Metro Atlanta
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“Atlanta doesn’t just host conventions; it elevates them,” says Charlene Lopez, executive vice president and chief sales officer of the Atlanta CVB.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport helps make that scale practical, with nonstop service to more than 160 domestic and nearly 90 international destinations. Citywide lodging exceeds 115,000 rooms.
Atlanta’s downtown convention district brings large-scale meeting space, major hotels, dining, and attractions into a compact footprint. The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) has 1.5 million square feet of exhibit space, 13 exhibit halls, 99 meeting rooms, and two grand ballrooms. Billed as the world’s largest LEED Gold-certified convention center, it anchors a 200-plus-acre sports and entertainment campus, which includes Mercedes-Benz Stadium, State Farm Arena, Centennial Olympic Park, and Signia by Hilton Atlanta. More than 13,000 hotel rooms are accessible to the GWCC campus, giving large programs choices at several price points.
Major convention hotels include the 1,663-room Atlanta Marriott Marquis; 1,260-room Hyatt Regency Atlanta; 1,249-room Hilton Atlanta; 1,073-room Westin Peachtree Plaza; 1,059-room Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park; 976-room Signia by Hilton Atlanta; and 763-room Courtland Grand Hotel.
Surrounding attractions include the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, and National Center for Civil and Human Rights, allowing planners to create off-sites and companion itineraries within close proximity to downtown.
The historic Fox Theatre extends Atlanta’s event inventory into Midtown. Its landmark auditorium seats 4,665, while private-event spaces include the 6,885-square-foot Egyptian Ballroom, accommodating 500 for banquets or 600 for receptions; the 3,814-square-foot Grand Salon, which opens to a terrace and accommodates 150 for banquets or 200 for receptions; and the 10,000-square-foot Marquee Club, accommodating up to 350 for receptions. The Marquee Club’s rooftop and conservatory can host up to 150, weather permitting.
Atlanta’s neighborhoods help planners vary the experience. Downtown is the choice for the largest meetings and walkable attractions; Midtown adds the Woodruff Arts Center, Fox Theatre, Atlanta Botanical Garden, and restaurant clusters; and Buckhead combines luxury hotels, high-end shopping, and executive dining. MARTA connects the airport to all three districts and now offers real-time trip information, service alerts, and tap-and-pay access. The growing Atlanta Beltline provides another way to build walking, cycling, and neighborhood dining into itineraries.
Teambuilding ranges from Wellness by the Water classes at the Georgia Aquarium to community-service projects with Piedmont Park or Meals on Wheels Atlanta. For bleisure travelers, the city has more than 300 parks and outdoor spaces, Civil Rights landmarks, and family attractions.
“Atlanta makes it easy to turn a business trip into an unforgettable family getaway,” Lopez says.
Several developments are also underway. The 50-acre Centennial Yards project is revamping a section of downtown with entertainment, dining, and mixed-use development, including the recently opened 80,000-square-foot Cosm immersive venue and a planned Live Nation concert hall. South downtown is restoring and activating 58 historic buildings across 16 acres, while The CTR (the former CNN CTR) is adding a food-and-culture hub.
Atlanta’s dining scene now includes 63 MICHELIN Guide selections and eight MICHELIN one-star restaurants, with chef-driven options stretching from fine dining in Buckhead to food halls and Southern cuisine across the city’s neighborhoods.
