Suzanne Zadeh’s background in high-end hospitality, interactions with diplomats, and work with global luminaries shaped the skills she brings to her role as Events Manager at CANOPY. Suzanne worked closely with the White House during the Obama presidency, supporting a delegation during its San Francisco visit. Now, she curates outstanding community programming for our valued members and visiting thought leaders.
This week, Suzanne takes Journal behind the scenes with the CANOPY hospitality team at CANOPY’s flagship coworking and shared office space, Jackson Square.
CANOPY hosts compelling events every month for members. What’s happened recently at Jackson Square?
In June, CANOPY member Canva hosted an exceptional event at our Jackson Square location: the company’s three founders Melani Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams, brought together 70 global team members, including staff from Australia, where Canva is based, for the very first time. We reimagined fourth-floor community spaces as Canva’s dedicated presentation space and prepped conference rooms on the fifth floor for breakouts, closed media interviews, and an intimate VIP lunch.
Another June highlight was collaborating to host an event with Next Ventūres, co-founded by Lance Armstrong and Meg Strong, and CANOPY member Julian Eison as Managing Partner. From 200 attendees, 50 were selected to take a bike tour with Armstrong the following day—a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Do you host event series at CANOPY on behalf of external organizations?
Absolutely! You don’t need to be a member to host an event here at Jackson Square. CANOPY sponsors monthly events with National Geographic Explorers which are open to the public and posted on our website–previous fixtures have included panels on how scientists might detect life in the universe, and how humans would survive an interplanetary journey.
Nat Geo filmed a documentary about a nonprofit I’m involved with that helps women process trauma through surfing, which is how we connected; Nat Geo includes our events in communications to its network, including the glossy newsletters it sends to homes around the Bay Area, helping to introduce our members and their fixtures to a broader, highly engaged audience.
Can you share details of an upcoming event you’re particularly excited about?
On October 17, TEDx San Francisco and Head of TED, Chris Anderson, will host the inaugural TED AI event here in the city. CANOPY is sponsoring TED AI’s events and conference room needs at our Jackson Square location. As Events Manager, my role involves meticulously planning and managing every aspect of these gatherings to ensure seamless execution.
Jackson Square is privileged to host renowned speakers who often grace the TED Talk stage as part of CANOPY’s regular programming. After speaking to diverse thought-provoking topics like the future of transportation, AI, sustainability, and community collaboration, they engage members in meaningful conversations in this intimate setting.
Why did you decide to join CANOPY’s team as Events Manager?
Offering elevated hospitality is part of my identity and diverse background in hosting international events. I was privileged to work with the vice president of Nigeria and the White House agency for President Obama and Michelle Obama before joining Marriott and then InterContinental Hotels Group. I’m creative and love design, and my nonprofit work is extremely important to me; CANOPY’s commitment to sustainability, community, design, and curating meaningful programming aligns with my mission.
I also knew some of our incredible members and their work through my various networks before I applied for the role: our community is a dynamic mix of early-stage founders in various sectors, such as health, design, AI, established VCs, entrepreneurs, and legal professionals–a vibrant blend ideal for new members to expand their network and enhancing social currency. CANOPY is just an incredible place to be.
Why is Jackson Square particularly suited to events?
Jackson Square is CANOPY’s flagship coworking and shared office space in San Francisco, a city that’s home to myriad companies innovating across every field and a destination for significant gatherings. We have 11,000 square feet of versatile, multi-use indoor and outdoor space over two floors, including 50 private offices ranging from one to 40 seats and several communal workspaces, which means we’re able to host large, multi-faceted public or private events without disrupting member services.
Our terraces are ideal for enjoying the California sunshine and views of SF’s iconic Transamerica Tower and Francis Ford Coppola’s Sentinel building across the street. Each of CANOPY’s locations is partly inspired by surrounding historic, richly textured neighborhoods: Jackson Square’s interiors take color cues from the century-old emerald green Sentinel roof and the pale pink exterior of the legendary City Lights Bookstore, a hub for the Beatnik generation, a few blocks over.
CANOPY is known for its design-forward spaces, created to provide members with functional, ergonomic, and emotional space to do their best work. How do design choices at Jackson Square support you and the hospitality team in executing events?
