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San Francisco gets golden in the Golden State
BY LORI TENNY
The Super City
here couldn’t have been a better testament to a destination’s ability
to successfully pull off a massive citywide, complete with countless
events in every corner of town, than the “little” football extravaganza that took place in San Francisco for nearly a week in early
February 2016.
Yes, Super Bowl 50—the golden anniversary—was played
between the Broncos and the Panthers 45 miles south of town at
2-year-old Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, but the fanfare leading
up to and surrounding the big event was at its finest in the “City
by the Bay.” Best of all, it gave meeting planners an idea of just
how awesome S.F. can be for group events of all sizes, all interests and all pocketbooks.
“What’s crazy is they believe more than 1 million people came to the
Super Bowl and just over 70,000 went to the actual game,” says John
Reyes, executive vice president and chief sales officer, convention sales
and services division, at the San Francisco Travel Association.
In a place famous for grand and distinctive welcomes, the diversity of events, venues and attendees spanned the spectrum and showcased the best of ever-evolving San Francisco: a magnetic cultural
energy that’s hard for anyone to resist.
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Bay Bridge lighting and fireworks for Super Bowl 50
