SFPRRT Presents: Hospitality Industry Panel Discusses SF's PR Trials

Featuring a powerhouse panel, assembled here for the first time:

• Alex Bastian, President and CEO, Hotel Council of San Francisco
• Lori Lincoln, VP, Global PR & Media Relations, San Francisco Travel Association
• Julie Zigoris, SF journalist tracking the city’s ups and downs
• Warner Johnston, founder of 5 Borough Communications and member of the interim SFPRRT board

Nobody likes a “doom loop,” least of all the citizens of San Francisco. While it remains a place of economic power, the city has suffered from rising office vacancy rates, retailers departing from the shopping district, entrenched homelessness, a crippling drug culture and unchecked crime. Bad media coverage has been rampant, including reportage from the trend-setting . That, of course, isn’t the whole story.

Join the San Francisco Public Relations Round Table on October 23 for another thoughtful in-person gathering and a frank discussion of some of the issues facing our fair city and its hospitality PR people, whose work includes pitching to influencers and travelers around the world while keeping San Franciscans and visitors engaged in a thriving cultural life.

Recent articles in the San Francisco Chronicle by Roland Li and Warren Pedersen, and by Evan Elliot in USF Magazine, tell a more upbeat tale of the city’s challenges, and seem to dispense with the “doom loop” conversation. But what’s really happening and what can the city’s public relations professionals and community spokespeople do about it? Join us and find out.

Some of the questions we’re asking our panel to address:

• How are PR professionals pitching San Francisco to bring tourists back to the beautiful “city by the Bay”?
• How can San Francisco and the Bay Area use creative PR strategies to capitalize on the huge sporting events heading to Chase Center in San Francisco and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in 2025 and 2026? These include the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball West Regionals, Super Bowl LX (2026) and FIFA World Cup 2026.
• As PR and communications professionals, what can we do to engage our communities and clients to create a better story for San Francisco and the entire Bay Area, and how can all of us best support this important work?

Following are bios of our panelists.

Alex Bastian, President & CEO, Hotel Council of San Francisco, a San Francisco native, leads the city’s hospitality community and is a tireless advocate for the industry, which employs 25,000 people and generates hundreds of millions in annual tax revenue. He has led efforts nationally and locally to counteract the narrative about San Francisco and has spearheaded a public push to encourage investment. He previously served as special advisor to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón and was deputy chief of staff and an assistant DA for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office for nearly 12 years.

Lori Lincoln, VP, Global PR & Media Relations of the award-winning San Francisco Travel Association, a private not-for-profit membership organization promoting San Francisco as the destination of choice for conventions and leisure travel. She oversees the association’s media strategy and global public relations programs.

, San Francisco storyteller and award-winning journalist whose writing has appeared in the Boston Globe, KQED and the San Francisco Chronicle. As a culture reporter for the San Francisco Standard for two years, she published over 300 pieces exploring all aspects of the city.

Warner Johnson (moderator), founder of 5 Borough Communications, a PR firm based in San Francisco and New York, serving NGOs, non-profits, startups and businesses within the service sector. He is a member of the interim SFPRRT board.

Host or Publisher San Francisco Public Relations Round Table