View source for Georgia World Congress Center

{{Short description|Convention center in Atlanta, Georgia, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox Convention Center
| name             = Georgia World Congress Center
| image            = Georgia World Congress Center.svg
| image_size       = 150px
| image_caption    = <!--logo, no caption-->
| address          = 285 Andrew Young Intl Blvd NW
| location         = [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], U.S.
| coordinates      = {{coord|33.758652|-84.39841|type:landmark_region:US|display=it}}
| owner            = State of Georgia
| built            =
| opened           = {{start date and age|1976|9|8}}
| renovated        =
| expanded         = 1985, 1992, 2002
| closed           =
| demolished       =
| construction_cost=
| former_names     =
| banquets         =
| theatre          =
| total_space      = {{convert|3900000|sqft|abbr=on}}(90 Acres)
| exhibit          =
| breakout         =
| ballroom         = Yes
| parking          = Over 5,600 spaces<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwcc.com/directions/parking/Default.aspx |title=Georgia World Congress Center - Parking |access-date=May 7, 2014 |archive-date=August 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819142712/http://www.gwcc.com/directions/parking/default.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| publictransit    = '''[[Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority]]'''<small>{{rail color box|system=MARTA|line=Green}}{{rail color box|system=MARTA|line=Blue}}</small> at [[GWCC/CNN Center station|GWCC/CNN Center]]<br /> <small> {{rail color box|system=MARTA|line=Red}}{{rail color box|system=MARTA|line=Gold}} </small> at [[Peachtree Center station|Peachtree Center]]
| website          = {{URL|http://www.gwcc.com/}}
}}

The '''Georgia World Congress Center''' ('''GWCC''') is a [[convention center]] in [[Atlanta, Georgia]], U.S. Enclosing 3.9 million ft<sup>2</sup> (360,000 m<sup>2</sup>)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gwcc.com/doc/mpreport3.pdf|title=GWCC - Georgia World Congress Center Authority|website=www.gwcc.com|access-date=April 20, 2011|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030628/http://www.gwcc.com/doc/mpreport3.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gwcc.com/about/Fun_Facts.aspx|title=GWCC - Georgia World Congress Center Authority|website=www.gwcc.com|access-date=July 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225041647/http://gwcc.com/about/Fun_Facts.aspx|archive-date=December 25, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 30, 2014 |title=Georgia World Congress Center Becomes World's Largest LEED Certified Convention Center |url=https://www.exhibitoronline.com/news/article.asp?ID=14128 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112212828/https://www.exhibitoronline.com/news/article.asp?ID=14128 |archive-date=November 12, 2014 |website=exhibitoronline.com}}</ref> 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]] [[american football|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]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=WrestleMania |url=https://www.wwe.com/node/16124324/wrestlemaniaweek |website=WWE}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> ''[[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 (Atlanta)|State Farm Arena]]. Public transportation is serviced by the [[GWCC/CNN Center station|GWCC/CNN Center]] [[Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority|MARTA]] station. [[Delta Air Lines]] previously had a ticket office in the lobby of the complex.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20000818083712/http://www.delta-air.com/care/addresses/cto/index.jsp City Ticket Offices]." [[Delta Air Lines]]. Retrieved on November 20, 2012. "285 International Blvd. Atlanta, Georgia 30313 " and "Location: Georgia World Congress Center lobby, across from State Farm Arena</ref>

Though similarly named, the [[Georgia International Convention Center]] is a smaller unrelated facility located near [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]].

==Layout==
[[File:Georgia World Congress Center from Northside Ave.jpg|thumb|The Georgia World Congress Center in [[Atlanta]]]]
The GWCC is made up of three adjacent buildings, Buildings A, B, and C. In total these buildings have twelve exhibit halls, 105 meeting rooms, and two ballrooms. Building A has three exhibit halls and the [[Sidney Marcus]] auditorium seating 1,740. Building B, the largest, contains five exhibit halls and the 33,000 square-foot (3,065 m <sup>2</sup>) [[Thomas B. Murphy]] Ballroom. The newest building, Building C, has four exhibit halls and the 25,700 square-foot (2,387 m <sup>2</sup>) Georgia Ballroom. Other amenities include a FedEx Kinko's office, coffee shops, a gift shop, internet access, telephone service, full IT management, a [[concierge]] desk, and a food court plus another restaurant. 