Jackson Square features best-in-class desks from Herman Miller which are easy to configure for any purpose, including modular Public Office Landscape desks and chairs designed by CANOPY’s co-founder Yves Béhar. Modular Seating, which we chose in forest green for our lounge area, is fully wired for power, so we can easily incorporate them into AV setups for events.
Our spacious conference rooms, equipped with whiteboard walls, iPads, and AVR logic cameras and screens, are configured for meetings for up to 20 people by default but are incredibly versatile and can serve many purposes. Previously, we’ve hosted breathwork sessions and created a professional headshot photography studio for Kite.
Compared to other event venues in SF, what distinguishes CANOPY’s amenities and services?
While most event venues require clients to hire an events manager who oversees talent coordination, CANOPY takes pride in providing full-suite services that we tailor exclusively for each client. As your dedicated Events Manager, I orchestrate all essential elements, from managing photographers and caterers, sourcing outside talents like opera singers and musicians, and curating panelists to enrich conversations with eclectic viewpoints.
Whether it’s a corporate panel discussion or a larger networking mixer blending art, music, and augmented reality, hosting your event at CANOPY guarantees complete peace of mind.
What kind of member amenities do you extend to visiting guests?
Our organic fruit vendor Konstantin Kosov–affectionately known in San Francisco as “Fruit Jesus“–drops by several mornings a week to deliver seasonal, locally grown organic fruit sourced directly from farmers and hand-picked for CANOPY. Nectarines, berries, and cherries are currently in season, which the hospitality team prepares and plates in the community kitchen space alongside other sustainably sourced complimentary healthy snacks and beverages. Brian, our full-time barista, typically makes coffee exclusively for members, but we can also make the coffee bar available to our outside guests.
Sustainability is one of CANOPY’s key pillars and so we support local businesses as much as possible, ordering flowers, pastries and breakfast items from within one or two miles of Jackson Square. I work closely with our dedicated catering manager to curate menus in collaboration with top local chefs for any occasion: a relaxed team lunch, meetings with investors or partners, or guest event. We’re very fortunate to be located in this leafy neighborhood, very close to downtown and surrounded by lauded boutiques and restaurants, such as Chef Michael Tusk’s restaurants Cotogna and Quince, which has three Michelin stars.
I welcome all guests personally and offer a tour and complimentary day pass; once people have experienced CANOPY’s boutique design spaces and services, they often sign up for a membership.
How do you and the concierge team spend quieter moments during your workday?
In addition to private offices and three flexible community table memberships, we offer virtual offices with mail services and professional business admin support provided by our team via phone and email. Early afternoon is typically a good time to sort and direct letters and packages for in-house and virtual members and take care of housekeeping before welcoming new members. We’re open 24 hours a day and ensure complete security for members by maintaining personalized credentials to access the building and comprehensively networked security cameras. (Although we offer lockable August storage, most members feel entirely comfortable leaving their bag and laptop on their desk in a community space if they take a call in one of our sound-proofed phone booths or step out to lunch.)
I always take time each day to check in with our members, ask them for feedback on recent programming and if there’s any topic or panelist they’d like to see as part of an upcoming event. While we also send surveys by email, I believe personal connection is more powerful–everyone here knows each other by name, and our members often stop by the community managers’ desks to invite us to lunch, which speaks volumes.
About Suzanne Zadeh
During the challenging times of the pandemic and the need for social distancing, Suzanne’s resourcefulness and love for the ocean led her to transform her car into a mobile office. She began each day with a stimulating sunrise surf in Pacifica before immersing herself in her work while enjoying breathtaking ocean views.
She also worked closely with nonprofits, facilitating surf therapy programs and empowering women to discover their strength through riding the waves. The ocean serves as Suzanne’s teacher, playground, and healer, providing her with metaphors that transcend the sea to the land. Her remarkable journey will soon be chronicled in Katie Burke’s forthcoming book, Sea Change.
Suzanne has always strongly desired to give back to the community and regularly co-hosts significant charity galas and events for various causes. In November, Suzanne will travel to Malawi to contribute to the construction of schools to empower and support education for children–an impactful journey you can learn more about through her inspiring story for buildOn. Suzanne’s big heart, expertise, and dedication to creating remarkable experiences translate to her professional endeavors, especially her role at CANOPY.
“It is truly a privilege to offer elevated hospitality, which comes naturally to me. It is part of my identity, ingrained in my blood, and I cherish every moment working with my team to take care of our valued CANOPY members.”