The complex consists of three main halls spread out across three blocks and 87 acres (35 ha) in the South of Market neighborhood.

The South of Market Area where Moscone Center was built was claimed by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, and a protracted battle was fought by the displaced low-income residents during the 1960s and 1970s.

The exhibition hall was placed underground to minimize the controversial convention center's visible footprint.

For example, the American College of Surgeons went forward with its annual meeting in October 2024 and then decided afterwards, without disclosing the reason, that it would not return to San Francisco in 2029 as originally scheduled.

[9] In general, San Francisco's "high hotel and booking costs have been cited as challenges, along with concerns over street conditions".

[9] The Moscone Center complex consists of three main halls: Moscone North and South are connected by a pedestrian bridge over Howard Street, as well as by the underground exhibition hall, which extends far beyond the aboveground structures and beneath Yerba Buena Gardens and the Metreon entertainment center.

The installation of this system marked San Francisco's first major step towards obtaining all municipal energy from pollution-free sources.

The location of the complex in the South of Market area provides easy access to downtown San Francisco's many hotels and restaurants, as well as major transportation systems.

The Yerba Buena/Moscone station, in the southwestern corner of the convention center complex, provides access to the Muni Metro, which connects to Caltrain.