Freight rail tracks run through the middle of the complex and under the parking decks. The complex incorporates pedestrian bridges to connect exhibit halls on opposite sides of the tracks.

==History==
===20th century===
[[File:2008-03-15 Georgia World Congress Center after the tornado.jpg|thumb|The Georgia World Congress Center on March 15, 2008 after a tornado]]
Opened in 1976, the George L. Smith II Georgia World Congress Center has become a cornerstone of Atlanta's downtown area. It stands as one of the largest convention centers in the United States, offering over 1.5 million square feet of exhibit space. The center has hosted numerous significant events, including major trade shows, conventions, and cultural gatherings, contributing substantially to Georgia's economy .

The Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta is officially named the [[George L. Smith (Georgia politician)|George L. Smith II]] Georgia World Congress Center, in honor of his service as Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives.
<ref>{{cite web |title=GWCC Quick Facts |url=https://www.gwcca.org/quick-facts |publisher=Georgia World Congress Center Authority |access-date=July 10, 2025}}</ref>


Designed by [[Atlanta]]-based architects [[tvsdesign]], formerly Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates – TVS,  GWCC opened in 1976 with {{convert|350000|sqft|m2}} of exhibit space. Additional phases opened in 1985, 1992, and 2002. During the [[1996 Summer Olympics]], the GWCC hosted [[handball at the 1996 Summer Olympics|handball]], [[fencing at the 1996 Summer Olympics|fencing]], [[judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics|judo]], [[Table Tennis at the 1996 Summer Olympics|table tennis]], [[weightlifting at the 1996 Summer Olympics|weightlifting]], [[wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics|wrestling]], and the fencing and shooting portions of the [[Modern Pentathlon at the 1996 Summer Olympics|modern pentathlon]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080528011846/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v1.pdf 1996 Summer Olympics official report.] Volume 1. pp. 540–41.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222634/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3.pdf 1996 Summer Olympics official report.] Volume 3. pp. 448, 455, 457, 459–60, 462, 466.</ref> The [[International Broadcast Centre]] for the worldwide media was also set up inside the GWCC.

===21st century===
{{Further|2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak}}
On November{{nbsp}}8, 2001, president [[George W. Bush]] made a speech at the GWCC in which he exhorted the crowd of [[police]], [[firefighter]]s, and [[politician]]s, saying, "My fellow Americans, [[Let's roll|let's roll]]!"<ref>{{cite news |date=November 8, 2001 |title=Transcript of Bush speech in Atlanta |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/11/08/rec.bush.transcript/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706185315/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/11/08/rec.bush.transcript/ |archive-date=2008-07-06 |access-date=2008-06-30 |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref> He was invoking the last words of [[Todd Beamer]], a passenger on [[United Airlines Flight 93]], one of the flights [[aircraft hijacking|hijacked]] during the [[September 11 attacks]], was one of the participants in an attempt to storm the cockpit and wrest control of the airplane from the hijackers.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/headlines/20010916phonecallnat3p3.asp |title=The phone line from Flight 93 was still open when a GTE operator heard Todd Beamer say: 'Are you guys ready? Let's roll' |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=September 16, 2001 |first1=Jim |last1=McKinnon}}</ref>

