just go to the beach and be in the pacific ocean. we also also have a national park service. we boarded the golden gate national recreation area so there is a lot of activity to do in the summer time you see people with bonfires. but really families enjoying the beach and the pacific ocean during the rest of the time of year. [♪] >> and golden gate park where we have so many of our treasures here. we have the tea garden, the museum and the academy of sciences. not to mention the wonderful playgrounds that we have here in richmond. this is why i say the richmond is a great place for families. the theatre is a treasure in our neighborhood. it has been around for a very long time. is one of our two neighborhood theatres that we have here.

i moved here when i was 1959 when i was two years old. we would always go here. i love these neighborhood theatres. it is one of the places that has not only a landmark in the richmond district, but also in san francisco. small theatres showing one or two films. a unique -- they are unique also to the neighborhood and san francisco. >> where we are today is the heart of the richmond district. with what is unique is that it is also small businesses. there is a different retail here it is mom and pop opening up businesses. and providing for the neighborhood. this is what we love about the streets. the cora door starts on clement street and goes all the way down to the end of clement where you will see small businesses even towards 32nd. at the core of it is right here

between here and 20 -- tenth avenue. when we see this variety of stores offered here, it is very unique then of the -- any other part of san francisco. there is traditional irish music which you don't get hardly anywhere in san francisco. some places have this long legacy of serving ice cream and being a hangout for families to have a sunday afternoon ice cream. and then also, we see grocery stores. and also these restaurants that are just new here, but also thriving. [♪] >> we are seeing restaurants being switched over by hand, new owners, but what we are seeing is a vibrancy of clement street still being recaptured within new businesses that are coming in. that is a really great thing to see. i don't know when i started to shop here, but it was probably a very, very long time ago.

i like to cook a lot but i like to cook chinese food. the market is the place i like to come to once a year. once i like about the market as it is very affordable. it has fresh produce and fresh meat. also, seafood. but they also offer a large selection of condiments and sauces and noodles. a variety of rice that they have is tremendous. i don't thank you can find a variety like that anywhere else. >> hi. i am kevin wong. i am the manager. in 1989 we move from chinatown to richmond district. we have opened for a bit, over 29 years. we carry products from thailand, japan, indonesia, vietnam, singapore and india. we try to keep everything fresh daily.

so a customer can get the best out a bit. >> normally during crab season in november, this is the first place i hit. because they have really just really fresh crab. this is something my family really likes for me to make. also, from my traditional chinese food, i love to make a kale soup. they cut it to the size they really want. i am probably here once a week. i'm very familiar with the aisles and they know everyone who is a cashier -- cashier here i know when people come into a market such as this, it looks like an asian supermarkets, which it is and sometimes it can be intimidating. we don't speak the language and many of the labels are in chinese, you may not know what to buy or if it is the proper ingredients for the recipe are trying to make. i do see a lot of people here with a recipe card or sometimes with a magazine and they are looking for specific items. the staff here is very helpful. i speak very little chinese here

myself. thinks that i'm not sure about, i asked the clerk his and i say is this what i need? is this what i should be making? and they actually really helped me. they will bring me to the aisle and say this is battery. they are very knowledgeable. very friendly. i think they are here to serve not only the asian community but to serve all communities in the richmond district and in san francisco. [♪] >> what is wonderful about living here is that even though our july is a very foggy and overcast, best neighborhood, the sleepy part outside on the west side is so rich with history, but also with all the amenities that are offered. [♪]

