To our members:

Our lead item today is a request by the San Jose Sharks to collaborate on a special event:  the Feb. 25 celebration of the career of Patrick Marleau and retirement of his No. 12 jersey which will hang in the rafters of SAP Center.

Here's a chance for restaurants, bars, pubs and our most creative businesses to do something extraordinary -- turn the downtown into a pre-game party. Again, please share the word of your special activity (email rjensen@sjdowntown) and we'll publicize it.  SJDA will also use our connections with assignment desks to make sure the media is aware of this news story that not only celebrates "Mr. San Jose Shark," but also boosts downtown businesses.

So in your email, let us know if you are also available to comment to a reporter if requested and we will add you to our list.

Let's take full advantage of what promises to be a great game vs. Chicago and super community event. 

• Sharks plan downtown party for Feb. 25
• Back-to-work numbers improve
• Meetings and workshops
• More promotional opportunities
• City, county announcements
• Parking tip
• Downtown is hiring
• Downtown in the News
• Links

Unedited Letter from the Sharks:

Dear Downtown San Jose Neighbors,
 
On Feb. 25, SAP Center at San Jose will welcome more than 17,000 fans to celebrate Patrick Marleau and the retirement of his No. 12 to the SAP Center rafters.  This is an unprecedented event for the San Jose Sharks and SAP Center, and this will be the first pre-game jersey retirement ceremony in franchise history.
 
The game will be a complete sell-out and the arrival of Sharks fans to downtown San Jose will likely be at levels not seen since the Sharks reached the Stanley Cup Final in June 2016.  The celebration will include several ancillary, pre-game activities.  The timeline for these activities is below, as well as some additional information intended to help our Downtown business partners benefit from the opportunity of this momentous occasion. Communications from the Sharks preceding the event will encourage early arrival to Downtown San Jose to ensure guests are ready in their seat inside SAP Center to enjoy the pregame number retirement ceremony, which is scheduled to begin at 5:35pm.
 
Event                                                                                       Time
Patty Fest on Barrack Obama Boulevard                                 3:00pm – 4:15pm
SAP Center Sharks365 Member Early Entry                            3:45pm
SAP Center General Fan Entry                                                 4pm
Patrick Marleau Number Retirement Ceremony                  5:35pm – 6:15pm
Pregame warmups                                                                    6:44pm – 7pm
Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks game begins                         7:23pm
 
Most Sharks fans attending the game will want to be in their seats at SAP Center prior to the Patrick Marleau No. 12 retirement ceremony, which begins at 5:35pm. 
 
To help elevate the overall event experience for our guests and your customers, we encourage our downtown partners to prepare for early arriving Sharks fans by having all available vehicle parking locations open and staffed for event attendees.  We also encourage our local restaurants, bars and pubs to attract guests to their establishments prior to the game by promoting food and drink specials in recognition of Patrick Marleau and his accomplishments. Additionally, we encourage our local establishments to communicate the pre-game Patrick Marleau No. 12 Retirement Ceremony time as 5:35pm.  We don’t want anyone to miss out on the festivities.
 
Some notable information about Patrick Marleau includes:

• He is referred to as “Mr. San Jose Shark”
• His 1,779 NHL games played makes him the National Hockey League’s all-time leader in regular season games played
• Has 1,197 points throughout his NHL career (1,111 with the San Jose Sharks)
• He scored 566 NHL goals – 522 with the Sharks
• He is only the fourth player in NHL history to record at least 900 consecutive games played
• Won goal medals with Team Canada during the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics
• His favorite drink is an “Old Fashioned”

The Patrick Marleau No. 12 Retirement ceremony will be a celebration of Patrick, his accomplishments and his legacy in San Jose. It will also be a tremendous opportunity for our partners in Downtown San Jose to elevate the overall event experience for their customers. We encourage you to be ready to receive early arriving Sharks fans. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Jim Sparaco, Director, Publications at jsparaco@sjsharks.com.

Reserved parking now available on ParkSJ.org

ParkSJ will have its standard SAP pre-pay of $10 starting at noon Feb. 25 and running throughout the day until game time. Be sure to share with your customers that they can now RESERVE a space in the Market and San Pedro Garage on game and event days. Check out the new capabilities of ParkSJ.org.

Occupancy Surpasses 50% for the First Time Since Pandemic Began

Occupancy continues to climb as employees across the country return to the office. The 10-city Back to Work Barometer rose nearly a point to 50.4% occupancy, reaching a new record high and surpassing the halfway mark for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The weekly high was Tuesday at 58.6% and the low was Friday at 34.9% occupancy.

Almost all tracked cities held steady or saw increases last week, with only Houston and Dallas dipping more than half a point. San Jose – though still at the bottom of the Barometer – experienced the biggest jump of any city, rising nearly three points to 41.1% occupancy. All ten cities on the Barometer have now reached occupancy rates above 40%.

In San Jose, the barometer showed Friday was lowest day of the week at 28% occupancy and Tuesday approached 49%, the highest of the week.