November 2019- Sponsor Spotlight - Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau

Melissa Legaux, CMP National Sales Manager Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau Current VP of Finance for MPI Georgia Member since 2012

More Beds for Heads, Innovative Adventures & Exciting Infrastructure
What's New with Atlanta's Convention Scene

In the recent past, Atlanta has been awarded “Best Cities in the U.S.” by Lonely Planet, and with transformational developments and updates completed and on the horizon, the city plans to continue to live up to the title.

 Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) campus, which includes the Georgia World Congress Center, Centennial Olympic Park, and the state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium, is the largest combined convention, sports and entertainment campus in North America. GWCCA’s campus features over 200 acres of prime event space. There are more than 12,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the campus, creating a walkable park-like experience in a downtown urban environment, where event attendees can visit some of the city’s most popular attractions and restaurants.

Year after year, Atlanta has been dedicated to smartly investing in this campus and the convention culture by developing and updating premier lodging properties, creating exciting attractions and architecting inclusive meeting and event experiences. Downtown Atlanta incorporated some major changes into its landscape in 2019, and that’s just the beginning. Adding to the city’s skyline are three new hotels that offer world-class accommodations.

The anxiously awaited Signia Hilton, GWCCA’s  future headquarter hotel, will offer an unparalleled arrival experience, from grand lobbies and contemporary design to inspiring meeting spaces, inviting guest rooms, and seamless technology integrations throughout the entire property. The transformed and redefined Candler Hotel Atlanta is set to open this fall, showcasing more than 260 rooms and 6,000 square feet of event space. And in true celeb-fashion, Reverb by Hard Rock is slated to open with more than 170 rooms equipped with the latest tech enhancements and (of course) a nod to rock ‘n’ roll’s legends. All three will be within walking distance of the Downtown convention district, producing an easy commute for meetings and first-class attractions.

Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere, has an exciting new exhibit in the works, which will feature exotic sharks from hammerheads to sand tigers. The 2020 expansion of the aquarium will showcase these curious sea creatures, educating the public on conservation, ecology, and marine biology.

Visitors of Centennial Olympic Park—an Olympic legacy and 22-acre urban oasis in the center of Atlanta’s dynamic downtown entertainment district—will be led in the right direction with expert Atlanta ambassadors providing on-site concierge knowledge and service. The recent re-envisioning of the Park focused on increasing community access, strengthening its Olympic heritage, and enhancing the visitor experience. Additionally, visitors will be able to explore the new Centennial Yards, an expansive corridor of shopping, dining, and recreation (opening in 2020).

 

2020 will also bear fruit for many transformational changes to the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC). GWCC’s new 100,000 square-foot exhibit hall will connect Buildings B and C, creating more than 1-million square feet of contiguous exhibition space. The anticipated completion date is December 2019.

To get a bird’s-eye view of today’s Downtown (or even an in-depth delve into the city streets themselves through virtual reality) you can take a virtual tour. Go ahead, experience Atlanta with 360ATL.

As you can see by these development projects, Atlanta is HOT as ever. We want every meeting to be more successful and productive than the last. We are a collaborative hospitality community providing innovative services, top-tier amenities, and unsurpassed venues. The Atlanta CVB partners with the city’s hotels, attractions, food and beverage outlets, neighborhoods, and hospitality professionals to ensure your experience is flawless. While planning your next meeting or event, make sure to reach out to Atlanta CVB for any assistance, big or small.