>> when i look at an old neon sign that's working or not working, i feel the family business that was in there. >> since 2009, citywide, sf shines, has supported businesses and sites like the ones that receive new neon signs. >> you know, sf shines is doing an amazing job to bring back the lighting and the neon glow of san francisco. >> sf shines is such an amazing program, and i can't think of another program in another city that gives matching gunned funds to store owners, mom and pop owners, and if they've got a neon sign, they've really got a great way to advertise their

business. >> this is a continuation of the sf shines program. >> focusing other neon signs is relatively new to us. of the seven neon signs, we've invested about $145,000. >> a good quality sign costs more, but it lasts infinitily longer. as opposed to lasting five years, a good neon sign will last 15 to 20 years. >> in san francisco, the majority of neon signs are for mom-and-pop businesses. in order to be able to restore these signs, i think it gives back to your community. >> part of the project has to do with prioritizing certain signs in the neighborhood based on their aesthetics, based on

their current signs, and base on the history. in the time that we've been here, we've seen a number of signs restored just on eddy street. >> there are a number of signs in the tenderloin and many more that are waiting or wanting to be restored. i have worked with randall and al, and we've mapped out every single one of them and rated them as to how much work they would need to get restored. that information is passed onto sf shines, and they are going to rank it. so if they have x budget for a year, they can say all right, we're going to pick these five, and they're putting together clusters, so they build on top of what's already there. >> a cluster of neon signs is sort of, i guess, like a cluster of grapes. when you see them on a corner or on a block, it lights up the neighborhood and creates an ambient glow. if you havy got two of three of

them, you've created an atmosphere that's almost like a movie set. >> some of the hotel, we've already invested in to get those neon signs for people to enjoy at night include the elk hotel, jefferson hotel, the verona, not to mention some we've done in chinatown, as well as the city's portal neighborhood. >> we got the fund to restore it. it took five months, and the biggest challenge was it was completely infested with pigeons. once we got it clean, it came out beautiful. >> neon signs are often equated with film noir, and the noir genre as seen through the hollywood lens basically depicted despair and concentration.

>> you would go downtown and see the most recent humphrey bogart film filled with neon in the background. and you'd see that on market street, and as market street got seedier and seedier and fewer people continued to go down, that was what happened to all the neon strips of light. >> the film nori might start with the light filled with neon signs, and end with a scene with a single neon sign blinking and missing a few letters. >> one of my favorite scenes, orson welles is chasing

ririt rita hayworth with neon signs in the background. >> i think what the office of economic and workforce development is very excited with is that we'll be able to see more neon signs in a concentrated way lit up at night for visitors and most especially residents. the first coin laundry, the elm hotel, the western hotel are ones that we want to focus on in the year ahead. >> neon signs are so iconic to certain neighborhoods like the hara, like the nightcap. we want to save as many historic and legacy neon signs in san francisco, and so do they. we bring the expertise, and they bring the means to actually get the job done. >> people in tenderloin get really excited as they see the signs relit.

as you're driving through the tenderloin or the city, it pretty much tells you something exciting is happening here. >> knee an was created to make the night more friendly and advertise businesses. it's a great way of supporting and helping local businesses. >> there's so many ways to improve public safety. the standard way is having more eyes on the street, but there's other culturally significant ways to do that, and one those ways is lighting up the streets. but what better way and special way to do that is by having old, historic neon signs lighting up our streets at night and casting away our shadows. >> when i see things coming back to life, it's like remembering how things were. it's remembering the hotel or the market that went to work seven days a week to raise their money or to provide a service, and it just -- it just -- it just.

>> my name is angela wilson and i'm an owner of the market i worked at a butcher for about 10 years and became a butcher you i was a restaurant cook started in sxos and went to uc; isn't that

so and opened a cafe we have produce from small farms without small butcher shops hard for small farms to survive we have a been a butcher shop since 1901 in the heights floor and the case are about from 1955 and it is only been a butcher shot not a lot of businesses if san francisco that have only been one thing. >> i'm all for vegetarians if you eat meat eat meat for quality and if we care of we're in a losing battle we need to support butcher shops eat less we sell the chickens with the head and feet open somebody has to make money when you pay $25

for a chicken i guarantee if you go to save way half of the chicken goes in the enlarge but we started affordable housing depends on it occurred to us this is a male field people said good job even for a girl the interesting thing it is a women's field in most of world just here in united states it is that pay a man's job i'm an encountered woman and raise a son and teach i am who respect woman i consider all women's who work here to be impoverished and strong in san francisco labor is high our cost of good ideas we seal the best good ideas the profit margin that low but everything that is a laboring and that's a challenge in the town so many people chasing

