About the Georgia Dome

The Georgia Dome is the largest cable-supported domed stadium in the world. Located in the heart of downtown, the Dome is the home venue for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. The Dome hosted Super Bowls XXVIII and XXXIV, the NCAA Men's Final Four in 2002 and the Women's Final Four in 2003. Annually, the Dome hosts the Atlanta Football classic, the SEC Football Championship, and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

GENERAL INFORMATION : The Georgia Dome is owned by the state of Georgia and operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, which also operates the Georgia World Congress Center and Centennial Olympic Park. Together, the three facilities comprise one of the largest sports, entertainment and convention complexes in the world.

BASIC FEATURES : A cable-supported, Teflon-coated Fiberglass fabric roof filters natural light, producing an open-air atmosphere inside the Dome. Beneath the roof, the Georgia Dome features a 102,000-square-foot sealed concrete floor with utility grids on 30-foot centers. The concrete floor, along with a variety of artificial playing surfaces, allows the stadium to accommodate a variety of events, from football and basketball games to trade shows, corporate meetings, and major concerts like the Rolling Stones and Backstreet Boys.

SEATING CAPACITY : With a seating capacity of 71,500 for football, the Georgia Dome also provides arena and stadium configurations seating from 20,000 to 80,000 people. The floor of the Dome seats 9,100 theater-style, 6,000 in a classroom setting, 4,000 for banquets and up to 10,000 for receptions. An additional five meeting rooms can each accommodate from 50 to 150 people.

EVENTS: Annually, the Georgia Dome is host to such renowned events as Atlanta Falcons football, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, SEC Football and Basketball Championships. The Dome also hosts other college football and basketball, major high school football, a variety of trade shows, corporate meetings, and concerts. The facility hosted the NCAA Men's Final Four in 2002, Women's Final Four in 2003, Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994, and gymnastics, basketball and team handball during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. The Men's Final Four returns in 2007.

FUNDING : The Georgia World Congress Center Authority issued industrial revenue bonds to finance construction of the $214 million Georgia Dome. The bond debt service is being paid with revenue from stadium operations, executive suites and club seats and a portion of the Atlanta and Fulton County hotel-motel tax. Bond insurance guarantees debt service payment with no financial risk to taxpayers.

EXECUTIVE CLUB SEATS AND SUITES: The Georgia Dome features 203 executive suites and 4,600 executive club seats. In 2003, the Georgia Dome contracted the Atlanta Falcons as the exclusive sales agent for the Executive Leasing Program and the Building Sponsorship Program. Both executive suite and club seat members receive Falcons season tickets, first option to buy tickets to public events, reserved VIP parking and exclusive access to the Executive Concourse featuring the In-Zone gourmet restaurant. Club seats may be leased for $1,260 to $2,000 per year and offer extra-wide, cushioned armchairs with high backs. Executive suites range in price from $24,000 to $140,000 per year, and each comes equipped with custom furnishings, a cable-ready television, a wet bar and a private rest room.

EXECUTIVE CONCOURSE : The Executive Concourse offers exclusive access to executive suites and club seats. A beautifully decorated, sun-filled atrium, the concourse features lounge areas, specialty concessions and large-screen televisions.

FOOD SERVICE/MERCHANDISE: MGR Food Services manages all catering, concessions, restaurant services and merchandise sales in the Dome. MGR has been recognized internationally for the superb cuisine and service it provides for the Georgia World Congress Center and Georgia Dome. MGR handles a variety of affairs, from small receptions to the world's largest banquets.

ACCESSIBILITY/PARKING: With Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and two commuter airports nearby, the Georgia Dome is accessible to 83 percent of the American population in two hours or fewer. MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) serves the Georgia Dome via two stations. Taxi service is also available. More than 15,000 parking spaces are available within walking distance of the Georgia Dome, and the Georgia World Congress Center operates more than 4,000 parking spaces adjacent to the facility and a staging area for buses. The GWCC always provides optimum barrier-free access for its guests.

ECONOMIC IMPACT : Over the last five years, events in the Georgia Dome generated a total economic impact of $1 billion. The Dome also annually sustained more than 4,200 full- and part-time jobs and generated more than $20 million in tax revenues to Georgia's economy last year alone.

GEORGIA DOME KEY STAFF

Dan Graveline
Executive Director

Khalil Johnson
Chief Operating Officer

Carl Adkins
General Manager

David Mott
Assistant General Manager

Lawanna Jackson
Administration Manager

Patrick White
Building Services Manager

Ken Jefferson
Event Services Manager

Gail Solomon
Executive Services Manager

Tiffany Daniels
Sales Manager

TBA
Security Manager

Mike McNeely
Superintendent of Engineering

Keith Ayers
Ticket Office Manager

License agreements are the legal documents that outline the guidelines for contracting space at the Georgia Dome

The Georgia Dome executes three different license agreements, depending on the event. The License Agreement for Publicly Ticketed Events is used for any ticketed event - from concerts to NCAA basketball tournaments to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

The License Agreement for Traditional Events is similar to the GWCC agreement for trade show customers. Events that would enter into this agreement would include large corporate events and conventions and trade shows that utilize the floor of the Dome.

The "Short Form" is reserved for events limited to the Club Lounges, the Dome's five meeting rooms and other small meeting space.

FALCONS' AGREEMENT SYNOPSIS

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority entered into a long-term agreement with the Atlanta Falcons in 1989 as an essential component for financing the Georgia Dome. The following Attachment A summarizes the key points in the original agreement, which in-turn became part of the Trust Indenture for revenue bonds issued by the Authority to construct the stadium. The agreement was generally recognized as fair to both sides, providing the Dome with dedicated long-term revenue centers, while at the same time improving the Falcons' financial position and home field facilities. It is important to note that being tied to the bond trust indenture in essence means neither the Authority nor the Falcons can make material changes to the agreement until bond debt is retired.

Following the death of Falcons' owner Rankin Smith in 2001, the team was purchased by Arthur Blank. As stipulated in the original agreement, the Authority approved transfer of the license agreement to the new owner, AMB Group, Inc., which is Mr. Blank's corporate entity for owning the team.