ATLANTA -(January 31, 2012) The Georgia World Congress Center Authority Board of Directors today approved a six-year renewal of Levy Restaurants’ exclusive food and beverage contract for the Authority’s three venues starting in July 2012.

ATLANTA -(December 1, 2011) The True Value Company’s True Value Spring Market will be returning to the GWCC in 2013 and 2014, after last being held in the city for its Fall Market in 2008.

ATLANTA -(November 15, 2011) The Georgia World Congress Center and Georgia Dome recently joined the Better Building Challenge along with other commercial properties in Downtown Atlanta. Introduced in June by the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, in partnership with Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) and other leading business and community organizations, the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge (Atlanta BBC) officially launched during CAP s Downtown Development Day event on November 3.

ATLANTA -(November 1, 2011) In October, the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) hosted the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition. Anticipating that there would a large quantity of surplus food after the event, the GWCC and PMA worked with the Atlanta Community Food Bank to create a plan for food donations after the conclusion of the show. The Atlanta Community Food Bank, which was founded in 1979, now distributes over 30 million pounds of food and grocery products each year from a 129,600 square-foot facility in Atlanta just 2 miles from the convention center. This product is utilized by more than 700 partner nonprofits that provide food assistance to families and individuals in 38 counties in metro Atlanta and North Georgia. More than 316,000 pounds of surplus produce from PMA went to the food bank.

ATLANTA -(October 15, 2011) The GWCC and Revelation Outdoor Management, the convention center’s in-house digital marketing partner, recently installed a NanoLumens 112” NanoFlex™ digital display that will be used as a portable digital signage display and event banner throughout the center.

ATLANTA -(July 27, 2011) During the past few months, the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) has hosted several events that were particularly interested in producing a green event. With the convention center’s commitment to sustainability, the GWCC was happy to help these events with their efforts. Microsoft hosted two events, Convergence and Tech Ed, and McDonald’s hosted an internal meeting. Joint efforts between the convention center and the customers resulted in a waste diversion rate of 55-65%.

ATLANTA – (July 1, 2011) At the conclusion of events in the building, shows sometimes have left over supplies. The Georgia World Congress Center tries to find a home for these items in our community.

ATLANTA – (June 2, 2011) Atlanta Hall Management, Inc., the organization managing the construction and relocation of the College Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) to Atlanta, recently announced plans to open the attraction later and larger than originally intended. The attraction, located on the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) campus, was set to open in March 2013 and is now projected to open in September 2013 with a groundbreaking in February 2012. The September 2013 opening will be just prior to the Chick-fil-A Kickoff football game held at the Georgia Dome. Originally slated to be a 50,000 square-foot facility, the CFHOF will now be 75,000 square feet and is estimated to attract 500,000 visitors in its first year. In its current South Bend, Ind. location, the attraction has an annual attendance of about 65,000.

This year’s 75.8% diversion rate up from 52% a year ago
ATLANTA – April 12, 2011: With record numbers of registered participants from around the world taking part in the recent fifth annual Publix Georgia Marathon weekend organized by US Road Sports, the event experienced a substantial increase in waste diversion. According to a report from Whitten Management, Inc., the company that handled recycling for the event, the marathon event scored an excellent diversion rate of 75.8%, with only 24.2% of the total event waste being sent to a landfill. This represents an increase of 23.8% from last year’s diversion rate of 52% recycled, with 48% waste. Nearly half of the total waste was corrugated cardboard and over a quarter was plastic bottles.

ATLANTA – March 31, 2011 – The Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA), which includes the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic Park, will be busy March 31-April 3 with several large events on campus and at neighboring facilities. These events will draw over 100 thousand attendees to the campus.

ATLANTA – March 24, 2011 – The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) Event Services department is now using iPads for event planning and execution. Event Coordinators' iPads include all the information needed to create a seamless experience for customers, including documents, policies and procedures, forms, spec sheets, food and beverage orders, floor plans, room layouts, event outlines, schedules and calendars. Additionally, by using iPads, the GWCC’s Event Coordinators are significantly reducing the amount of paper previously used to execute an event and are contributing to the convention center’s sustainability efforts.

ATLANTA - (March 23, 2011) On Saturday, March 26th the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA), which includes the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic Park, will participate in Earth Hour.

ATLANTA - (March 1, 2011) The Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) campus was recently selected to be the new home of the College Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF).

ATLANTA - (February 22, 2011) The Georgia World Congress Center Authority received the results of a third commissioned study performed by Populous Architects regarding the feasibility of building an open-air stadium on the GWCCA campus and sustainability of the Georgia Dome for the next 20 years (links to all studies below). This study was approved and awarded to Populous by the Authority in August 2010.

ATLANTA - (February 11, 2011) February 19-20 is expected to be a busy weekend on the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) campus with two heavily attended events, Bronner Bros. International Hair Show and Cheersport 2011 National Cheerleading & Dance Championship.

ATLANTA - (January 14, 2011) The Georgia World Congress Center Authority Board of Governors, the governor-appointed group that oversees the operation of the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic Park, announced its new officers for the next two years. Leadership positions are voted on by all 15 Board members.