On March{{nbsp}}14, 2008, a [[tornado]] struck [[Atlanta]], including the [[Downtown Atlanta|downtown area]]. The Georgia World Congress Center was heavily damaged by the storm, including roof and water damage. In addition to rain pouring in from the holes in the roof, there was also water damage from the sprinkler system and broken water pipes. The extent of the damage led to the cancellation of immediate events. After the disaster, a letter was posted on GWCC's website detailing the closure of the GWCC. However, the facility along with the nearby Georgia Dome was able to be repaired enough to host the [[FIRST Championship|FIRST Robotics World Championship]] during the dates of April{{nbsp}}18–20. The Georgia Dome and the Congress Center were also ready in time for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) run by [[DECA (organization)|DECA]], an association of marketing students from around the country. [[FBLA-PBL]], a student business organization, held its opening and closing sessions for the National Leadership Conference in 2008 there. The tornado was the first to hit the downtown area since weather record keeping began in the 1880s.<ref name="ajctornado">[http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/03/14/domeburst_0315.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab Tornado Kills, 2 Pummels Downtown] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309023422/http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/03/14/domeburst_0315.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab |date=March 9, 2009 }} by Tim Eberly and Paul Shea for the ''[[Atlanta Journal and Constitution]]', March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.</ref> [[FBLA-PBL]] once again held their FBLA National Leadership Conference in the Congress Center in 2016 for Opening and Closing Session, with over 12,000 attendees. [[DECA (organization)|DECA]] once again held their DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in 2018 in the facility, with over 19,000 attendees.

The center hosted the 2009 [[Soul Train Music Awards]], the first held outside of [[Los Angeles]].

On April{{nbsp}}12, 2020, state officials announced plans to convert a portion of the GWCC into a temporary 200-bed hospital in response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia (U.S. state)|COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia]]. The temporary hospital treated coronavirus patients with mild to moderate symptoms, allowing area hospitals to allocate their resources towards treating critical patients, specifically those requiring ventilators.<ref name="gwcc_hospital">{{cite news |last1=Bluestein |first1=Greg |last2=Trubey |first2=J. Scott |title=Georgia to convert Atlanta convention center to temporary hospital |url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/politics/georgia-convert-atlanta-convention-center-temporary-hospital/1N8AkBiyKPNbwVLazbRsjP/ |access-date=April 13, 2020 |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=April 12, 2020}}</ref>

==Law enforcement==
The Georgia World Congress Center has its own Department of Public Safety, created by state legislature act HB 1475 in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/1995_96/leg/fulltext/hb1475.htm |title=HB 1475 - World Congress Center; additional powers<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2008-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327091422/http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/1995_96/leg/fulltext/hb1475.htm |archive-date=2008-03-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although the GWCCA Police Department has statewide jurisdiction, its primary obligation is to protect the Congress Center, Georgia Dome, and Centennial Olympic Park.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716031707/http://www.securitydirectornews.com/article/sd200803gqos5r/Accreditation%20could%20lead%20to%20improved%20cooperation|url=http://www.securitydirectornews.com/article/sd200803gqos5r/Accreditation%20could%20lead%20to%20improved%20cooperation|title=Accreditation could lead to improved cooperation|work=Security Director News|first=Al|last=Edwards|date=2008-03-10|archive-date=2011-07-16|url-status=dead}}</ref> Joe McKinney is currently chief of the department, which employs 30 sworn officers and 46 unsworn security officers. It has both a police officer division as well as a security officer division, with bike patrol, Segway patrol and vehicle patrol.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Georgia World Congress Center}}{{Portal|Architecture}}
* [http://www.gwcc.com/ Georgia World Congress Center website]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box
 | title=[[Miss World]] Venue
 | before=''[[London Palladium]]''
 | after=[[Sun City, North West|Sun City]]
 | years=[[Miss World 1991|1991]]
}}
{{end}}
{{1996 Summer Olympic venues}}
{{Olympic venues fencing}}
{{Olympic venues handball}}
{{Olympic venues judo}}
{{Olympic venues modern pentathlon}}
{{Olympic venues table tennis}}
{{Olympic venues weightlifting}}
{{Olympic venues wrestling}}
{{Atlanta_landmarks}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Convention centers in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Venues of the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Handball venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic International Broadcast Centres]]
[[Category:Olympic fencing venues]]
[[Category:Olympic handball venues]]
[[Category:Olympic judo venues]]
[[Category:Olympic modern pentathlon venues]]
[[Category:Olympic table tennis venues]]
[[Category:Olympic weightlifting venues]]
[[Category:Olympic wrestling venues]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Atlanta]]
[[Category:Wrestling venues in the United States]]
[[Category:1976 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Event venues established in 1976]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1976]]
[[Category:Government-owned companies of the United States]]