REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Report on Community Engagement Major Events 2026, and Request for City Council Action on Logo and Slogan
Report
BACKGROUND
The City of Santa Clara (City) hosted Super Bowl 50 in 2016. Back then, in anticipation of hosting the first Super Bowl at Levi’s® Stadium (Stadium) the City adopted strategic objectives that included developing a plan for city-sponsored community events leading up to the Super Bowl; and an Outreach Program for Santa Clara businesses to become involved in with the Super Bowl 50 Business Connect Program. Santa Clara developed a Slogan “The Center of What’s Possible” and branding tagline “50 Awesome Things to do in Santa Clara”. The City also hired an event management service consultant to assist in producing the community events; Super Black and Gold Ball, Super Community Celebration (including concert at Santa Clara University), and Super Community Exhibit at Triton Museum of Art. Additional events included Art unveiling: “Anything’s Possible”, Super Community 5k/10K/Fun Run, STEM Innovation Bowl among others.
In 2026, City will be hosting two major sporting events Super Bowl LX (SBLX) and six Fédération Internationale de Football (FIFA) Men’s World Cup 2026 (FWC26) matches at the Stadium.
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). It serves as the final game of every NFL season and is generally played on the second Sunday in February. SBLX will be held at the Stadium on February 8, 2026.
The FIFA Men’s World Cup is an international soccer competition between the national teams of the FIFA, the sport's international governing body. The World Cup is held every four years and is the most prestigious association soccer tournament in the world, as well as the most widely viewed and followed single sporting event. The six FWC26 matches hosted at the Stadium will be held:
• Match 8 | Group Stage | Saturday, June 13
• Match 20 | Group Stage | Tuesday, June 16
• Match 31 | Group Stage | Friday, June 19
• Match 44 | Group Stage | Monday, June 22
• Match 60 | Group Stage | Thursday, June 25
• Match 81 | Round of 32 | Wednesday, July 1
DISCUSSION
The 2026 Super Bowl and FIFA Major Events represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase Santa Clara’s cultural vitality, strengthen community pride, and support local businesses. Recognizing the importance of being the only city to host both events, the City Council has taken steps to ensure the City is prepared to host the major events in 2026.
The City Council and Stadium Authority adopted Guiding Principles for SBLX and FWC26, several of which focused on community engagement/involvement:
1. Professionally oversee SBLX/FWC26 events in a manner that positively highlights the City of Santa Clara and celebrates the rich diversity of Santa Clara’s neighborhoods.
2. Attain reimbursement of all event costs, including public safety (pre- and post-event costs).
3. Ensure direct benefits to the Santa Clara community and Santa Clara businesses.
4. Plan and provide for communication and engagement with residential neighborhoods adjacent to Levi’s Stadium and other venues that will be utilized for large events.
5. Ensure specific benefits to and involvement of Santa Clara youth and adult soccer programs.
6. Seek revenue generating utilization of the Santa Clara Convention Center and other event and recreation spaces (including college and school facilities) in the City of Santa Clara without any impact to the General Fund.
7. Seek mitigation of City and Stadium Authority financial risks and liabilities.
8. Engage in transparent communication on pre-planning efforts, with periodic progress reports to the City Council, including reports published on the City’s website to promote engagement and awareness for residential neighborhoods adjacent to the Stadium and the City as a whole.
9. Pledge that the Santa Clara City Council, Stadium Authority Board, and City staff will follow the law, act ethically and transparently with the expectation that other parties do the same.
In January of 2025, the City Council transitioned the former Economic Development and Communications Committee to the Economic Development and Marketing (EDMC) Committee Ad Hoc (Committee), refining its scope to a focused scope and limited duration. The Committee’s purpose is to provide input and ensure inclusive community engagement, with agendas that include updates from Discover Santa Clara, and a strong emphasis on economic impact opportunities, as well as business and resident engagement leading up to the 2026 major events.
Since April 2025, the Committee has advanced planning for community activation tied to Super Bowl LX and the FIFA World Cup 2026.
• April 28, 2025, Staff presented a strategic framework for community activation and event support and introduced the formation of a Major Events Task Force to focus on fundraising, outreach, and engagement.
• June 2, 2025: The Committee and stakeholders reviewed the draft Citywide 2026 Economic Development & Community Engagement Plan, including proposed priorities, programming, and campaign theme options:
o Santa Clara: Where the World Kicks Off
o Santa Clara: Get Your Kicks in 2026
o Santa Clara 2026: The World Plays Here
• June 23, 2025: An Event Strategy Workshop mapped potential event locations against city assets, demographics, and community interests. Results from the Community Ideas Generator Survey (launched June 17) were incorporated. A Community Values Survey was planned to identify core values for shaping a unifying slogan.
