No. 19: San Francisco
Score: 37.3
With 49 sponsors in the area (more than No. 7 Las Vegas and No. 8 Nashville combined), including EA Sports, Levi Strauss & Co., SoFi, Visa and Wells Fargo; three major league teams boasting a tenure of at least 56 years; and the Pac-12; West Coast Conference; Gensler; StubHub; Goodby, Silverstein & Partners; and BDA Sports headquartered here, this SHOULD be a top-10 market.
But the uncertainty of the A’s (“too much drama in the Bay Area,” said one executive), and heavy expenses — San Francisco’s $330 average room rate is the highest in the country; Oakland’s $189 average is higher than half of our top 50 markets — create major barriers.
Additionally, the region wins few bids compared to its competitors.
What they’re saying: “There are definitely security concerns [around crime and homelessness] there right now. Our VIPs are aware of this and ask ‘How are we handling transportation?’ and ‘What’s our exposure?’” — D.B.
