sept-2017

148 149 AT A GLANCE THE GEORGIAWORLD CONGRESS CENTER WHAT: The third largest convention center in the United States WHERE: Downtown Atlanta, Georgia WEBSITE: www.gwcca.org THE GEORGIAWORLD CONGRESS CENTER AT THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN ATLANTA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER GEORGIA THE T heGeorgiaWorldCongress Center (GWCC),inAtlanta,Georgia is the third largest convention center in the United States,and it’s about to get a lot bigger.The facility,which isman- aged by the GeorgiaWorld Congress Center Authority (GWCCA),which also administers the adjacent Georgia Dome,the Centennial OlympicPark,and the Savannah Interna- tional Trade and Convention Center,initially opened in 1976with 350,000 square feet of exhibit space.Additional phases opened in 1985,1992,and 2002,and today,the Center has 1.4million square feet of exhib- it space and a footprint of just under four million square feet. The GWCC ismade up of three adjacent buildings: BuildingsA,B,and C.In total these buildings have twelve exhibit halls, 105meeting rooms,and two ballrooms. BuildingAhas three exhibit halls and the SidneyMarcus auditoriumseating 1,740. Building B,the largest,contains five exhibit halls and the 33,000-square-foot Thomas B.MurphyBallroom.The newest building, Building C,has four exhibit halls and the 25,700-square-foot Georgia Ballroom. Starting in early2018,with a $55million budget appropriated by the Georgia state legislature,the GWCCwill embarkupon the construction of an additional onemillion square feet of contiguous exhibition space, a new100,000-square-foot exhibit hall, 48,000 square feet of newmeeting space, a new20,000-square-foot lobby,and a 30,000-square-foot rooftop terracewhich will include event,exhibit,and reception space.“With that contiguous space,it helps us attract some of the large,million square- foot shows,”saysMarkZimmerman,the Center’s Senior Business Consultant.“For 2019,I have already signed theHelicopter