the City and County of San
Francisco. “This most recent success in part demonstrates the positive
impact from our new clean, safe and welcoming initiatives that make San
Francisco the best place to hold a conference.”
Not only did the mega conferences produce top revenues for the venue but
they also had a significant impact on the local economy, from local
sourcing of food and beverages to an increase in employment
opportunities.
Of the more than 2,000 jobs needed to successfully run these events,
priority was placed on hiring extra staff members for the culinary team
to help develop unique and sustainable food options and manage execution
and presentation of the meals. SAVOR, the culinary division of ASM
Global, added more than 120 staff members, including over 30 chefs, to
its team to be able to produce and serve the 100,000+ meals needed over
the course of the month.
Workday Rising 2023 alone required food and staff for more than 13,500
guests and 20,000 lunches each day, served in creative, food truck-style
façades. Similarly, Dreamforce required box lunches, daily buffets and
dinner receptions for more than 12,000 guests as well as food and
beverage services for an impromptu concert by pop star Demi Lovato.
Committed to the communities in which it serves, SAVOR also tapped into
several locally owned food and beverage businesses to be partners for
the conventions. The company estimates that the company spent 10% of its
total event costs toward purchases from locally owned and minority-owned
businesses, including fresh produce, unique desserts, fun cotton candy
stands and various others.
The culinary team at SAVOR also developed menus focusing on
sustainability, offering only climate-friendly options, including
plant-based; fish and poultry dishes; and completely avoiding any items
containing shellfish, pork, beef, and almonds, estimated to have
conserved millions of gallons of water. Sustainable menu selections also
joined other environment-focused efforts to reduce carbon footprint at
the LEED-Certified Moscone Center, like compostable packaging, waste
diversion, recycling, donation programs, and use of water stations.
“From vegan options, passed hors d’oeuvres, food truck menus and
grazing tables, the team at The Moscone Center honed their creativity
and developed some dishes that are unmatched in terms of sustainability,
uniqueness and quantity,” said Shaun Beard, SAVOR’s senior vice
president of food and beverage. “We are confident that the
presentation, food choices, and overall team effort were not only
appreciated by the clients but by the thousands of guests in attendance
over the course of these events. A major part of the success of these
events is truly owed to the culinary team.”
“This is an exciting time for The Moscone Center and the city of San
Francisco, as we are constantly looking to revolutionize our offerings
and take our events to the next level,” said Leonie Patrick, general
manager of The Moscone Center. “With the addition of our executive
chef, Roxanne Galang, adding delicious local flavor to her menus, we are
confident that together the teams at The Moscone Center, SAVOR, ASM
Global and the city of San Francisco have found the formula for success;
and we can continue to positively impact this region for years to
come.”
The Moscone Center featured a full calendar in 2023, hosting more than
38 total events and welcoming more than 500,000 guests. The Moscone
Center hopes to continue the momentum into the next year, starting off
2024 with 23 booked events.
For more information, visit moscone.com [2].
# # #
About The Moscone Center
Located in San Francisco’s sophisticated and vibrant city center, The
Moscone Center is the ideal meeting facility. Surrounded by the 87-acre
Yerba Buena Gardens district, the venue offers more than 502,000 square
feet of space and a unique urban setting for meetings and trade shows of
all sizes. The Moscone Center also features a design that has achieved
the highest LEED Platinum certification, making it one of the most
sustainable convention centers in the nation. The center sits proudly
among hotels, theaters, restaurants, museums, galleries, parks and urban
recreation centers and is convenient to all modes of public
transportation. For more information, visit moscone.co [2]m [2].
About SAVOR
SAVOR is the culinary division of ASM Global, the world’s leading
producer of entertainment experiences, which spans five continents and
more than 350 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums,
convention and exhibit centers, and performing arts venues. The team at
SAVOR provides top-notch experiences at every event, from the food
preparation to the beverage offerings, whether for intimate VIP
experiences or banquets with over 20,000 guests. Besides great,
authentic chef-driven food, the core elements of SAVOR’s food vision
include partnerships with local growers, producers and community
members; a commitment to using antibiotic-free meats and poultry; and
dedication to minimizing impact on the environment through robust
sustainability, recycling and composting programs. For more information,
visit savorasmglobal.com [3].
About ASM Global
ASM Global is the world’s leading producer of entertainment
experiences. It is the global leader in venue and event strategy and
management—delivering locally tailored solutions and cutting-edge
technologies to achieve maximum results for venue owners. The
company’s elite venue network spans five continents, with a portfolio
of more than 350 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums,
convention and exhibition centers, and performing arts venues. Follow us
on Facebook [4], Instagram [5], LinkedIn [6] and Twitter [7]. Visit
asmglobal.com [8].
