Atlanta every day is an opening day

April 30

All three buildings at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) officially opened this week after just 42 days following the March 14 tornado. More than 15,000 attendees visited this week for the Distributive Clubs of America (DECA) International Career Development Conference. DECA is the first major event to occupy Building A since it reopened on April 21.

While portions of Building B have been used since the tornado, the International Reading Association 53rd Annual Convention will be the first major event to utilize the meeting rooms as well as Hall B3, the hall which received the most damage from the storm. With an expected attendance of 20,000, the direct economic impact of the show will be $21,490,000.

And the GWCC was thinking green with reconstruction plans. All of the concourse areas for the buildings A and B have new, energy efficient ceiling tiles that provide better acoustics. Building A has more energy efficient safety glass that will be safer in the case of inclement weather. New fabric wall panels in the concourses provide better acoustics. The Lower A/B Connector will have new energy efficient lighting. The new roofs over Buildings A, B and C Concourses will meet new energy codes which will enhance energy efficiency. New overhead doors have been installed throughout the building.

We're open for business. Please let us know how we can assist you.

April 3, 2008

Dear Customers:

Atlanta is well underway to recovering from the storms that hit Downtown just a few weeks ago. And, we’re looking forward to working with you on your upcoming meetings.

The Big South Qualifier volleyball tournament was held just days after the storms hit. In lieu of hosting the event at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), the competition was played at venues throughout the city. The event’s meeting planner, Lauri Dagostino, commented that “the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau was nothing short of impressive. Great facilities offered tremendous support, not only for the event, but for our staff. I don’t know if this could have been done in any other city...”

The GWCC successfully hosted two shows this past week: International Window Coverings Expo and the National Propane Gas. Suzanne Worthley, vice president of operations for Window Coverings called the show a success. “You all were wonderful and we look forward to next year!”

And while Atlanta’s hospitality community worked closely with the Clinical Laboratory Management Association (CLMA) to reschedule their 2008 Annual Conference, the group decided that rescheduling speakers, vendors and attendees was not feasible for this year. Mark John, the CLMA's chief operating officer said his group asked the ACVB to put in a bid for its 2010 conference and possibly 2011 as well. “It's been a nice experience for CLMA shows in years previous,” he said. “We hope we can come back.”

No other tradeshows or exhibits have been cancelled or rescheduled as a result of the storms. All meeting rooms and exhibit halls at the 1.4 million-square-foot Georgia World Congress Center will open with shows later this month.

Sincerely,

Spurgeon Richardson
President and CEO
Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau

Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Atlanta is open for business. The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) authorities announced Wednesday that two conventions planned for later this month in Atlanta will continue as scheduled. International Window Coverings Expo, scheduled for March 26-29, and National Propane Gas Association, March 29-31, will be held at the GWCC in Building C.

This announcement reflects the tremendous progress that has been made throughout Atlanta over the past five days since a series of severe storms struck the city on Friday evening. Staff at the GWCC have been working around the clock to repair damage to the nation’s fourth largest convention center. The opening of the International Window Coverings Expo will mean that no conventions have moved from Atlanta and that the GWCC is ready to accommodate meetings and conventions.

Thanks to hard work by the staff at the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, our hotel community, public safety officials and all of our hospitality community we are ready to roll out the welcome mat for our visitors.

Sincerely,

Spurgeon Richardson
President and CEO
Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau

Tuesday, March 18
Atlanta has made tremendous progress over the past 72 hours and we are well on our way to recovering from the severe storms that struck our convention corridor last Friday. All of our attractions are open for business, most of the streets in Downtown have been cleared with the remainder to open tomorrow, and less than 600 of the city’s 92,000 hotel rooms are being repaired. We anticipate that the remaining rooms will be repaired and will once again be occupied by customers in just two weeks.

The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) sustained most of the damage and assessors are still working on estimates that will tell the scope of the damage and timing to make the necessary repairs. We are fortunate to have several world-class meeting facilities in Atlanta. Though the GWCC has not been able to accommodate business this week we have been able to service all misplaced shows within Atlanta. Last weekend the SEC Basketball Championship was played at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum at Georgia Tech. This week, the Big South Qualifier has relocated from the GWCC to several venues throughout Atlanta. Working hand-in-hand with our client, we have been able to accommodate this show of 38,000 attendees in just three days.

We are confident that the Georgia World Congress Center will be back up and running as soon as possible. With nearly 1,000 workers around the clock, the facility has made tremendous progress since Friday’s storms.

Your business is important to us and we value our relationships with our customers and our visitors. We will continue to provide updates as our city recovers and will work together to make sure that your visit to Atlanta is a success.

Sincerely,

Spurgeon Richardson
President and CEO
Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau


Saturday, March 15
On Friday, March 14, Atlanta was hit by a series of severe storms which resulted in some damage to the downtown convention corridor. The storms were linear and thankfully, the damaged areas are minimal. However, we are still working to assess the damage that was done to the area surrounding the Georgia World Congress Center Authority.

Our hotels experienced little or no damage. The Omni Hotel at CNN Center is fully operational with the exception of 467 rooms located in the South Tower, which will reopen in two weeks. The building has been declared structurally sound and all guest rooms in the North Tower, all meeting space, the lobby and restaurant are operating. The Westin Peachtree Plaza experienced damage to less than 15 hotel rooms and is fully operational.

Attractions were not affected. The Georgia Aquarium, New World of Coca-Cola and Imagine It! The Children's Museum of Atlanta are open for business. The CNN Center sustained minor damage to the roof, which was repaired this afternoon. The food court at CNN Center reopened Monday and the Inside CNN Studio Tour will reopen Tuesday, March 18.

Georgia World Congress Center Authority officials confirmed storm damage to all three venues, including the Georgia World Congress Center, Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia Dome. Assessment of the damage is ongoing and an update will be provided on Monday, March 17. Until that time, all three venues will be closed to the public.

We will be certain to communicate with you as we receive additional information. Please look to hear from us again soon.

Sincerely,

Spurgeon Richardson
President and CEO
Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau