Georgia World Congress Center Authority

What Georgia World Congress Center Authority does

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) is a self-sustaining state government authority established in 1971 by the State of Georgia to develop and operate world-class convention, sports, and entertainment facilities. It is governed by a 15-member Board of Governors appointed by the Governor of Georgia, with legislative oversight from a 12-member committee equally divided between the Georgia House and Senate. The Authority manages a portfolio of five venues: the Georgia World Congress Center (one of the largest convention centers in North America with 4M+ sq ft, 1.5M sq ft of contiguous exhibit space, 13 exhibit halls, and 98 meeting rooms); Mercedes-Benz Stadium (LEED Platinum certified, home to the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC); Centennial Olympic Park (22-acre legacy of the 1996 Summer Olympics); Signia by Hilton Atlanta (a $500M, 976-room headquarters hotel with 100,000+ sq ft of meeting space); and, since 2014, the Savannah Convention Center on the Savannah River. Together these venues form a 200+ acre integrated campus in downtown Atlanta that GWCCA markets as the largest combined convention, sports, and entertainment destination in North America.

Revenue is generated through venue rental and space booking, parking operations (via SP+/Metropolis), naming rights and stadium operations (Mercedes-Benz naming rights agreement), hotel operations, food and beverage commissions (via Levy Convention Centers and Levy Restaurants), and management fees from the Savannah Convention Center. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the commercial model is enterprise field sales, with a VP-led Convention Sales organization pursuing citywide conventions, trade shows, sports events, concerts, and corporate meetings. Customer segments span convention and trade show organizers, sports teams and entertainment promoters, corporate clients, and community visitors, with marquee recurring events including Super Bowl LIII, MLS Championship, SEC Championship (extended through at least 2031), College Football Playoff National Championship, and major concert tours. GWCCA's competitive positioning rests on regulatory authority as a state agency, integrated multi-venue scale, LEED-certified sustainability leadership, and a $1B unveiled master plan for campus expansion backed by $185M+ in secured state funding. FY25 results include 152 events, 3.4M campus visitors, and a $1.94B total economic impact on Georgia's economy.

Name

Georgia World Congress Center Authority

Legal name

Georgia World Congress Center Authority

Website

https://gwcca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

GWCCA is a self-sustaining Georgia state authority that operates a 200+ acre integrated campus of world-class venues — the Georgia World Congress Center, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Centennial Olympic Park, Signia by Hilton Atlanta, and the Savannah Convention Center — serving convention organizers, sports teams, entertainment promoters, and community visitors across Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Convention & Event Venue Operations

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

akta.pro primary industry

Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Large-Scale Headquarters Convention Hotels (THAGALAH)

Keywords

• Convention venue operations
• Event space rental
• Stadium and arena management
• Trade show hosting
• Hospitality and event services

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Venue Rental and Space Booking: Revenue generated from renting convention center exhibit halls, meeting rooms, ballrooms, auditoriums, and outdoor spaces to event organizers, corporations, and associations for conventions, trade shows, conferences, and exhibitions.
2. Parking Operations: Revenue from parking facilities across the 220+ acre downtown Atlanta campus, operated in partnership with SP+ a Metropolis Company.
3. Naming Rights and Stadium Operations: Revenue from Mercedes-Benz Stadium naming rights agreement and stadium operations hosting sports events, concerts, and entertainment.
4. Food and Beverage Services: Commissions and partnerships from food and beverage operations including Levy Convention Centers and Levy Restaurants serving events across venues.
5. Hotel Operations: Revenue from Signia by Hilton Atlanta hotel operations, the campus headquarters hotel connected to the Georgia World Congress Center with 976 rooms.
6. Savannah Convention Center Management: Management and operational fees from operating the Savannah Convention Center since 2014.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) is a state government authority that owns and operates a portfolio of five integrated convention, sports, and entertainment venues across Georgia, totaling more than 200 acres and 4 million+ square feet of event space. The core offering is venue rental, space booking, and event management services delivered through the Georgia World Congress Center, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Centennial Olympic Park, Signia by Hilton Atlanta, and the Savannah Convention Center, alongside hotel, parking, food and beverage, and naming rights revenue streams.

