San Francisco Meeting Planner's Guide - 2025/2026 MPG
Guide to The Moscone Center
2025-05-14 10:08:28
The Moscone Center is San Francisco’s premier convention venue and a world-class hub for innovation—and is larger, greener, and safer than ever. Explore the incredible amenities available to you, as well as top restaurants, event spaces, and activities in the neighborhood.
THE BIG PICTURE
San Francisco is a diverse and productive home for groundbreaking companies, and The Moscone Center is where all of that innovation can be put on display. The facility has hosted some of the most important conventions and product announcements in recent memory, providing the space for businesses and organizations from the U.S. and beyond to celebrate their achievements. The Moscone Center is designed to be mindful of the environment, responsive to clients, and respectful of a legacy that includes moments of history and transformation.
Anchored in the heart of SoMa/Yerba Buena, The Moscone Center creates an iconic sense of arrival on Howard St. while also connecting with the streetscape and surrounding neighborhood. This location continues to be an asset in itself, just a few minutes' walk from more than 19,000 of the city's 35,000-plus hotel rooms, world-class dining, shopping and cultural venues. Attendees have the option of moving between Moscone North and Moscone South via an enclosed pedestrian bridge that features dazzling light art.
AMENITIES AT-A-GLANCE
• More than 502,000 square feet of contiguous exhibition and meeting space.
• Lobbies in Moscone North, South and West buildings total approximately 201,000 square feet.
• Three column-free ballrooms that range from 42,600 to 56,200 square feet.
• 120 meeting rooms.
• 25,100 square feet of secure outdoor terraces, perfect for open-air events and receptions.
• 17 loading docks with drive-on access to exhibit halls in Moscone North and South.
• Nine loading docks accessible by four freight elevators in Moscone West.
GREEN INITIATIVES
The Moscone Center is innovative in many ways, but one of the most important is its environmental friendliness, having achieved coveted LEED-platinum certification in all three of the center's buildings. Platinum is the highest level the U.S. Green Building Council can give a project, and Moscone North and South have the highest scoring LEED certification for any convention center in the world. Here’s a look at some of their notable eco-friendly features:
• Net-positive on water, featuring an on-site water treatment plant with recovery of 15 million gallons of groundwater annually for reuse in The Moscone Center, as well as for irrigation at neighboring parks and street cleaning.
• Rooftop photovoltaic (solar panels) generating up to 19.4 percent of the building's energy needs.
• Greenhouse gas free electricity.
• Daylight harvesting to offset electrical lighting.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
The facility celebrates San Francisco’s natural environment, with its strikingly light, luminous design and inviting outdoor spaces, including more than 25,000 square feet of secure outdoor terraces with dramatic city views. The welcoming plazas and the pedestrian bridge, which connects the north and south sides of Yerba Buena Gardens, include landscaping and public art. The appreciation for the outdoors even continues indoors, as the significant use of transparent and translucent materials brings ample natural light to interior spaces.
A HOME FOR THE ARTS
Both The Moscone Center and Yerba Buena Gardens house a large collection of public art, including works by Keith Haring, Stephen de Staebler, Viola Frey, Jim Dine, Terry Allen and John Roloff. Meeting attendees should be sure to check out these must-see pieces between events. Leo Villareal created the light installation, “PointCloud,” incorporated into the enclosed pedestrian bridge that connects Moscone North and South. Other artworks include a series of sculptures designed by Sarah Sze, entitled “Double Horizon,” and a sculpture by Christine Corday. Sze’s addition comprises several sculptures that serve as a focal point for the West Bridge. Corday’s “Geneses” is a captivating, monumental sculpture built from stainless steel and concrete that was inspired by the concept of “beginning.” There is also a large-scale mural for the Moscone Paseo by Brendan Monroe. Titled “Roll,” the mural’s imagery draws from the movement of water and air in nature.
Where to Eat, Drink & Have Fun Near Moscone
When attendees are ready for a break, the area around The Moscone Center is packed with great bars, restaurants and places to cut loose.
WHERE TO EAT
• Delarosa (37 Yerba Buena Lane) serves up pizzas and shared plates at communal tables, making it perfect for a group meal.
• A short walk will bring you to EPIC Steak (369 Embarcadero), where the only thing better than the cuts of meat are the dazzling views of the bay.
• The modern California cuisine at Bistro 888 (888 Howard St.) takes advantage of local ingredients to give your group a true taste of the region.
WHERE TO DRINK
• Bibliophiles will love Novela (662 Mission St.) for its creative cocktails and library-inspired décor.
• Spectacular views of the city at the aptly named View Lounge (780 Mission St.) make a beautiful backdrop for sipping craft cocktails.
• For the beer aficionados, there's no better SoMa stop than 21st Amendment (563 Second St.). This restaurant and brewery has earned multiple accolades for its clever creations, ranging from summery fruit beers to the hoppiest IPAs.
WHERE TO HAVE FUN
• The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) features modern and contemporary artwork. Short on time? Visitors can observe a number of pieces on Floors 1 and 2 without a ticket.
• Lucky Strike San Francisco (200 King St.) is a lively restaurant/bowling alley with dancing, drinks and DJs.