money and not i can guarantee everybody this is their passion. >> i'm the - i've been cooking mile whole life this is a really, really strong presence of women heading up kitchens in the bay area it is really why i moved out here i think that we are really strong in the destroy and really off the pages kind of thing i feel like women befrp helps us to get back up i'm definitely the only female here i fell in love i love setting up and love knowing were any food comes from i do the lamb and that's how i got here

today something special to have a female here a male dominated field so i think that it is very special to have women and especially like it is going at it you know i'm a tiny girl but makes me feel good for sure. >> the sad thing the building is sold i'm renegotiating my lease the neighborhood wants us to be here with that said, this is a very difficult business it is a constant struggle to maintain freshness and deal with what we have to everyday it is a very high labor of business but something i'm proud of if you want to get a job at affordable housing done nasal you need a good attitude and the

jobs on the bottom you take care of all the produce and the fish and computer ferry terminal and work your way up employing people with a passion for this and empowering them to learn >> this is one place you can

always count on to give you what you had before and remind you of what your san francisco history used to be. >> we hear that all the time, people bring their kids here and their grandparents brought them here and down the line. >> even though people move away, whenever they come back to the city, they make it here. and they tell us that. >> you're going to get something made fresh, made by hand and made with quality products and something that's very, very good. ♪ >> the legacy bars and restaurants was something that was begun by san francisco simply to recognize and draw attention to the establishments. it really provides for san francisco's unique character. ♪ >> and that morphed into a request that we work with the city to develop a legacy business registration.

>> i'm michael cirocco and the owner of an area bakery. ♪ the bakery started in 191. my grandfather came over from italy and opened it up then. it is a small operation. it's not big. so everything is kind of quality that way. so i see every piece and cut every piece that comes in and out of that oven. >> i'm leslie cirocco-mitchell, a fourth generation baker here with my family. ♪ so we get up pretty early in the morning. i usually start baking around 5:00. and then you just start doing rounds of dough. loaves. >> my mom and sister basically handle the front and then i

have my nephew james helps and then my two daughters and my wife come in and we actually do the baking. after that, my mom and my sister stay and sell the product, retail it. ♪ you know, i don't really think about it. but then when i -- sometimes when i go places and i look and see places put up, oh this is our 50th anniversary and everything and we've been over 100 and that is when it kind of hits me. you know, that geez, we've been here a long time. [applause] ♪ >> a lot of people might ask why our legacy business is important. we all have our own stories to tell about our ancestry. our lineage and i'll use one example of tommy's joint. tommy's joint is a place that my husband went to as a child

and he's a fourth generation san franciscan. it's a place we can still go to today with our children or grandchildren and share the stories of what was san francisco like back in the 1950s. >> i'm the general manager at tommy's joint. people mostly recognize tommy's joint for its murals on the outside of the building. very bright blue. you drive down and see what it is. they know the building. tommy's is a san francisco hoffa, which is a german-style presenting food. we have five different carved meats and we carve it by hand at the station. you prefer it to be carved whether you like your brisket fatty or want it lean. you want your pastrami to be very lean. you can say i want that piece

of corn beef and want it cut, you know, very thick and i want it with some sauerkraut. tell the guys how you want to prepare it and they will do it right in front of you. san francisco's a place that's changing restaurants, except for tommy's joint. tommy's joint has been the same since it opened and that is important. san francisco in general that we don't lose a grip of what san francisco's came from. tommy's is a place that you'll always recognize whenever you lock in the door. you'll see the same staff, the same bartender and have the same meal and that is great. that's important. ♪

>> the service that san francisco heritage offers to the legacy businesses is to help them with that application process, to make sure that they really recognize about them what it is that makes them so special here in san francisco. ♪ so we'll help them with that application process if, in fact, the board of supervisors does recognize them as a legacy business, then that does entitle them to certain financial benefits from the city of san francisco. but i say really, more importantly, it really brings them public recognition that this is a business in san francisco that has history and that is unique to san francisco. >> it started in june of 1953. ♪

and we make everything from scratch. everything. we started a you -- we started a off with 12 flavors and mango fruits from the philippines and then started trying them one by one and the family had a whole new clientele. the business really boomed after that. >> i think that the flavors we make reflect the diversity of san francisco. we were really surprised about the legacy project but we were thrilled to be a part of it. businesses come and go in the city. pretty tough for businesss to stay here because it is so expensive and there's so much competition. so for us who have been here all these years and still be popular and to be recognized by the city has been really a huge honor.

