LodgEvent lists 7 events in San Francisco, the United States, including SEMICON West 2026, Gamesforum San Francisco 2026 and Micromobility America 2026. Upcoming dates run from 13 October 2026 to 23 September 2027. Browse dates, venues and nearby hotels for each event below.

San Francisco Trade Fairs & Business Events — Visitor Guide

San Francisco hosts fewer trade shows than Las Vegas or Chicago, but the ones held here carry unusual weight. This is where the software industry convenes — the developer conferences, cloud platform summits and enterprise technology events that set the agenda for the year. If your sector is software or venture capital, a San Francisco event reaches decision-makers who are already in the city.

LodgEvent lists 7 events in San Francisco across 4 venues, with Moscone Center hosting 4 of them. The strongest sectors here are Games, Electronics and Transport & Automotive.

The Bay Area concentration is the point. Between the city itself and Silicon Valley to the south sit the headquarters of most major technology companies, the largest venture capital firms in the world, and Stanford. A conference here draws from that pool before a single delegate flies in.

The venue

The Moscone Center is San Francisco's main convention venue, sitting in the SoMa district in the heart of downtown. A major expansion completed in 2019 brought it to around 700,000 sq ft of exhibition space across three connected buildings — Moscone North, South and West.

North and South are underground, connected beneath Howard Street; West is a separate building across Howard, linked by a pedestrian bridge. Check which building your sessions are in — the campus is compact by American standards but the underground layout is genuinely confusing on a first visit.

Its location is the venue's main advantage. Moscone sits within walking distance of hundreds of hotels, the Financial District, Union Square and the tech offices of SoMa itself. Unlike Orlando or Las Vegas, you are in a working city rather than a purpose-built district.

Smaller technology events often use hotel ballrooms, Pier 27, or venues in the South Bay near the companies hosting them. Check your specific address — "San Francisco" on a listing sometimes means San Jose or Santa Clara, an hour south.

Getting there

From San Francisco International (SFO): the BART train runs directly from the airport into downtown, reaching Powell Street or Montgomery — both a short walk from Moscone — in about 30 minutes. This is reliable and immune to the traffic on Highway 101, which can be severe.

From Oakland (OAK): BART also serves Oakland via a connecting shuttle, taking around 45 minutes to downtown. Fares into the city are often cheaper from Oakland, and it is worth checking both.

From San Jose (SJC): considerably further — around an hour by road. Only sensible if your business is in the South Bay rather than the city.

Around the city: Muni buses, the historic streetcars and BART cover the centre. Pay with contactless or a Clipper card. Downtown San Francisco is walkable and compact — from Moscone you can reach most of the Financial District, Union Square and the Embarcadero on foot.

The hills are real. The city's grid ignores its topography entirely, and a route that looks flat on a map may involve a serious climb. If you have a choice of walking routes, check the terrain rather than the distance.

Where to stay

• SoMa, around Moscone: Closest to the venue, with several large convention hotels. Practical for exhibitors.
• Union Square: A 10-minute walk, the widest hotel supply, shops and restaurants around you. The default for most visitors.
• Financial District and Embarcadero: Business-oriented, waterfront, good restaurants, still walkable to Moscone.
• Mission Bay and Dogpatch: South of the venue, newer, quieter, often better value, with a short Muni ride in.

Two frank warnings about San Francisco.

Rates spike hard around major tech conferences. When a large event takes over Moscone, hotel prices across the city can multiply — this is a smaller hotel market than Las Vegas or Orlando, and a 40,000-person conference genuinely fills it. Book as early as you can, and note that minimum-stay requirements are common during these weeks.

The area immediately around Moscone can be rough at street level, particularly in parts of the Tenderloin a few blocks north and along stretches of Market Street. This is a well-documented issue rather than a rumour. It is not a reason for anxiety — daytime foot traffic is heavy and the convention district itself is fine — but choose your walking routes with some care after dark, and use rideshare rather than crossing the city on foot late at night.

Entry

Visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries need an ESTA, applied for online at least 72 hours before travel and valid two years, tied to your passport.

Other nationalities need a B-1 business visa requiring an in-person interview, with appointment waits ranging from days to well over a year depending on the country. Start early and ask the organiser for an invitation letter — major tech conferences draw global attendance and organisers handle this routinely.

SFO is a significant Pacific gateway with good connections to Asia, though Vancouver and Seattle often have shorter transpacific routings.

The weather is not what visitors expect

This catches out almost everyone arriving from elsewhere in California.

San Francisco is cool and windy year-round. The city sits at the mouth of the bay and gets marine air constantly. Summer daytime temperatures often sit in the mid-teens Celsius, and the famous fog rolls in through the afternoon, particularly in June through August — the coldest, greyest months rather than the warmest.

Evenings are cold in every season. A jacket is not optional, even in July.

September and October are the best months — warm, clear, and the reason so many conferences sit there. Winter brings rain rather than cold, and is mild by American standards.

The temperature difference between San Francisco and the South Bay can be 10°C on the same day. If your trip includes meetings in Palo Alto or San Jose, you will be dressing for two climates.

Practical notes

San Francisco is among the most expensive cities in the United States for hotels, food and transport. Budget accordingly — a week here costs meaningfully more than the same week in Chicago or Orlando.

Sales tax is around 8.6%, added at the till.

Tipping is 18–20%, and many restaurants add a separate "SF mandate" or health surcharge to the bill — this is not a tip, and you are still expected to tip on top.

Business culture is the most informal in the United States. Dress is genuinely casual, first names are immediate regardless of seniority, and a jeans-and-trainers founder may be the person deciding on your contract. Coffee meetings are real meetings. Formality can read as a signal that you do not know the industry.

Meetings often extend south. If your trip involves visiting companies rather than only attending the conference, factor in the drive — Palo Alto is 40 minutes without traffic and considerably more with it. Caltrain runs down the peninsula and is often faster than driving at peak times.

Based on what's currently listed, activity here concentrates in March, October and November.

Next up is SEMICON West 2026 on 13 October 2026.