• Union Square is home to virtually every fashion label in the world, as well as many dining and entertainment options.
• Yerba Buena Gardens includes the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Children’s Creativity Museum and more.
YERBA BUENA
MOSCONE CENTER
Square Feet: 769,715
Capacity: 5,000 to 45,000
747 HOWARD ST.
(BETWEEN THIRD AND FOURTH STREETS)
SAN FRANCISCO 94103
415-974-4000 | moscone.com
events@moscone.com
BOOKING INQUIRIES:
San Francisco Travel Association
One Post St., Ste. 2700, San Francisco 94104
415-227-2643 | sftravel.com/meetings
jflanagan@sftravel.com | Contact: John Flanagan
GREEN FEATURES:
With their multitude of innovations and environmentally focused features, Moscone North and South have earned the highest LEED certification score, making them among the greenest convention facilities in the world.
LOCATION
The Moscone Center is just four blocks from Union Square and the Powell St. cable car to Nob Hill, Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Muni Metro stations are within two blocks. The nearby Salesforce Transit Center, a terminal for buses that service the city and the Bay Area at large, makes access to the Center even easier.
FAST FACTS
EXHIBITION LEVEL
502,000+ square feet (Halls A-F)
LOWER MEZZANINE
6,744 square feet
LOBBY LEVEL
69,368 square feet
UPPER MEZZANINE
(Moscone South)
57,805 square feet
LEVEL TWO (Moscone South)
69,184 square feet
LEVEL THREE (Moscone South)
64,174 square feet
SERVICES
• Specializing in top-tier food and beverage services, SAVOR ensures guests enjoy outstanding culinary experiences during events. As the exclusive caterer for The Moscone Center, SAVOR focuses on offering innovative, diverse and locally inspired dining options. Their services cater to large-scale events, whether on-site or off-site. Learn more at moscone.com/savor-san-franciso.
• Telecommunications services are available at each booth, including Wi-Fi, high-speed internet, telephone, fiber optic and virtual private networking (VPN). Order online at moscone.com/internet-telecom.
• The facility’s Theatrical Services Department offers lighting, rigging, carpentry, props and full production services to facilitate every staging need. Learn more at moscone.com/services/moscone-theatrical-services-house-head.
• Moscone’s security system is monitored from a central control room, and the facility is equipped with fire safety, state-of-the-art life support and security surveillance systems. Learn more at moscone.com/guidelines/public-safety-and-fire-management-guidelines.
YERBA BUENA
MOSCONE WEST
Square Feet: 367,500
Capacity: 2,000 to 16,000
800 HOWARD ST.
(BETWEEN FOURTH AND FIFTH STREETS)
SAN FRANCISCO 94103
415-974-4000 | moscone.com
events@moscone.com
BOOKING INQUIRIES:
San Francisco Travel Association
One Post St., Ste. 2700, San Francisco 94104
415-227-2643 | sftravel.com/meetings
jflanagan@sftravel.com | Contact: John Flanagan
GREEN FEATURES:
All lobbies are equipped with brightly colored composting and recycling stations, allowing attendees to participate in a highly visible green program while helping to divert materials from landfills.
LOCATION
At the corner of Fourth and Howard streets, Moscone West offers 360,000 square feet of versatile space. The facility can house its own independent event or be utilized to expand events that have grown too successful to be confined only to Moscone North and South. Its south- and east-facing glass exterior allows for maximum natural light, and the building is less than a block from the San Francisco Muni T Line Yerba Buena/Moscone station, granting attendees a quick and convenient public transit option for reaching Union Square hotels.
SPECIAL EVENT FACILITIES
The building design emphasizes flexibility in use, allowing for easy conversion between exhibition and meeting uses, as well as efficient adjustment to room sizes. Three levels offer nearly 100,000 square feet of dedicated function space on each floor and a total of 75,000 square feet of elegant, usable pre-function space distributed between the three levels. In the best Moscone Center tradition, Moscone West offers the advanced technology and building systems to support the most sophisticated and cutting-edge meetings.
SPACE
First-Level Exhibit Space: The first floor lobby is ideal for registration and pre-function uses, leading to the main floor exhibit hall that accommodates up to 500 10x10-foot booths. Elevators and escalators are carefully positioned to move attendees to the additional 200,000 square feet of flexible space above.
Second-Level Swing Space: Finished meeting and banquet space or fully serviced exhibit space — how you use it is up to you. Virtually anything is possible with highly flexible airwalls. In meeting configuration, 19 individual meeting rooms make for small conference settings in theater or classroom style. In exhibit configuration, the space is a fully opened tradeshow floor for more than 500 10x10-foot booths.
Third-Level Swing Space: Mirrors the elastic capabilities of the second level, but with one important difference: a column-free ballroom of nearly 60,000 square feet that can seat more than 6,000 for general session or flexible dining space for anywhere from 600 to 3,000 guests. Supporting this space is a freight system below street level with ample loading docks and a staging area. The two nodes of freight and service elevators allow quick and convenient delivery to both exhibit and pre-function spaces simultaneously.
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