>> we got a phone call from a woman who was 91 and she wanted to know if the mitchells still owned it and she was so happy that we were still involved, still the owners. she was our customer in 1953. and she still comes in. but she was just making sure that we were still around and it just makes us feel, you know, very proud that we're carrying on our father's legacy. and that we mean so much to so many people. ♪ >> it provides a perspective. and i think if you only looked at it in the here and now, you're missing the context. for me, legacy businesses, legacy bars and restaurants are really about setting the context for how we come to be where we are today. >> i just think it's part of san francisco. people like to see familiar

stuff. at least i know i do. >> in the 1950s, you could see a picture of tommy's joint and looks exactly the same. we haven't change add thing. >> i remember one lady saying, you know, i've been eating this ice cream since before i was born. and i thought, wow! we have, too. ♪

>> everything is done in-house. i think it is done. i have always been passionate about gelato. every single slaver has its own recipe. we have our own -- we move on from there. so you have every time a unique experience because that slaver is the flavored we want to make. union street is unique because of the neighbors and the location itself. the people that live around here i love to see when the street is full of people. it is a little bit of italy that is happening around you can walk around and enjoy shopping with gelato in your hand. this is the move we are happy to provide to the people.

i always love union street because it's not like another commercial street where you have big chains. here you have the neighbors. there is a lot of stories and the neighborhoods are essential. people have -- they enjoy having their daily or weekly gelato. i love this street itself. >> we created a move of an area where we will be visiting. we want to make sure that the area has the gelato that you like. what we give back as a shop owner is creating an ambient lifestyle. if you do it in your area and if you like it, then you can do it on the streets you like.

>> good morning everybody. i'm with the san francisco travel and i am so thrilled to be here, but on this beautiful day in san francisco outside, and on this -- at this beautiful building outside. welcome everyone to the grand reopening of the center. [applause] this project has taken the better part of ten years to complete. from early conversations about where we would expand, to creating our own unique funding source, to pay for the project, to the years of hard work and incredible engineering to where we are sitting today.

today to really reopen this building that has been such an important part of the pulse and heart beat of the city for so many years. our goal was to keep this venue competitive, and ensure that the meeting space would lead its way into the future. the center now features 504,000 square feet of continuous meeting space, almost doubling its former dimensions. it includes a new column free 50,000 square-foot ballroom, perfect for major keynotes and receptions. the facility will be platinum certified, making it the only convention centre in the nation to have achieved such levels of environmental sustainability. twenty% of its power, yes, that deserves a round of applause. [applause] >> twenty% of its power will come from solar energy and the building's drainage system will be able to collect and recycle 50 million gallons of water

annually. the pedestrian bridge right in front of us, or behind you, joining moscone charge up north and south will become one of the most iconic light art installations. in addition, the accessible spaces would filled with art, with nature, and with breathtaking views of the skyline. this new building and the new design not only opens it from the inside, but opens it from the outside to be a better neighbor in the district. this is a major undertaking, and a great honor to be joined by several of our key project team members and city officials today i will ask you to hold your applause until i finish introducing all of them. on my far right, the public works director, mohammed new rube who oversaw the entire construction team throughout the construction. the lead architect at skidmore, owens, craig hartman who led a dynamic team of architects and design consultants and creating the look of the center. the director of convention

facilities for the city and county of san francisco, who oversees everything that goes on in this building on behalf of this city. the senior director of the moscone expansion project for san francisco travel, who has been a help in this entire network of collaborations to keep them together. rick swag who has been involved in the project before the event was a project on the horizon. is a tireless advocate for tourism in san francisco and the moscone centre as well. the mayor who will be introduced in just a second. to my left, naomi kelly capa started her job just as a -- just as the expansion was getting away. it was quite a way to begin, and she has been with us every single step of the way. the g.m. for the marriott international, here to represent the hotel community, who has always understood the importance of this facility, not only to the visitors on the hotel, but to the city itself and our people.

