2015 Centennial Celebration

Serious planning has begun for the centennial celebration of the 1915 Panama – California Exposition. In retrospect, the original event in 1915 could be considered a “world's fair,” due to its scope and lasting heritage. While the primary venue of that event was the fledgling Balboa Park, the overriding theme was a celebration of progress, prosperity and opportunity as represented by the completion and opening of the Panama Canal and the location of San Diego as the first U.S. port-of-call for northbound maritime trade. The scope of the 2015 centennial celebration is still to be determined, but as a milestone event in this city’s history, it represents, once again, an opportunity to focus the eyes of the state, the nation and perhaps the world on San Diego.

• Download the Balboa Park 2015 Centennial Celebration report, a publication that conveys a high-level, inspirational vision for the celebration. The vision is the result of a two-day charrette that took place in November 2010.
• View the presentation made to the San Diego City Council Natural Resources & Culture Committee on Wednesday, March 23, 2011.

Host Committee Concept

In early 2009, community leaders and Balboa Park stakeholders met under the auspices of the Office of the Mayor to agree upon the general format and operating model of a Host Committee for the continued planning and ultimate implementation of the Centennial Celebration. The City of San Diego is familiar with this model, having used it several times for major events. Three Super Bowls and the America’s Cup Yacht Races are historic examples. Most recently, golf’s US Open at Torrey Pines operated with a Host Committee management structure. This structure provides for a not-for-profit entity, created for the specific purpose of organizing and managing the celebration. This entity would then have a formal relationship with the City through a Memorandum of Understanding or contract to produce the celebration.

As originally proposed, the Host Committee would be comprised of three primary components:

• A management team led by a top notch Executive Director/General Manager with experience in planning and executing major events.
• A Board of Directors comprised of recognized, local/regional titans of industry/education/philanthropy who will bring experience, a personal network and credibility to the organization.
• An organizational structure that provides for stakeholder and community involvement at several levels including but not limited to:
  • Community Leadership Team would serve as strategic committee chairs of the Host Committee. These volunteers would complement the management team and be responsible to support the myriad components necessary to produce a significant, year-long event.
  • 2015 Foundation Board comprised of community leaders and local philanthropists charged with assisting the professional staff with sponsorship development and fundraising.
  • Stakeholder Advisory Board with membership based primarily on roles and not individuals. This group would grow over time as the areas of emphasis for the celebration become more focused. Following is a preliminary/partial list of organizations that could be represented: Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, Balboa Park Committee, Friends of Balboa Park, Committee of 100, SD Regional Chamber of Commerce, BioCom, Connect, C-3, Clean Tech, representatives from focused interest organizations such as Historic Preservation, Accessible, Military, Education, Land Use, Environmental, and planning groups surrounding the Park, among others.