Silicon Valley Economic Opportunity
Business Analytics & Growth Strategy for 2026 Major Events
Presentation for Silicon Valley Mayors
Data as of Q4 2024
Business Analytics & Growth Strategy for 2026 Major Events
February 2026
June-July 2026
April 2026
Presentation for Silicon Valley Mayors
Data as of Q4 2024
| Event | Venue | Attendance | Visitor Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Bowl LX | Levi's Stadium | 70,000 + 1M visitors | High-income, National |
| FIFA World Cup | Levi's Stadium (6 matches) | 420,000 total | International, Soccer fans |
| March Madness Final Four | SAP Center | 60,000 (3 days) | College sports, Families |
Source: Host Committee projections, Super Bowl 50 baseline analysis
| Industry | Establishments | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 5,878 | 185,800 |
| Health Care & Social Assistance | 3,290 | 107,404 |
| Manufacturing | -- | 164,530 |
| Other Services | 2,477 | -- |
Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023, CA EDD, DataUSA
Silicon Valley San Francisco
| Metric | Silicon Valley | SF |
|---|---|---|
| Median HH Income | $159,674 | $96,265 |
| Employment Change (YoY) | -0.27% | -2.59% |
| Retail Stores (10yr trend) | Growing | -22% |
| Avg Hotel Rate | $180-280 | $250-350 |
Source: Census Bureau, CA EDD 2023, STR Hotel Data
| Year | Employment (thousands) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 63.7 |
| 2022 | 80.8 |
| 2023 | 84.0 |
| 2024 | 84.7 |
Retail stores dropped from 5,783 (2013) to 4,503 (2023) - a 22% decline over the decade.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW, FRED Economic Data, CA EDD, SF Controller's Office
| Average Daily Rate | $180-280 (lower) |
| Proximity to Levi's | 5-15 min |
| Parking Available | Yes |
| Business Traveler Base | Strong |
| Project | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Treehouse Hotel, Sunnyvale | 254 |
| Marriott Townplace, SJ Downtown | 175 |
| Other Projects | 128 |
Bay Area Context: Only 348 hotel rooms opened across the entire Bay Area in 2024 - down 78% from 2023.
Source: Atlas Hospitality Group, Silicon Valley Business Journal
| Factor | SF Advantage |
|---|---|
| Brand Recognition | Global destination |
| Convention Space | Moscone 700K sq ft |
| Transit Perception | BART + Muni + Cable Cars |
| Entertainment | Tourist infrastructure |
Capture 70-80% of event visitor spending in Silicon Valley (vs estimated 50% in 2016)
999K employed vs SF's 485K. 100K+ small businesses vs 90K. The economic base is larger.
Santa Clara County: 84,700 jobs, +33% recovery since 2020, 5,000+ jobs added in 2023. SF: -20% revenue, declining retail.
25K vs 35K rooms. But 557 under construction + lower rates = value proposition for visitors.
-22% retail stores over decade. Silicon Valley growing. Opportunity to capture shifting spend.
No unified "Silicon Valley" identity. 6 cities, 6 strategies. Need regional coordination to compete.
"Stay where you play" - hotels minutes from Levi's
20-30% lower hotel rates than SF
Drive-in experience, less congestion
7,000+ tech companies for hospitality packages
More reliable for outdoor programming
Record new restaurants, diverse cuisines
| Metric | Silicon Valley | SF |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Rank | 3rd lowest (top 50) | Higher rate |
| Property Crime Rank | 5th lowest (top 50) | Higher rate |
| Homeless Density | Spread (suburban) | Concentrated |
| Downtown Vacancy | Lower | 36.7% |
Safe neighborhoods (Almaden Valley 89% safer than CA avg), excellent schools, Happy Hollow Zoo, tech museums, parks.
Convention business down 26% (25 events in 2024 vs 34 in 2023). Negative national narrative persists despite improvements.
Source: SmartAsset 2024, FBI UCR 2023, Budget Your Trip, Moscone Center, CBRE
| Venue / Event | Impact | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Levi's Stadium (Annual) | $251M | FY 2022-23 |
| Taylor Swift Eras Tour | $33.5M | 2 nights |
| College Football Championship | $90.2M | Single event |
| SAP Center (Annual) | $300M | 175 events/yr |
| Arts & Culture Sector | $384.5M | County-wide |
| Christmas in the Park | 700K | Annual visitors |
10-Year Total: Levi's Stadium alone generated $2B+ economic impact, 12,000 jobs, $550M in wages.
| Metric | Silicon Valley | National |
|---|---|---|
| Concert multiplier | 4.3x ticket price | 3.3x ticket price |
| Festival spending | $54/person | $50/person |
| Stadium event lift | 25%+ restaurants | 15-20% restaurants |
Business Discovery: 80.4% of Viva CalleSJ attendees discovered new local businesses at the event.
Source: Levi's Stadium Economic Analysis 2023, SAP Center, Americans for the Arts AEP6 2022, Oxford Economics, Viva CalleSJ Study 2024
"Silicon Valley Sports Destination" - joint marketing across all 6 cities. Budget: $2-5M. Lead: Joint Cities Task Force.
Pool incremental TOT during event windows. Distribute: 40% venue city, 30% hotel inventory, 30% population.
Vendor certification, facade grants, multilingual training. $1M in grants via SBA + Chambers.
Negotiate VTA/Caltrain capacity. Event shuttles. Last-mile solutions. Begin Q4 2025.
| Campaign | Target | Message | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| "The New Bay" | National sports fans | Innovation + Sports capital | $3-5M |
| "Stay Local, Win Big" | Ticket holders | Better value, easier access | $1-2M |
| "Silicon Valley Welcomes the World" | International FIFA fans | Tech capital meets football | $2-3M |
| Metric | Conservative | Moderate | Optimistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Visitor Nights | 800,000 | 1,200,000 | 1,500,000 |
| Direct Spending | $400M | $650M | $900M |
| Total Economic Impact | $600M | $1B | $1.4B |
| Tax Revenue (All Levels) | $50M | $80M | $110M |
| Jobs Created | 5,000 | 8,000 | 11,000 |
Source: Host Committee projections, Super Bowl 50 analysis, Economic multiplier models
Regional coordination is essential to capture the 2026 opportunity and prevent revenue leakage to San Francisco
Silicon Valley Major Events Authority with city managers
TOT, business licenses, visitor surveys
$5-10M joint investment for unified campaigns
$80M in tax revenue | 8,000 jobs | $940M cumulative impact by 2030
Next Step: Schedule working session with all 6 city managers - Q1 2025
Methodology: Business counts are proxies from multiple sources. County-level data aggregated for Silicon Valley comparison.
Limitations: Business licenses issued at city level; county totals estimated. Hotel inventory includes all class properties.
Projections: Economic impact based on Super Bowl 50 baseline with adjustments for 3 major events and inflation.
Full analysis document: silicon-valley-growth.md
Contact: Silicon Valley Economic Initiative