peter gomez, the san francisco travel board chair, his entire career who has been in the hospitality industry, you know as well, as do all of us, to see the importance of the industry in san francisco. senior manager at the department of public works, our leader in technical design, construction, and contracts for the past seven years. you have been at this building almost every day since construction in the past seven years. the president and c.e.o., jeff peterson, who has assembled a talented team, but not only finished expansion on time and on budget, but work to make sure the building can be used during destructors construction, which was a remarkable feat. this building does not close down the demolition was taking place, and when the construction happened, but it remains open and continuously operated during that time. a senior director of citywide sales operations for san francisco travel, mr patrick, who did a spectacular job working with are committed

convention clients for the past four years, guaranteeing their mate -- meetings could continue in san francisco. and the moscone general manager, bob sauter, who made sure the facility remained operational while these improvements were being made. let's give them all a round of applause. [applause] >> we are also very happy to be joined by many department heads for the city and county of san francisco, as well as leaders of the hospitality industry and the hotel community who help generate the funding to make this event possible and make this building possible. each one of these people had a key role in this project, and its success, so we all really have to show them debt of appreciation. let's help to thank the many sponsors, partners, and friends of the san francisco travel association, the moscone centre, in the city and county of san francisco. without their support, the event today would not be possible.

our special thanks to creative technology, curtain convention services, freeman, hartman studios, impact lighting, jazz mafia, local 16, sound on stage, and the children's creativity museum. let's give them all a round of applause. it is my great pleasure to introduce the mayor of san francisco who is dedicated her life to the city she was. she is dedicated to create the city even more incredible than it is. it is one of the most beautiful cities to live and in the world, and she is committed to make it even better than it is today. is my pleasure to introduce mayor london breed. [cheers and applause] >> thank you, and welcome everyone. i know this project has been a

long time coming, and some of you her right here in 1981 probably remember when this whole area was nothing but parking lots. this wasn't necessarily an area that so many of us ever spent time in, and to see it grow into what i think is one of the best convention centres anywhere, is absolutely amazing. this expansion is something that is overdue. it is done to help generate the kind of tourism that san francisco is so very proud of. we know that there are challenges that exist in our city. we know that we have to address the issues around homelessness and housing, and things that impact our tourism industry, and i am committed to making those investments, his and that not just the people who visit our city have a wonderful experience , but also the people who live here, to have a great

experience as well. [applause] >> this convention centre will host and bring visitors from around the world who are going to not only visit here, but also work here, and as a result, will generate millions of dollars in revenue here at this convention centre, and for our hotels, and our small businesses in the surrounding community. it was critical to ensure that moscone centre remain one of the top meeting destinations in the world and today, we are proud to unveil this world-class facility in a world-class city. and includes new exhibition space, meeting rooms, and incredible ballrooms, and other support areas. it also includes thousands of new jobs caregiver brings in streetscape improvements, and family-friendly public spaces for visitors, and residents to

enjoy alike. we have a beautiful art installation as well, including a new sculpture on howard street by artist christine corday who is here celebrating with us today. moscone centre will remain one of the most sustainable convention centres in the country with the largest rooftop solar panel array in san francisco, and other sustainable -- key sustainability features. and thanks to the incredible project team at san francisco department of public works, which led the implementation of this expansion, we were able to do this project without interrupting the conventions that we already had scheduled. that is because we know and understand how important tourism is to san francisco. we know that we are an international destination where people come from all over to visit our amazing restaurants,

