Moscone Center

venues

Main Photo: the moscone center, an SMG-managed facility; where to sleep photo: Ken Lund/cc By Sa 2.0; How to get there photo: Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.com

Conventional Wisdom

Moscone Center

The Moscone Center spans 20 acres in the heart of downtown San Francisco, surrounded by a vibrant neighborhood filled with restaurants, theaters, parks, and museums. The Moscone Center's campus consists of adjacent North, South, and West buildings, which together offer 740,000 square feet of exhibit space and flexible configurations that can create up to 106 meeting rooms. An ongoing $500 million expansion slated for completion in December will update the North and South complex to create more than 500,000 square feet of contiguous space. Atop the North and South halls is the award-winning 87-acre Yerba Buena Gardens, featuring a cafe and grand views of San Francisco's skyline.

WHERE TO SLEEP
The contemporary InterContinental San Francisco has 550 rooms and is next door to the Moscone Center. Other nearby choices include the high rise San Francisco Marriott Marquis with 1,500 rooms, the W Hotel with 400 rooms, and a variety of economical, boutique alternatives such as Mosser Hotel and The Pickwick Hotel.

WHAT TO EAT
Concessions are available in Moscone Center, but head to the rooftop gardens for lunch at Samovar Tea Lounge. For an intimate cocktail reception, Dirty Habit has a spacious outdoor patio and features craft cocktails and shareable plates. Meanwhile, Bluestem Brasserie offers signature cocktails and a trendy, urban ambiance.

HOW TO GET THERE
The Moscone Center is located 13 miles north of the San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Taxi service runs roughly $50, and the regional subway system, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), drops off two blocks from the convention center for $9 (www.bart.gov). Shared shuttles are available for $17 (www.sftravel.com), and rideshare services Uber and Lyft run approximately $35 and pick up on the departures/ticketing level of SFO.

Savor San Francisco is the exclusive caterer, and no outside food or beverage is permitted.

Moscone Center provides free wireless service in all lobbies and common areas. Additional service is fee-based. Exhibitors should contact Moscone Telecom one to two months in advance for all internet needs. Exhibitors may not bring their own wireless network equipment into the building.

Exhibitors may hand carry small items through the lobby or use luggage carts, but carts are not allowed on escalators. All other freight must be handled by union workers.

Much of the labor for events falls under various union jurisdictions in Moscone Center. A guide to these jurisdictions is located on the facility's website.

General service contractors, security contractors, and exhibitor-appointed contractors are required to obtain authorization to work in the facility.

Exhibitors need to submit floor plans if they are using open flames, pyrotechnics, gas-powered vehicles, covered or two-story booths, or other items listed in the venue's Fire Management Plan.