Businesses see boost ahead of 2024 Dreamforce conference in San Francisco
With the 2024 Salesforce Dreamforce conference about to kick off on Tuesday at Moscone Center in San Francisco, restaurant owners said they are already seeing a boost in sales with increased foot traffic.
"We've been busy since we opened this morning. So, it's always. Good experience when they're lined up as we open the door," David Cohen, managing partner at The Grove, told CBS News Bay Area.
Cohen's restaurant has been serving dishes at 3rd and Mission streets for more than a decade, located just a block from the center, where the conference is taking place this week.
Officials said as many as 45,000 people are expected to visit the city of San Francisco for the conference.
"Definitely we start to be doing busier this time at the start of the convention because you know it's always busy for us. I'm really happy for that," said William Uracahua, owner of Bocado Peruvian Cuisine.
City crews have been cleaning up the streets in SoMa to welcome visitors ahead of the conference.
Mayor London Breed said that with Dreamforce being one of the city's largest conventions, she knows what is at stake.
"This is what San Francisco does best. When we have big conventions, when we have big events, big activities, we put our best foot forward," Breed said Monday.
The pressure is on for the city.
Ahead of last year's Dreamforce conference, Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff had threatened to move Dreamforce out of the city moving forward due to concerns of homelessness and open drug use. Several weeks after the 2023 event, Benioff said the conference would return to San Francisco.
"We know like any major city, we have challenges. But what we have done and what people are starting to see is how we combat those challenges," Breed said.
Marc Shulte lived in San Francisco for about 10 years, and has noticed some of those changes.
"Just recently it seems like a lot more homelessness that's happening in the area. It seems like the drug crisis in San Francisco is getting worse and worse," Schulte said.
Meanwhile, the city said they are taking measures, including cleaning the streets, boosting police presence and placing downtown ambassadors outside hotels.
"I think the city's been doing a really good job down here recently. Sort of, in all honesty, since APEC of last year, APEC Convention, we've seen an uptick in street cleanliness and lack of homelessness," Cohen said.
CBS News Bay Area reached out to SFPD for safety and security measures, and a spokesperson sent a statement below.
"The Dreamforce event brings a large number of people to the city, and the San Francisco Police Department is committed to ensuring the safety and security of residents and visitors to our city."
"The San Francisco Police Department will be staffed up to ensure that sufficient officers are on hand and will be working with other city agencies throughout the week. We are prepared to respond to any emergency in and around the conference as well as the other districts throughout the city."