our businesses, our cultural activities, and i am committed to ensuring that the people from other cities and states and countries have a great experience. i'm excited because this is finally done, and traffic is challenging, and congestion in san francisco, but ultimately, there might still be traffic and congestion in this area, with us because we will be bringing more people to this area who will be enjoying this convention space. i want to recognize and thank some amazing people who contributed to helping to make this possible. one of them is supervisor jane kang who represents this district, and is joining us here today, as well as supervisor rafael mandelman. thank you both for your supervising and commitment in supporting and moving forward these projects. i specially want to thank the department of public works, mohammed nuru, and the department of public utilities commission, harland kelly from

p.u.c. i remember many years ago when i served as an intern under the former mayor, willie brown, and how many staff meetings we attended where mayor brown would constantly yell at harland, in particular, who i'm not sure if he is here today, but his wife is here so she can represent him you were in those meetings because i was your intern, and he would yell about, when will i get my sidewalk while when will this be done while and i find myself doing the same thing to a lot of the department heads, but i want you all to know how much i appreciate the work that you've done here in order to make this facility what it needs to be for all of us, and also making sure it is one of the most environmentally friendly facilities anywhere. i want to thank john noguchi, the director of convention facility, and all the employees and people and members of local two, who continue to work in this facility, and the team as -- s.f. travel, and so many

people who contribute to the vibrancy of our great safety. and also, i want to finally think the residents and the business in this neighborhood. the people who basically suffered through the changes and all of the challenges that exist here, and i also would like to thank the san francisco police department for keeping the community and residents safe all over our city. the namesake of this facility, named after the former mayor was committed to our core values of inclusion, bringing people together, and pushing for transformative projects like here at moscone centre. today, not only do we rededicate this facility in his honor, we also honor another true champion of san francisco values.

someone who was an incredible mayor who pushed for the expansion of this project, but also more importantly, pushed for the funding to get it done. it was both city funding, and private dollars that made it possible, and because of the leadership of our late mayor, ed lee, it was possible. here, joining us today, anita lee, his wife. thank you so much for being here with us today. [applause] >> as a result of his hard work, here we are. and incredible facility, and so today we will be dedicating this south lobby in honor of mayor edwin m. lee. [cheers and applause]

>> thank you all so much. web core, and all of the folks who worked on this project, it really does take a village. that is why you see so many people on the stage, but we also know that so many of the folks who have contributed to making this place possible are here, and the people who are committed to making sure that this place thrives will continue to be actively engaged in making this incredible and welcoming place for so many people who will use this convention centre, and enjoy san francisco for years to come. with that, i would like to introduce a person who made this project possible. the expansion work certificate of participation bonds, and other kinds of creative financial tools to get it done, and she was there every step of the way, managing the different departments, pushing for the

different financing, and getting creative about solutions in order to deliver this project for each and every one of us, ladies and gentlemen, our city administrator, naomi kelly. [applause] >> thank you, mayor breed for the kind introduction. good morning everyone. i am so happy to be standing here today after seven plus years in the making. before i say more, i want to recognize the late mayor, george moscone, who had the vision that a convention center should be here at third and howard street. i'm incredibly grateful to be here today as we honor the late mayor, ed lee, who is a true champion of the moscone expansion project. this project is really a win-win for our city. yes it boosts tourism, but it also generated thousands of local jobs.

over its four phases, the expansion was responsible for about 3400 temporary jobs, and over 900 permanent jobs. when the center was built, it was a cutting edge facility, but over time, it became clear we needed to keep up with our competition. prior to the expansion, moscone had significantly less exhibit space than the country's top 12 convention centres, and we were at risk of losing many of our big conventions to other cities. that would have meant lost jobs, and would have meant lost revenues from visitors spending in our city. we are back in a very competitive position, and now offer a lot of things that other convention centers lack. we have an iconic building design, public open spaces, a nearby garden, a dedicated visitor information centre, and incredible light build pre function hall.