ATLANTA (January 07, 2011) — The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) was recently awarded a $2.3 million grant for a major lighting retrofit and controls system upgrade through the State Retrofit Program. Secured through the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) and its State Energy Program, which received funding for the grant from the U.S. Department of Energy as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the GWCC’s funding will be used for a major replacement of nearly 1,500 lighting fixtures in the convention center’s 12 exhibit halls. The grant, managed by the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission (GSFIC), will be used to replace the current 1,000-watt metal halide lighting fixtures with 750-watt pulse start metal halide fixtures in the center’s 1.4 million square feet of exhibit space. Lighting controls will also be upgraded to models that will allow for greater ability to control the fixtures on an individual basis. The goal of this project is to reduce energy consumption, as well as operation and maintenance costs, by using more energy efficient lamps and advanced lighting controls. The project is estimated to be complete in September 2011.

ATLANTA (January 06, 2011) — Boat enthusiasts attending the Atlanta Boat Show on Saturday, January 15th are encouraged to come early and buy a pre-paid parking pass or to take MARTA due to the Atlanta Falcons Playoff Game.

ATLANTA(December 28, 2010) — Let MARTA do the driving this New Year’s Eve to great celebrations throughout Atlanta including the Chick-fil-A Bowl and Peach Drop New Year’s Eve Celebration at Underground Atlanta. Rail service will run every 15 minutes on the Red, Gold, Blue and Green lines, with trains arriving approximately every 7 ½ minutes between the Lindbergh and Airport rail stations where the Red and Gold lines meet. The last trains will depart Five Points station at 2 a.m. Special event service and staff will be available during the day to accommodate New Year’s Eve events.

ATLANTA(December 28, 2010) — The Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) has hired Tim Trefzer, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP), as the first sustainability coordinator of the facilities.

ATLANTA(Dec. 3, 2010) — The specific site for the new College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta has been selected and organizers have released the first architectural renderings of the facility set to open in March 2013.

ATLANTA and LONG BEACH, CALIF. (September 9, 2010) — The Georgia World Congress Center, a 3.9 million square foot convention facility located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, partnered with PSAV® Presentation Services on September 2 for audiovisual services and event technologies. GWCC ranks among the top five largest convention destinations in the country, as well as one of the best sports and entertainment campuses in the world.

ATLANTA- (August 25, 2010) After a successful Microsoft event earlier this year that yielded a 63.6% diversion rate, the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) set out to achieve an even greater rate when Microsoft returned to the 3.9 million-square-foot convention center last month.

ATLANTA- (July 27, 2010) In the Georgia World Congress Center’s Main Lobby off Andrew Young International Blvd, visitors can now utilize a new lounge area next to the Information Desk and across from Starbucks. The lounge, called the International Lounge, offers guests free wireless internet access and a place to take a break from the busy show floor with comfortable seating. The space is 2,050 square feet with 33 individual armchairs and 2 couches.

ATLANTA- (July 26, 2010) The Georgia World Congress Center hosts over 350 events with over 1.1 million visitors each year. With this high level of activity and attendance, it is important that there is a surveillance system that is cost effective, produces high quality recordable video and provides future system flexibility.

ATLANTA- (July 8, 2010) Levy Restaurants, the Georgia World Congress Center’s exclusive caterer, welcomed 25 Russian delegates for a culinary tour of the facility last month led by Chef Reece Jones, executive sous chef.

ATLANTA- (July 1, 2010) The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) won Venue of the Year last night from Georgia’s chapter of Meeting Professionals International (GaMPI) during the Phoenix Awards held at the Loews Atlanta Hotel.

ATLANTA- (JUNE 29, 2010) The Georgia World Congress Center Authority received the results of a commissioned study performed by Populous regarding the Georgia Dome.

ATLANTA- (JUNE 23, 2010) The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) worked with the Microsoft Corporation in April during their Microsoft Dynamics customer conference, Convergence, to divert as much waste as possible from the landfill.

ATLANTA- (JUNE 14, 2010) Centennial Olympic Park's 4th of July Celebration offers a full day of fun and entertainment for the entire family, including Atlanta's best fireworks display. The AirTran Airways Fireworks Spectacular will be broadcast on live television by 11Alive WXIA-TV and the soundtrack simulcast on Q100.

ATLANTA- (MAY 07, 2010) The Georgia World Congress Center Authority has partnered with the Atlanta Union Mission to provide jobs and supplies to individuals who utilize the mission's services.

ATLANTA- (April 22, 2010) Two thousand nine was a banner year for sustainable practices at the Georgia World Congress Center. The 3.9 million square foot facility increased recycling efforts and started baling corrugated board and composting in back of the house kitchens. As a large facility, there is potential for producing at lot of waste at the venue, but the GWCC views this as an opportunity to divert these materials from the landfill.

ATLANTA- (February 23, 2010) The Georgia World Congress Center Authority announced today that Frank Poe, a 38-year convention center veteran from Dallas, was appointed GWCCA executive director.

ATLANTA - (February 10, 2010) The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) recently launched a new consumer-focused website. In addition to undergoing major cosmetic changes, the site now enables users to access the complete event calendar without ever leaving the home page.