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Sporting Events
Atlanta is known as the “Sports Capital of the South.” With five professional sports teams and a number of annual sporting events, not to mention hosting the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, Atlanta is a sports lover’s paradise. The Georgia World Congress Center has had its fair share of sporting events over the years. During the 1996 Olympics, the GWCC held seven Olympic-sporting events and was home to the International Broadcast Center. The Georgia Dome hosted gymnastics, basketball and team handball. And, Centennial Olympic Park served as the world’s gathering place during the games.
 Today, the Georgia World Congress Center continues to be an exceptional venue for sporting and special events. The proximity of the GWCC to the Georgia Dome makes it a reasonable choice for fanfares and pep rallies in association with annual events at the Dome. Each year, Atlantans and visitors come downtown to attend the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl or the SEC Football Championship. Fans make a day out of it at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl FanFest or the SEC Dr. Pepper FanFare, both held next door at the Georgia World Congress Center. After hours of fun with interactive games, exhibits and shopping, visitors walk a few steps across the plaza into the Georgia Dome for the sporting action. It’s that easy!
The Georgia World Congress Center also hosts spectator-sporting events with no problem at all. With exhibit halls starting at 86,000 square feet (some expandable to 607,500), the GWCC can easily accommodate the event complete with bleachers, ticket booths, food stations and more. Events like CheerSport, a national cheerleading and dance competition, bring thousands of competitors, fans and spectators to the Congress Center. With 3.9 million square feet of total square feet, the GWCC can accommodate this type of event without guests feeling claustrophobic. The event even utilizes the Thomas B. Murphy Ballroom for elaborate trophy presentations with stellar lighting and sound features.
The U.S. Volleyball Association serves it up at the GWCC with more than 40 standard-size volleyball courts on the exhibit floor. U.S. Volleyball utilizes meeting rooms, auditoriums and extra exhibit hall space to accommodate the spectators as well as the athletes. Either way you look at it, the Congress Center is the perfect place for sporting events.
Special Events
 The Georgia World Congress Center is not just home to international conventions that take up the entire space available. The Atlanta convention center is also home to numerous special events each year that range from private meetings to Presidential addresses to the nation. Every event, no matter how big it is, gets the same full attention from the courteous staff at the Georgia World Congress Center.
In 2001, President George W. Bush and his White House team chose the Georgia World Congress Center as the site to address the nation about homeland security. His speech, held in the Thomas B. Murphy Ballroom, reassured America of our safety and commitment to put an end to terrorism. The address was broadcast live around the world. It was a historic evening that proved the Georgia World Congress Center’s commitment to excellence.
Another historic event held on-site at the GWCC was the 2004 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition Championship. The event was an exciting, multi-national competition where teams solved an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way. It is a life-changing, career-molding experience for those involved. In 2004, FIRST utilized both the Georgia World Congress Center exhibit halls and the Georgia Dome for competition. The plazas came alive with activity during non-competition hours. FIRST was an ideal event for the GWCC because of the campus-feel that is associated with the convention center.
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