when planning for the expansion, one thing we wanted to do was make sure we incorporated the input and partnership of this community. when george moscone had envisioned moscone here, as mayor breed said in 1981, it was on improved parking lot, and whatnot -- not much of a community. this location is in the heart of the city where people live, work , and visit, which means a livability on the vibrancy of this communities a top priority. supervisor jane kim made sure if that's. we had community meetings pick one on ones, and actively listen to people about the concerns and ideas. now there's a thousand more square feet of new public open space back a redesigned pedestrian bridge, and a beautiful area that allows families and residents to better access the playgrounds and the open space. we really wanted this convention

centre to be woven into the surrounding neighborhood, to make it an overall better environment for visitors and residents. i want to thank you all for coming here today, and celebrating this milestone with the city. thank you mayor breed for overseeing the final finishes for this successful project, and i also want to give a big thank you to public works director, mohammed nuru. [applause] >> and his team who gave their blood, sweat, and tears to this project. to the architect, as well as the project manager extraordinaire and the rest of the public works staff. [applause] >> i must also give a special thank you to the deputy city administrator. you hear joe talk about this project being on time, and on budget, it was can's work working with joe, and broke, and

edgar and the hotel industry to make sure that we get this project delivered on budget. i also want to give a thank you to the other san francisco departments who worked collaboratively to bring this center here today. i saw some other elected officials and department heads who are out in the audience. i want to recognize our public defender. [applause] >> and our fire chief. thank you to s.f. travel, and your team, to the architects, and the building contractors for all your hard work. this was not a project with a flexible deadline. this was a project with a dropdead deadline, and this time next week, the moscone centre will open thousands of people moving in for the first convention. congratulations to everyone. now i would like to invite joe back to the microphone.

[applause] >> thank you. thank you again to the city and county of san francisco for making this happen. this is the city's building. the other things i want to bring to the attention is to the hotel community. because they came up with two thirds of the funding to make this project happen. without the cooperation of the hotel community, and the city, this incredible building, this economic driver for the city in this region would not be here today. on behalf of the hotel community , i would like to ask john campbell to come up and say a few words. [applause] >> good morning everyone. i am just beaming today, and i see many members of the hospitality industry beaming as well, the audience, and i am really here to represent the entire san francisco hospitality industry, hotels, restaurants,

attractions, and we are so thrilled to be at this finishing line after the many years of planning and construction of this refreshed and renewed centre. we have an amazing facility to partner with as we bring world-class confident -- conferences and conventions to our city. san francisco is an amazing convention city. and the expanded moscone centre will keep us world-class to continue to host these large conferences and conventions for the future. i too have to acknowledge a number of folks here today, and i want to start by thanking, and a special acknowledgement to the meeting planners that are here today. i want to thank them for working with us throughout these last years of construction. we know it has not been easy and we appreciate it.

the project has been a true team effort on so many fronts. it is a public-private partnership between moscone expansion district, formed by the hotel community, and the city and county of san francisco it doesn't stop there as we work together through the many years of design by skidmore owning. showing off today as we sit in this amazing lobby. and the constructions schedule was complicated as we continue to keep moscow the up and running, the majority of the time, it was vital to the city, to our hotels, to the industry, not to lose the economic impact that the center generates. i thank you to everyone who worked so hard to ensure that clients had successful shows, construction continued to be on time, and the city stayed busy. and now the exciting work really begins. we are committed to working closely with the centre, was san

francisco travel, with everyone to continue to attract the very best events to our city. we know there are no better teams, hospitality industry, and convention center in the country thank you very much. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. we have heard a lot about the building, and its on-time, on budget. did i say that already call so we are prepared -- we have prepared a short documentary to show you about the development of this building, the construction, by irving street films and our own dan golding. if i can turn your attention to the screens, we would like to run this video. ♪ >> moscone plays an important role in attracting conventions. >> meetings and conventions that account for over $700 million of direct spending. >> when a guest comes and stays in san francisco, 60 5% of his

outside of this hotel. >> they spend money in our hotels and spend money in our restaurants. [♪] >> we needed to retain clients, and we need it to expand to attract others. >> we needed to be able to compete with other cities on a different level, and the expansion of moscone is going to give us a different edge, and a different opportunity. >> we had a team that went out and surveyed and met with all of the customers, and additional exhibition space was at the top of every list. and not just random exhibition space, but continuous exhibition space. >> it offered 470,000 square feet of space between the two at hall's. >> with this expansion, not only can we take the conventions that we used to have, but now we can take conventions that maybe didn't fit before. >> for us, having all the flexibility with the air walls and being able to create spaces

