Tuesday marked the first day of this year's massive Dreamforce convention in San Francisco, and it's the first time since the pandemic that the gathering does not have any restrictions on the number of attendees.
There are about 40,000 people at the event, making it the biggest convention the city has had in years. It's also a test for a city struggling with heavy criticism over homelessness, open drug use and crime downtown.
The big conversations happening at Dreamforce this year surround artificial intelligence. But what's also important for all of the attendees is how they perceive the city.
"One thing I was impressed with is how they definitely cleaned up prior to the conference," Keegan Otter said. "It looks a lot cleaner than when I've come in the past."
Outside the convention perimeter, the city seems to have made a concerted effort to make the area around the gathering as inviting as possible for attendees. The closest set of encampments appeared to be a couple blocks away.
Ahead of the convention, Salesforce CEO Marc Bennioff made comments hinting that he'd consider moving the event in the future if the city didn't get a handle on its longtime street struggles.
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During his keynote speech Tuesday, he only made a passing comment about safety in the city.
"We want to say aloha to all of you," he said. "We want to welcome everyone to San Francisco, our home. And we hope that you have a great time here and a safe time."
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Juloen de Lovee was there from France and said he loves the convention, not the street scenes.
“To be honest, it’s a bit depressing,” he said.
Diana Pham, of Paris, saw the city’s problems while attending Dreamforce 10 years ago, and says they’ve gotten worse.
“I saw some zombies in the streets, and this time, I also saw some but they come out earlier and they are more numerous now,” she said.
Mayor London Breed said she believes the Dreamforce conference belongs in San Francisco.
“What’s most important we need to recognize is people want to be here,” she said. “San Francisco is a place of innovation, especially as it relates to artificial intelligence. Of the top 20 companies in the world eight are in San Francisco with over 80 AI companies.”
Over at the nearby House of Shields Cocktail Lounge, the lead bartender says losing Dreamforce would be a nightmare.
“It would be a huge blow! We depend on this every single year. It gives us a big boost, especially after the pandemic. It's much-needed to have these kind of conferences,” said lead bartender, James Bezaidis.
San Francisco will be tested again in November when the Asian Pacific Economic Conference comes to town with dignitaries from 21 nations, and the world watching the city by the Bay.
