Lucrative meeting business spawns wealth of new sites - San Francisco Business Times:

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Try launching your next product on a planetariujm screen followed by a cocktail party with African penguins splashing around in the backgrounrd at thenew . The museum is schedulerd to re-open Sept. 27 in Golden Gate Or imagine a brainstorming session in the historiv grandeur ofthe , which used to be the Federaol Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Or have an environmentallu conscious theme to your conference by going for a meeting package at the onthe Embarcadero.
San Francisco is becominb a hub of unique venues for companies to break outof cubicle-packedf offices for annual meetings and People are getting more creative with their meetingh spaces and companies are looking for interesting venues to hold said Angela Jackson, director of public relations for the . An off-sitr meeting "encourages employees to talk to each she said. "It gets them out of board rooms or convention centers and breaks down the paradigmsand it's also good for team-building." Jackson said if a company is trying to attrac t new clients, it's always good to give them an exciting and memorablee experience at an interesting location.
Gone are the days when companiesw were cutting budgetsfor off-site meetings and events and settlinfg for video-conferencing instead, Jackson said. "People realize it'z important to meet face-to-face," she said. In the economic impact on the city from eventse atthe , the largest convention, trade and meeting facilityu in San Francisco, rose nearly 8 according to figures from the convention and visitors Moscone Center visitors usingf accommodations, retail, restaurants and transportation spenty $790 million in 2007, up from $733 milliom in 2006.
Some companies may be holdingg off-site meetings because more of theifr employees aretelecommuting now, said Anne Rianda, conventiobn and events sales manager at the California Academyy of Sciences. Since they are not meeting as often inthe office, she said, it gives them more of a reason to choose a nice location when they do get Some companies hold meetings at places like the academyt so they can tack on extra treatz for their employees or clients. After the they can go for a tour of the academy and learnn about thenatural sciences, Rianda said. And if a companyh is hosting a party, there' s no need to decorate in the "We have the most interesting backdrops," Rianda said.
"We have the penguins already wearingv tuxedos." Some other possibilities at the academy include holding a dinnetr or cocktail party in the Aquarium room where sea clownfish and a giant octopus woulcd be amongthe guests, hosting an eventr in the Swamp room in the company of alligatorsz and turtles or holding a meeting in the planetarium under the giant screen used to show the The academy has two renowned chefs available for on-sits catering: Charles Phan of Slanted Door and Lorett Keller of CoCo500. It is already booked solif for this year and has events plannedthrougyh 2009.
Another venue where meeting attendeesz can mix business with pleasure isCellar 360, a wine shop and tastinh room at Ghirardelli Square. At Cellat 360, companies can offefr their conference attendees winetasting sessions, chef lunch or dinner as well as good view of the San Franciscko Bay.