and meeting spaces is really important to us. >> the convention centers are just walls, and you can't see where we are. it was important for us to have a light, to have balconies that people can access, and see where they are, and feel san francisco while they are in the building. >> the moscone expansion was a very challenging project. it was half new build, half renovation, and we were doing all of this within our occupied space. >> one of the most important, problematic functional issues with the moscone centre expansion, is to find a way to make the exhibition centre, which was built originally asked what was separate spaces, one on the north side of the street, and one on the health just south side of howard street, to connect these as one continuous space. this involves finding ways to exit but does expedite on how street and giving that street operational, while that construction happens. we could not simply close the streets and build the building. the traffic needed to slow day today. we needed to be respectful of the businesses, and not to be

creating too much of an impact for them. >> you are in the center of an island, surrounded by an ocean of people, massive amounts of vehicles and cars, and construction around the project. 400 people on site daily. 40-50 subcontractors coming in and out of the building, 700,000 pages of drawings to refer to. there's a lot of moving parts. >> a big part of the success in managing the construction project was the location of the project management team. >> what that means is the entire team was located in a single building where they could have meetings, where they could talk to each other, and the goal was to break the barriers of being separated in multiple locations. >> we know of no other project like this in the world. expansions -- of expansions that was done while the building was being used for typically they shut the building down for a period of two or three years. our concern was what would be the impact on the economy?

we took a much more difficult road, and we decided to keep the building open. the most -- the moscone project -- >> environmental features of the building are a key component of the design. >> we are starting construction for the city his largest array of rooftop solar panels right here at the center. >> we literally are harnessing water for moisture of the air. we are combining at the end with rain water we are collecting in the wintertime. finally we are harvesting water below the building. >> we actually pumped out about 15 million gallons of water a year, and in the past, it has come directly into the sewer to be treated. we have added a water treatment plant, and we pumping in and capturing that water and treating that water on site and putting it back in the gardens get putting it in our toilets, putting it in our street cleaners. >> the moscone centre has been part of the neighborhood for

many years since we opened in 1981. since that time, after every project and expansion that we've been through, we have always engaged that neighbors. >> the community went into the process with various concerns about size and scale of the convention centre, construction timeline, construction process, noise, we had over 24 community meetings with community leaders, one-on-one meetings, and the most important thing is that we listen to their feedback. >> they brought us in early so we had a chance to inform things was not as if we were being told what was going to happen, it was actually a dialogue. >> differences that the community proposed to us that we ended up incorporating into the design were really win-win for both of us. >> terraces were not part of the design, but the community came out and really wanted the architects to come up with a different way to sort of soften the façade of the building, and

the terraces were a natural way to do it. >> the top lab that recently opened is a place for kids, five years of age and younger, and that has been an important addition to the neighborhood, because we have seen over the last several years, a growing number of families with very young children. >> we have the replacement of the pedestrian bridge fully landscaped with seating and public art. >> we have cooperated with the san francisco arts commission, and we have four installations in and around moscone centre. >> the project is 550 million plus. >> the financing strategy was unique to some extent. we knew the city had to contribute to a portion of it, we had to agree on what stuff contribution staff contribution was, but we also needed the hotel community to be a part of it. >> the discussion about the expansion was unanimous and that we needed to do it. the hotels came together, and we voted on a funding mechanism

which would put an assessment on the room revenue. that assessment is funding about two thirds of the project. the other third of the project will be funded by the city and county of san francisco. we can't move business forward unless we work together, and this is a great example of that. this is a great example of how public and private can come together. >> we've had a lot of collaboration. we have had a long history of neighbors being involved, and city's leadership, nsf travel and all the partners really trying to do something great for the city, would also make sure that everyone feels good about how it impacts the neighborhoods , and how they partnered with such a good project. this has been a seven year project, and during that time, all of our approvals were unanimous at the city from the beginning, up until now. >> the moscone expansion had a significant impact in creating jobs in san francisco.