• July 14, 2025: Committee reviewed survey results and workshop outcomes. The top community values identified:
o Home (46), Diversity (34), Community (29), Inclusive (16), Family (12).
The Committee reviewed potential event and activation opportunities and partnerships that would then be categorized into of the following: City-led, Community-led and Sponsor Partner.
• July 28, 2025: Presentations were made by community stakeholders and partners proposing sponsor-led engagement events in the lead-up to 2026. Presenters included Diana Ding, Patty Wong, Ana Vargas-Smith, Harbir Bhatia, David Kertes (on behalf of Robert Haugh), Ester Rubin, and Debra von Huene.
• August 11, 2025: The Committee conducted a workshop to further refine the proposed events and activations, including a shortlist of potential City-led events, and continued to hear sponsor/partner proposals for community engagement activities.
The Committee will be meeting Monday, September 22, 2026, where staff will present the recommended slogan and logo and event and activation priority list.
Slogan and Logo Development
The development of Santa Clara’s new slogan and logo has been a collaborative and community-driven effort guided through the Committee input, with the support of City staff and development by the consultant team, Zo Agency.
This effort is not intended to replace the City’s existing brand, but rather to extend and elevate it in the context of the 2026 major events. The campaign’s primary purpose is to foster community pride and belonging, ensuring that residents feel ownership, excitement, and connection as Santa Clara prepares to welcome the world. Grounded in the top values identified through community input-Home, Diversity, Community, Inclusive, and Family-the slogan and logo are designed to serve as a unifying message that both celebrates Santa Clara’s identity and encourages residents to rally together as hosts.
Staff, in collaboration with the consultant, translated community values into archetypes that served as the foundation for both design and messaging. Through a structured theme and slogan development process, ideas were refined into concepts that resonate with local residents while also representing Santa Clara on a global stage. To meet time-sensitive campaign needs, the design effort included an accelerated artist phase, completed within a condensed timeframe while remaining firmly rooted in the community’s identity.
Development of the slogan took several iterations, some of the slogans that missed the mark included:
• From every corner we come
• Game on, World
• All plays lead here
• Gather here. Go far
• All the world-our stage
• Home field, global stage
• Home field for the world
The slogan that emerged as the strongest reflection of Committee and community input is “Where the Mission Meets the Moment.”
This phrase bridges Santa Clara’s proud identity as The Mission City with the excitement of hosting landmark global events. The words “meets the moment” convey timeliness, readiness, and the City’s ability to rise to the occasion. The slogan also connects past and future, local and global, while instilling pride and inviting broad community participation. Overall, the slogan embodies Santa Clara’s role as a bridge linking history with opportunity and community with the world stage. The slogan is versatile and the words mission and moment can be interpreted in multiple ways. The slogan conveys the idea that Santa Clara and its community rise to the moment, overcome obstacles, and achieve what they set out to accomplish, making it a dynamic and inspirational message for all audiences.
Santa Clara’s slogan is intended first and foremost for our residents. The goal is to bring the community together building pride, belonging, and a shared sense of ownership as the City prepares to host global events. While the campaign will naturally have external visibility, its true purpose is internal: to empower residents, businesses, and community groups to see themselves as ambassadors for Santa Clara during the 2026 major events.
The development of the logo paired with the slogan focused on creating a modern design that reflects innovation while highlighting what makes Santa Clara unique. Staff and the consultant drew inspiration from photography and iconography (the idea that an image can tell a story) that best represent the city and its community. Key elements were selected to convey specific values: the Central Park Pavilion symbolizes gathering, reflecting the city’s central place for events; the City’s Peace Rose represents heritage and civic pride; Stadium signals where major events will take place; the microchip conveys innovation and Santa Clara’s connection to the tech industry; and images of community members emphasize inclusivity, togetherness, and local identity. Together, these elements form a logo that complements the slogan and captures the spirit of Santa Clara for both residents and visitors.
In addition to the primary logo and slogan, staff and the consultant are recommending the adoption of a brand mark that will serve as a versatile design element to support the overall 2026 branding campaign. The mark is a simplified, recognizable graphic that complements the logo and reinforces the City’s identity in connection with major events.
Recommended City Logo and Mark:
Next Steps
Staff is requesting Council approval of the proposed slogan and logo. Staff will return to Council at a future meeting with the following for consideration and action:
• A contract and budget with a consultant to lead branding and promotional efforts tied to the 2026 major events
• An agreement with an event production/producer to support implementation
• Approval of the Event and Acitivation Priority List
• A budget for the approved City-led events/engagement efforts
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are no financial impacts related to preparing this report aside from administrative time. As part of the next agenda item which will present greater details and potential items for council action.
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office and Finance as necessary.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve the recommended Slogan and Logo.
Staff
Reviewed by: Paulina Morales, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Jovan Grogan, City Manager