What are the main trade show venues in San Francisco?
Our guides cover three, all within about half a mile of each other. Moscone Center in SoMa is the city's convention center, three buildings with more than 790,000 sq ft of exhibit space. The San Francisco Marriott Marquis, one block away, runs expos in two ballrooms with 62,184 sq ft of exhibit space, and the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, about half a mile west, fits up to 157 booths in its 29,637 sq ft Grand Ballroom.
From our Moscone Center, Hilton San Francisco Union Square and San Francisco Marriott Marquis guides
What is the biggest convention center in San Francisco?
Moscone Center. Booked together, Halls A–F on the North and South exhibit level give 502,440 contiguous sq ft, and the whole campus offers more than 790,000 sq ft. Hall F is the single biggest hall at 138,631 sq ft under 28 ft, and Halls A–C together are 244,383 sq ft at 37 ft. Moscone West adds a 96,660 sq ft hall on Level 1.
From our Moscone Center guide
Is San Francisco a union city for trade shows?
Yes. California is not a right-to-work state, and San Francisco union jurisdictions cover installing and dismantling exhibits. At Moscone, booth labor, drayage, rigging and electrical are ordered through the show's official contractor. A 2026 kit at the Hilton required qualified personnel under the Freeman and hotel contracts, and SAEM27's terms at the Marriott Marquis bind exhibitors to the hotel's union rules.
From our Moscone Center, Hilton San Francisco Union Square and San Francisco Marriott Marquis guides
Can I set up my own booth in San Francisco?
Only a very simple one. A recent Moscone show kit requires ordered labor if the booth is larger than 10 × 10, taller than 10 ft, or needs hand tools, two or more people or more than 30 minutes. Our Hilton and Marriott Marquis guides apply the same checklist to hotel shows. Unpacking and placing your own products is not union work. Check your show's kit.
From our Moscone Center, Hilton San Francisco Union Square and San Francisco Marriott Marquis guides
How much is drayage in San Francisco?
All three of our San Francisco guides plan about $180 per hundredweight in 2026 and 2027, with a 200 lb minimum. These are Purple planning rates, not published tariffs; no public 2026 Moscone tariff was found, and neither hotel publishes one. Drayage runs through your show's contractor, and its kit has the actual rate.
From our Moscone Center, Hilton San Francisco Union Square and San Francisco Marriott Marquis guides
Which Moscone building is my show in, and where is its dock?
Halls A–D are in Moscone South and Halls E and F in Moscone North; both use docks on the west side of 3rd Street between Folsom and Howard, with four bays at Hall A, three at Hall C and nine at Hall F. Moscone West, across 4th Street, has nine basement bays entered from Howard Street between 4th and 5th, and takes trucks up to 14 ft tall instead of 13 ft 6 in.
From our Moscone Center guide
When are the big San Francisco trade shows in 2026 and 2027?
At Moscone, INFORMS runs in early November 2026 and AGU26 in December, then SPIE Photonics West (January 30–February 4, 2027), GDC (March 1–5), RSAC (April 5–8) and Heart Rhythm 2027 (May 13–16). The hotels add IEDM at the Hilton in December, Biotech Showcase and BIO Partnering @JPM Week in mid-January, ISSCC at the Marquis in February and SAEM27 there in May.
From our Moscone Center, Hilton San Francisco Union Square and San Francisco Marriott Marquis guides
Which hotels are closest to Moscone Center?
The San Francisco Marriott Marquis is about 0.16 mile from Moscone North and West, and Moscone South is about 0.2 mile. The Hilton San Francisco Union Square is about half a mile west, a 10- to 15-minute walk. Neither hotel is connected to Moscone. The Union Square and SoMa hotels around them offer a wide range of price points close to BART and Muni.
From our San Francisco Marriott Marquis, Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Moscone Center guides
How far is SFO from the San Francisco convention venues?
SFO is about 13 miles from Union Square and SoMa, 25 to 40 minutes by car to Moscone depending on traffic. The Hilton's fact sheet puts BART from the airport at about 30 minutes and $11 one way, and BART stops at Powell and Montgomery, a few blocks from all three venues. Oakland airport is a common alternative.
From our Moscone Center, Hilton San Francisco Union Square and San Francisco Marriott Marquis guides
Can I ship my booth directly to a San Francisco hotel?
Not to the Hilton: Freeman said for a 2026 show that it could not accept direct freight there, and a GES kit says the hotel cannot receive or store exhibitor materials. At the Marriott Marquis it depends on the show: SAEM27 accepts shipments at the hotel on set receiving dates, while older kits refused show-site freight. Otherwise ship to the decorator's advance warehouse.
From our Hilton San Francisco Union Square and San Francisco Marriott Marquis guides
Which San Francisco venue suits a smaller expo?
The two hotels. The Hilton's Grand Ballroom is 29,637 sq ft with 157 booths of 10 × 10 on the hotel's chart, and its Continental Ballroom takes 91. The Marriott Marquis has the 39,621 sq ft Yerba Buena Ballroom, 24.5 ft high in Salons 7–9 and 18.5 ft at the sides, and the 22,563 sq ft Golden Gate Ballroom at 14 ft. Check the ceiling over your booth before you design tall.
From our Hilton San Francisco Union Square and San Francisco Marriott Marquis guides
What happens at San Francisco hotels during J.P. Morgan Healthcare week?
Biotech Showcase runs at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square on January 11–13, 2027, and BIO Partnering @JPM Week at the Marriott Marquis on January 11–14, a third of a mile apart. Both are partnering and presentation events, not booth floors, so teams bring pop-up backwalls, tabletop displays and hand-carried graphics for meeting rooms and suites, and book rooms early.
From our Hilton San Francisco Union Square and San Francisco Marriott Marquis guides
Moscone Center
Hilton San Francisco Union Square
San Francisco Marriott Marquis