Product overview

Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) operates a portfolio of five world-class convention, sports, and entertainment venues in Georgia. The portfolio includes the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), a 4+ million square foot LEED Gold certified convention center; Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a LEED Platinum certified multi-purpose stadium; Centennial Olympic Park, a 22-acre legacy Olympic greenspace; Signia by Hilton Atlanta, a 976-room headquarters hotel; and the Savannah Convention Center. Together, these venues form a unified campus spanning over 200 acres in downtown Atlanta, making it the largest combined convention, sports, and entertainment destination in North America. GWCCA serves as the state agency managing and operating these venues to drive economic growth, host premier events, and create memorable experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC)
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• Centennial Olympic Park 22-acre greenspace legacy of the 1996 Summer Olympics, featuring the iconic Fountain of Rings and beautifully landscaped grounds in downtown Atlanta's hospitality district. Provides public access, community events, and festivals.
• Signia by Hilton Atlanta

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.9B total economic impact to Georgia's economy in FY25
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Levy Convention CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLevy Convention Centers serves as the general manager for food and beverage operations at the Georgia World Congress Center, providing culinary services for conventions, trade shows, and events across the campus.
• Levy RestaurantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLevy Restaurants manages premium food and beverage services at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including John Ham as Director of Premium Services and Andrew Heefner as Director of Operations.
• SP+ a Metropolis CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSP+ a Metropolis Company provides parking and transportation management services across the GWCCA campus through Market Leader Daniella DeSalvo.
• EdlencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdlen provides electrical and utilities services for events at GWCCA venues through General Manager Dana Brown.
• CCLDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCLD (Convention Center Leadership Development) provides convention center management expertise through Managing Director Thomas Lloyd.
• Signia by Hilton AtlantacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSignia by Hilton Atlanta is the campus headquarters hotel connected to the Georgia World Congress Center, featuring 976 rooms and over 100,000 square feet of meeting space. General Manager Scott Ward oversees hotel operations. The $500M hotel development was led by GWCCA's legal team.
• Atlanta FalconscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtlanta Falcons NFL franchise is the primary tenant of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. GWCCA worked with the Falcons to develop the $1.2B stadium. Falcons owner Arthur Blank and team executives participated in stadium development decisions.
• Atlanta United FCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLS team Atlanta United FC shares Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the Falcons. The stadium hosted the MLS All-Star Game and MLS Championship won by Atlanta United FC.
• International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM)minorOthersGWCCA leadership including CEO Kevin Duvall, COO Stacey Church, and other executives are active members of IAVM with various leadership positions including board service and committee chairs.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ASM Global: Leading private venue management company operating hundreds of convention centers, arenas, stadiums, and theaters worldwide. Broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities; ASM Global manages many venues comparable to GWCCA's portfolio (e.g., McCormick Place, Savannah-area facilities).
• Oak View Group (OVG): Global venue development and management company focused on arenas, convention centers, and entertainment districts. Comparable to GWCCA in developing and operating large-scale event infrastructure for sports and entertainment.
• Caesars Entertainment: Hospitality and entertainment company operating integrated resort and convention properties including Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. Comparable to GWCCA in combining large hotel inventory with convention/event facilities under a single destination.
• AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group): Owner and operator of major arenas and stadiums including Crypto.com Arena and Climate Pledge Arena, plus a venue management arm. Overlaps with GWCCA in operating premier sports and entertainment venues with major anchor tenants.

Direct peers

• McCormick Place: Largest convention center in North America, located in Chicago. Operates at a similar scale and serves the same convention, trade show, and large meeting demand profile as GWCCA's Georgia World Congress Center.
• Orange County Convention Center: One of the largest convention complexes in North America, located in Orlando. Directly comparable to the Georgia World Congress Center in scale, exhibit hall capacity, and reliance on convention and trade show demand.
• Houston First Corporation: Local government corporation that operates the George R. Brown Convention Center and several Houston entertainment venues. Comparable to GWCCA as a non-profit public corporation managing a portfolio of convention and entertainment assets.
• Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center: Major riverfront convention facility in New Orleans and one of the largest in the U.S. Comparable as a large convention venue competing for citywide group business alongside GWCCA.
• Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA): State-created authority that owns and operates the Las Vegas Convention Center and promotes Las Vegas as a meetings destination. Closest structural peer to GWCCA in terms of public-authority ownership of major convention infrastructure and large-scale event hosting.

Others

• Hilton (Signia by Hilton brand): Owner of the Signia by Hilton brand used for GWCCA's headquarters hotel. Adjacent partner and ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but operates comparable large convention-headquarters hotels globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHHUqQkY5cA9BXMT7vwS29w?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/GAWorldCongressCTR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/georgia-world-congress-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/gaworldcongressctr

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Georgia World Congress Center Authority