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San Francisco loses 2 big conferences

sfgate.com

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Re: San Francisco loses 2 big conferences

#41

Post by mjg59 »

MisterSandman wrote: post #26
benatkin wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More expensive and a pain to go to the conference. I guess that's a big part of why they're attempting to extend CalTrain to Salesforce Transit Center at a ridiculous per-mile cost.

To clarify, this is speculation, neither the articles nor the companies have said anything of this sort. RedHat have moved their conferences to Florida, so I highly doubt cost is a big reason. Florida itself is much cheaper, but a decent chunk of RedHat employees live in Cali, so flying them across the continent is not that much cheaper. EDIT: I was wrong, RedHat is mostly east coast, I'm sorry.

Red Hat are headquartered in North Carolina, with the engineering HQ in Massachusetts. There's way more workers on the east coast than the west.

Re: San Francisco loses 2 big conferences

#42

Post by gotaran »

DebtDeflation wrote: post #30

I've been to tech conferences in San Francisco (Moscone specifically), Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, and Boston. While I'm not ordinarily a fan of Las Vegas, it is hands down the absolute best place for conferences, logistically. It's a 10 minute Uber to get from the airport to the strip. Tons of hotels on the strip. If the conference is at one strip hotel and you are staying at pretty much any other strip hotel, you can…

Though some of the more informative conferences (pre COVID) that I attended were smaller lower key ones held in Facebook/Google HQ. Most attendees were local anyway. I also enjoy hangouts like B-Sides in smaller venues.

Re: San Francisco loses 2 big conferences

#43

Post by sokoloff »

DebtDeflation wrote: post #30

I've been to tech conferences in San Francisco (Moscone specifically), Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, and Boston. While I'm not ordinarily a fan of Las Vegas, it is hands down the absolute best place for conferences, logistically. It's a 10 minute Uber to get from the airport to the strip. Tons of hotels on the strip. If the conference is at one strip hotel and you are staying at pretty much any other strip hotel, you can…

> you can complete the entire walk underground

What? I’ve been to Vegas dozens of times (conferences and pleasure) and I’ve never seen nor heard of this. What specific casino pairs have underground walks between them (intended for public use, not stormwater or utility tunnels)?

Re: San Francisco loses 2 big conferences

#44

Post by 8f2ab37a-ed6c »

DebtDeflation wrote: post #30

I've been to tech conferences in San Francisco (Moscone specifically), Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, and Boston. While I'm not ordinarily a fan of Las Vegas, it is hands down the absolute best place for conferences, logistically. It's a 10 minute Uber to get from the airport to the strip. Tons of hotels on the strip. If the conference is at one strip hotel and you are staying at pretty much any other strip hotel, you can…

Fully agreed. We threw company offsites in a bunch of different locations around the US and Vegas was by far most affordable and convenient of them all once you got to a certain size.

Re: San Francisco loses 2 big conferences

#45

Post by CydeWeys »

User23 wrote: post #28
stubybubs wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

West Coast city stuff then. It's everywhere. I'm convinced there isn't any kind of immediate solution to these problems. Not that we should give up on mental health and addictions treatment. I just think the solution is way broader. Reduce income inequality, improve schools, keep up the drug treatment so the children of people with drug problems stand a chance, better research about when opiate prescriptions are appr…

This approach sounds a lot like treating a heart attack with diet and exercise. Sure diet and exercise are great, but they’re not what’s indicated while you’re keeling over. First fix the acute problem and then look work on reducing recurrence afterwards. And of course there is an immediate solution: remove the people violating the social contract from society at large. It’s up to the people of San Francisco to eithe…

San Francisco also needs to make housing a lot cheaper by building way more of it, including marginal options like SROs. So much of the disorder you see on streets of wouldn't be happening in public if housing wasn't insanely expensive to the point of people needing a good steady job lest they become homeless.

Re: San Francisco loses 2 big conferences

#47

Post by benatkin »

AlbertCory wrote: post #34
MisterSandman wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To clarify, this is speculation, neither the articles nor the companies have said anything of this sort. RedHat have moved their conferences to Florida, so I highly doubt cost is a big reason. Florida itself is much cheaper, but a decent chunk of RedHat employees live in Cali, so flying them across the continent is not that much cheaper. EDIT: I was wrong, RedHat is mostly east coast, I'm sorry.

Denial. No one's going to be honest about not having events there.

Not denial from me, I was thinking of how the city might be trying to make it so people can get there more comfortably, which includes less chance of experiencing some of SF's problems. I don't think it's a very good plan because it's expensive and far into the future, but I think it's a part of the misguided approach the city is taking.

Re: San Francisco loses 2 big conferences

#48

Post by heartjudytenuta »

rib3ye wrote: post #21
netfl0 wrote: post #6

I was only assaulted once at my last conference there (2023).

As an SF resident, 20 years, I was only stolen from twice, and one of those times was at a restaurant next to Moscone during a convention. The data is not encouraging

In 15 years, I only had a crackhead try to forcibly open my passenger door at a stoplight one time, so clearly this is an overreaction. Maybe he just needed a ride.

Re: San Francisco loses 2 big conferences

#49

Post by fedbtfbh »

MisterSandman wrote: post #25
CoastalCoder wrote: post #5

Anyone know the reasons for the cancellations? I didn't see that in the article.

Meta cancelled altogether, so that is probably just a cost-saving measure (Meta isn't doing too well rn). RedHat moved their conferences to other states in the US, but still plan on holding future conferences in SF. Which, to me, also sounds like a temporary cost saving measure. I highly doubt it's because of safety or homelessness, if that was the case then they wouldn't be commiting to hold future conferences in SF…

> Meta cancelled altogether, so that is probably just a cost-saving measure (Meta isn't doing too well rn).

Poorly informed comments like this by otherwise intwlligent people hurt hn. Meta is minting money right now.

Re: San Francisco loses 2 big conferences

#50

Post by gotaran »

CydeWeys wrote: post #35
DebtDeflation wrote: post #30

I've been to tech conferences in San Francisco (Moscone specifically), Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, and Boston. While I'm not ordinarily a fan of Las Vegas, it is hands down the absolute best place for conferences, logistically. It's a 10 minute Uber to get from the airport to the strip. Tons of hotels on the strip. If the conference is at one strip hotel and you are staying at pretty much any other strip hotel, you can…

Definitely not true that you can walk the length of the entire strip in ten minutes. The strip is not super great for pedestrians because you have to keep walking up, around, and through various escalators/bridges/casino entryways. The strip would be much more pedestrian friendly if they closed the main street to cars and let you simply walk at ground level in a direct line. Anyway, it takes over an hour to walk from…

Yeah, sometimes it takes 15 minutes to just walk to the casino next door.
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