LEGENDARY EVENTS CITY GUIDE
Planning an Event in Atlanta?
Exceptional air access. Massive convention infrastructure. A compact downtown event district. And enough dining, entertainment, sports, and culture to give attendees plenty to experience once the meetings end.
13,000
Downtown Hotel Rooms
1.5 MILLION
Sq. Ft. of Exhibit Space
150 US CITIES
Amazing Air Access
12,000
Walkable Hotel Rooms
10 MILES
Airport to Downtown
LEGENDARY EVENTS CITY
Atlanta
Why Event Planners Keep Choosing Atlanta
Atlanta combines the accessibility of a major transportation hub with the infrastructure required for some of the country's largest conventions. Georgia World Congress Center anchors a compact downtown event district surrounded by hotels, restaurants, attractions, sports venues, and Centennial Olympic Park.
One of Atlanta's biggest advantages is how much can be concentrated around the convention campus. More than 12,000 hotel rooms are within walking distance of Georgia World Congress Center, while nearby attractions such as Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, and sports arenas give planners ready-made options beyond the meeting room.
Add one of the world's best-connected airports and Atlanta becomes especially appealing for national organizations.
How Atlanta Compares to Other Choices
These are the things you might be considering when choosing a location.
GETTING THERE 5/5
Atlanta is difficult to beat for national air access. Hartsfield-Jackson serves more than 150 U.S. destinations and more than 70 international destinations, and Atlanta is within a two-hour flight of roughly 80 percent of the U.S. population.
HOTEL SELECTION 4.5/5
Downtown alone offers more than 13,000 hotel rooms, with additional concentrations in Midtown and Buckhead. Planners can choose among major convention hotels, luxury properties, boutiques, and more budget-conscious accommodations.
EVENT INFRASTRUCTURE 5/5
Georgia World Congress Center offers more than 4 million square feet of flexible event space, including 1.5 million square feet of contiguous exhibit space, 13 exhibit halls, 98 meeting rooms, two grand ballrooms, and three auditoriums.
DINING & ENTERTAINMENT 4.5/5
Atlanta gives planners everything from Southern cuisine and rooftop dining to professional sports, museums, nightlife, live music, and distinctive neighborhoods such as Midtown, Buckhead, Old Fourth Ward, and the BeltLine corridor.
GETTING AROUND 4/5
The downtown convention district is compact and walkable, and MARTA gives attendees another option for reaching major parts of the city. Once an itinerary begins moving among Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, and other neighborhoods, transportation planning becomes more important.
OVERALL COST 4/5
Atlanta can offer strong value compared with many major convention destinations, particularly given its large hotel inventory and air accessibility. Premium dates, downtown parking, transportation, and upscale off-site experiences can still raise the total event budget.
LEGENDARY VENUE PICK
Georgia World Congress Center
Georgia World Congress Center is Atlanta's definitive venue for major events. The downtown facility offers more than 4 million square feet of meeting and event space, including 1.5 million square feet of contiguous exhibit space, 13 exhibit halls, 98 meeting rooms, two grand ballrooms, and three fixed-seat auditoriums.
Why We Like It
Georgia World Congress Center gives planners extraordinary scale without placing attendees in an isolated convention district. The surrounding campus brings together major hotels, Centennial Olympic Park, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, State Farm Arena, Georgia Aquarium, and other downtown attractions. That combination allows an organization to run an enormous professional event while still giving attendees plenty to experience within walking distance once the day's program ends.
LEGENDARY HOTEL PICK
Signia by Hilton Atlanta
Signia by Hilton Atlanta was built with large meetings and conventions in mind. The 976-room property offers more than 100,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including the largest hotel ballroom in Georgia, along with more than 30,000 square feet of outdoor event space. A pedestrian walkway gives guests direct access to Georgia World Congress Center.
Why We Like It
Signia by Hilton Atlanta is almost tailor-made for the kind of attendee using the nearby convention center. Guests can move directly between the hotel and Georgia World Congress Center while still having substantial meeting facilities, restaurants, wellness amenities, outdoor event spaces, and views of the surrounding sports and entertainment district available on property. It gives planners the convenience of a convention headquarters hotel while still feeling like a destination property rather than simply a place to sleep.
LEGENDARY GROUP DINING PICK
9 Mile Station
Perched on the rooftop of Ponce City Market, 9 Mile Station combines sweeping Atlanta skyline views with an indoor-outdoor setting, cocktails, and an elevated American grill menu. Private and semi-private events can accommodate everything from intimate gatherings of approximately 25 guests to receptions of as many as 400.
Why We Like It
9 Mile Station gives a group dinner something a ballroom cannot: an immediate sense of place. The rooftop views, indoor-outdoor environment, cocktails, and Ponce City Market setting make the evening feel distinctly Atlanta while still providing the structure needed for a private event. It works particularly well when you want attendees to socialize and experience the city rather than simply sit through another formal dinner.
LEGENDARY EXPERIENCE PICK
Georgia Aquarium
Georgia Aquarium gives event planners one of Atlanta's most memorable group experiences. Guests can explore enormous aquatic habitats featuring everything from beluga whales to whale sharks, while the facility also offers dedicated private-event spaces capable of accommodating groups ranging from intimate gatherings to full-facility events for thousands.
Why We Like It
Georgia Aquarium takes care of the hardest part of an off-site event: giving people something genuinely interesting to experience. Attendees can mingle while watching whale sharks, beluga whales, and enormous underwater habitats rather than relying entirely on programmed entertainment to keep the evening engaging. With spaces ranging from intimate gallery experiences to the Oceans Ballroom and full-facility buyouts, planners can make the Aquarium a simple group activity or turn it into one of the signature moments of the entire event.
THE CASE FOR ATLANTA
THINGS TO CONSIDER
THE CASE FOR ATLANTA
THINGS TO CONSIDER
IS ATLANTA RIGHT FOR YOUR EVENT?
NATIONAL ATTENDANCE
You want one of the easiest major cities in the country for attendees to reach through the air.
LARGE GROUPS
You need extensive convention space and hotel inventory capable of supporting a major event.
WALKABLE EVENT CORE
You want hotels, meeting facilities, attractions, and entertainment concentrated around the primary venue.
BUILT-IN EXPERIENCES
You want memorable off-site options without having to send attendees far outside the convention district.
If these priorities sound like your event, Atlanta deserves a place near the top of your destination list.
Keep Planning
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