Georgia World Congress Center | |
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Address | 285 Andrew Young Intl Blvd NW |
Location | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Coordinates | 33°45′31″N 84°23′54″W / 33.758652°N 84.39841°W |
Owner | State of Georgia |
Opened | 1976 |
Expanded | 1985, 1992, 2002 |
Enclosed space | |
• Total space | 3,900,000 sq ft (360,000 m2)(90 Acres) |
• Ballroom | Yes |
Parking | Over 5,600 spaces[1] |
Public transit access | Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority at GWCC/CNN Center at Peachtree Center |
Website | |
www |
The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) is a convention center in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Enclosing some 3.9 million ft2 (360,000 m2)[2][3] in exhibition space and hosting more than a million visitors each year, the GWCC is the world's largest LEED certified convention center and the fourth-largest convention center in the United States.[4] Opened in 1976, the GWCC was the first state-owned convention center established in the United States. The center is operated on behalf of the state by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, which was chartered in 1971 by Georgia General Assembly to develop an international trade and exhibition center in Atlanta. The authority later developed the Georgia Dome, Centennial Olympic Park, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which replaced the Georgia Dome. In 2017, the Georgia Dome was closed on March 5 and demolished by implosion on November 20 while Mercedes-Benz Stadium officially opened on August 26. While the GWCCA owns Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AMB Group, the parent organization for the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer's Atlanta United FC, is responsible for the stadium's operations.
In addition to convention and trade shows, the GWCC often coordinated with the Georgia Dome to host activities in conjunction with major events being held at the dome. Every year, the center hosts SEC Football Fanfare, a two-day fan festival for the thousands of Southeastern Conference football fans in the city for the SEC Championship Game. The center played host to a similar event in tandem with WrestleMania XXVII, WrestleMania Axxess.[5] Family Feud started taping at Georgia World Congress Center in 2015 and stayed there until 2017, when it moved back to Los Angeles. Feud returned to Georgia World Congress Center in August 2020 and remained there until 2021.
The GWCC is located in downtown Atlanta at 285 Andrew Young International Boulevard NW, adjacent to CNN Center and State Farm Arena. Public transportation is serviced by the GWCC/CNN Center MARTA station. Delta Air Lines previously had a ticket office in the lobby of the complex.[6]
Though similarly named, the Georgia International Convention Center is a smaller unrelated facility located near Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.