San Francisco, CA--- Today, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and business leaders gathered during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Spring Launch at the Asian Art Museum to demonstrate their support for San Francisco as the City that will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2023 Economic Leaders’ Meeting, the leading forum for facilitating trade and investment, economic growth, and regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
In November 2022, Mayor Breed celebrated news that the City was named the host City for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting this year. November 12th thru 18th of this year, San Francisco is excited to welcome President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, along with world leaders from APEC member economies, approximately 500 global CEOs, 1000 media representatives, and nearly 30,000 delegates from across 21 member economies to participate in the 30th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.
The APEC Spring Launch, hosted by the San Francisco Special Events Committee, is the official launch event to build anticipation and excitement about San Francisco as the host city for the APEC 2023 Economic Leaders’ Meeting, and to help secure funding and partnerships through engaging local business leaders. Their support will help strengthen the financial, business, and reputational impacts as a result of all the activities that will occur around the planning phase, and as all the events leading to the Meeting.
“We are honored and privileged that the White House has placed its trust in San Francisco to host this important international event,” said Mayor London Beed. “This opportunity comes at a critical time when we are putting all of our efforts into our City’s recovery. We are excited to showcase our civic pride, cultural diversity and creativity to the rest of the world. The partnerships and support from our business and community leaders have been significant as we are working on San Francisco’s recovery. As we look forward to hosting attendees from all around the world, I am confident that as they explore our many celebrated neighborhoods, they will discover all the great things San Francisco has to offer.”
“San Francisco is a thriving economic powerhouse and indispensable gateway to the Indo-Pacific with a strong and vibrant AAPI community – making our City the perfect host for the 30th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. “It is with pride and excitement that I join in preparing to welcome APEC Economic Leaders, titans of industry and community leaders from the region to our world-class City by the Bay this November. Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, this Meeting will be an important step to further strengthen the partnership for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
This week-long meeting will bring together APEC Economic Leaders and their delegations, stakeholders and business leaders at Moscone Center for important conversations around opportunities and challenges that are shaping the Asia Pacific Rim economically, environmentally, and socially. At the same time, APEC will also provide an exciting and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for San Franciscans, stakeholders, businesses, and event sponsors to network, achieve global visibility and support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
“I am thrilled that San Francisco has been selected to host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November,” said Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis. “There is no better place in the nation to host this historic international meeting than California, which is poised to become the fourth largest economy in the world. We are honored to showcase our – and America’s – world-leading diversity, prosperity, and spirit of innovation.”
As a global City with many diverse and deep connections with Asia Pacific Economies, Asian Americans account for about a third of San Francisco’s total population, and San Francisco has Sister City relationships with cities throughout the region, including Osaka, Seoul, Ho Chi Minh, Manila, Sydney, and Shanghai. San Francisco’s Chinatown is the first in North America and one of the largest Chinese communities outside of Asia. Additionally, the City currently hosts over 75 consulates, representing the government interests of virtually all major countries around the world. Additionally, many trade commissions have established offices in and around the City. Virtually every major APEC city has direct or one-stop flights to SFO.
“As a global company headquartered in San Francisco, DoorDash is honored to support this important gathering that will celebrate San Francisco’s role as an engine for technology and innovation in the United States, throughout the Asia-Pacific region, and beyond,” said Tony Xu, Chief Executive Director of DoorDash. “Our mission of growing and empowering local economies — like APEC’s mission of promoting sustainable economic growth and prosperity — is just as important at home as it is in the communities we serve around the world. We look forward to working closely with Mayor Breed, the White House, and leaders across our City and around the world to make APEC a great success for our City and our global partners.”
With a GDP of $501 billion, the San Francisco metropolitan area is the fourth largest economic region in the U.S. and an essential hub in the global economy with 15 out of the 21 APEC Member Economies represented by Consulates or economic trade offices in San Francisco. As the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is estimated to yield $36.5 million in total economic impact for San Francisco, leaders are excited to showcase what the City has to offer to create economic opportunities.
Each year, the San Francisco Customs District logs $100 billion dollars from two-way shipping with APEC members. Northern California firms sell an estimated $60 billion dollars of goods and services to APEC buyers. The region continues to be a source and destination for massive investment flows.
About APEC
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. APEC’s 21 members aim to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating economic integration in the region.
San Francisco as a City for major events
San Francisco is a major destination for business and tourism and leads the world in technology innovation. The City has a long history as a top destination for travel, conferences and seminars. In October, Salesforce brought Dreamforce back to San Francisco in person, attracting more than 40,000 people.
San Francisco is featured by Travel and Leisure magazine as one of the 50 best places to travel in 2023 and the Wall Street Journal named San Francisco International Airport (SFO) the best large airport of 2022 thanks in part to the upgrade of its Harvey Milk Terminal 1, reliable flights and top-notch amenities.
The San Francisco Bay Area has hosted major events in the recent past including the United States Conference of Mayors in 2015, Super Bowl 50 in 2016, and the Global Climate Action Summit in 2019.
For more information about the APEC 2023 Leaders’ Summit visit, www.apec2023sf.org
This year’s APEC themes are Sustainability, Inclusivity, and Innovation.
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