Exhibiting in Atlanta: Georgia World Congress Center

By Michael Flavin | Last updated October 17, 2026

Atlanta is a major trade show town, and most of the big shows land at the Georgia World Congress Center downtown. The campus is huge. Besides the convention center, it includes Centennial Olympic Park, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and a connected hotel. Here's what I'd want to know before I booked travel or shipped a booth to Atlanta.

Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC)

The Georgia World Congress Center has about 3.9 million square feet of total space. The GWCCA's event planning guide lists:

• More than 1.5 million square feet of exhibit space
• 98 meeting rooms, 3 auditoriums and 2 grand ballrooms
• Outdoor plazas and the 22-acre Centennial Olympic Park next door

The GWCC is in three buildings (A, B and C), so check which one your show is in. The hotel connection is in Building C.

Other Atlanta venues I'd keep on your radar

• Signia by Hilton Atlanta. It's connected directly to GWCC Building C, with 976 rooms and more than 100,000 sq ft of meeting and event space (GWCCA). If you can get into the show block, it's the easiest commute in town.
• Cobb Convention Center Atlanta. This is the old Cobb Galleria Centre, up by Truist Park and The Battery. It has 144,000 sq ft of exhibit space and 320,000 sq ft overall, and a $190 million expansion will take it to 377,000 sq ft in early 2027. It's next to the Renaissance Waverly and Sheraton Suites Galleria (Cobb Convention Center).

Shows at this venue

• International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE): Jan 26-28, 2027, Georgia World Congress Center

Local labor rules and EACs

Who does what. The GWCCA's own planning guide puts it simply: "The State of Georgia is a right-to-work state." That doesn't mean anything goes on the show floor. The general contractor, the building's exclusive services and your show's rules still decide who can do what.

What you can do yourself. Per the GWCCA planning guide, the show (the licensee) decides whether exhibitors can set up their own booths, use the show's general service contractor or use an Exhibitor Appointed Contractor. So the answer depends on your show, and it's spelled out in the exhibitor manual. Check it before you assume you can bring your own crew and tools.

Using your own exhibit house (EAC). If you want your own exhibit house or installer to set up your booth instead of the show's general contractor, that's an Exhibitor Appointed Contractor, or EAC. Whether it's allowed, and how, is set by your show. Normally you file the show's EAC form with the general contractor or show management, and the EAC sends a certificate of insurance. Deadlines are often around 30 days before move-in, but go by the date in your exhibitor manual. I couldn't verify a GWCC-wide EAC insurance requirement, so use the limits on your show's EAC form.

Exhibitor need-to-knows

My exhibitor logistics 101 guide covers the basics that work the same in most buildings, like the advance warehouse, material handling, targeted move-in, hotel blocks and hiring local staff. Here's what's specific to Atlanta.

These are the practical things I'd want to know before exhibiting in Atlanta. Where I could check a venue- or city-specific detail against an official source, I've linked it. The rest is general advice that works in any convention city.

Advance warehouse or direct to show?

The GWCCA's receiving warehouse doesn't accept event freight and doesn't store crates. Shipments sent straight to the GWCC have to go to the attention of your show's general contractor, with the event name, your company and your booth number. The building also doesn't supply carts, pallet jacks or dock plates. Those come from the general contractor or the FedEx business center (GWCCA planning guide).

Move-in and move-out

The GWCCA runs an on-site marshaling yard on Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd. next to the Yellow Lot. It's 540,000 square feet, holds about 600 trucks and is just minutes from the GWCC loading docks. General contractors rent space in it for move-in (GWCCA planning guide). Your manual will tell you whether your show is using it and when to send your truck.

Peak seasons and big annual shows

The GWCC hosts some huge recurring shows. IPPE (the International Production & Processing Expo) is there in late January, and MODEX is there in the spring of even-numbered years. When a citywide show is in town, downtown hotels fill fast.

Hotel strategy

The Signia by Hilton Atlanta connects directly to GWCC Building C. Downtown hotels around Centennial Olympic Park are an easy walk. If you stay in Midtown or Buckhead, plan on MARTA or a show shuttle (see Getting there below), and leave extra time on big game days at Mercedes-Benz Stadium or State Farm Arena.

Neighborhoods for client dinners

I'd look at Midtown, Buckhead and the Westside, plus downtown around Centennial Olympic Park when you want to stay close to the GWCC. Discover Atlanta has a neighborhood guide.

Last-minute printing and supplies

FedEx Office runs a business center in the GWCC's A/B Lobby, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Additional hours can be requested 30 days in advance. It does color and black-and-white copying, computer rentals with printing, binding and laminating, and FedEx shipping up to 150 lbs. (GWCCA planning guide).

Wi-Fi and internet

CCLD Networks is the exclusive internet and telephone provider for the GWCCA campus, offering wired lines, dedicated bandwidth and custom wireless networks (GWCC services and partners). The GWCC doesn't publish exhibitor internet prices, so get CCLD's current rates from your exhibitor manual or from CCLD, and ask CCLD before you bring your own router or hotspot.

Food sampling and outside food

Levy has exclusive food and beverage rights on the GWCCA campus. Exhibitors can hand out food or beverage samples only with written authorization, and state law keeps anyone but Levy from bringing alcohol onto the campus. Coca-Cola also has exclusive pouring rights, so if your show needs competing beverage products, ask your Event Services Representative early (GWCCA planning guide).

Weather and time of year

Atlanta summers are hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms. Winters are usually mild, but an occasional ice storm can shut down roads and the airport, so for winter shows, have a backup plan for getting in and out.

Sales tax on show services

In the City of Atlanta (Fulton County), the combined sales tax rate is 8.9% (Georgia Department of Revenue rate chart). The GWCCA's guide also points out that in Georgia, delivery and other charges needed to complete a sale of taxable goods are taxed too.

Getting there

MARTA is the easy way in. The station by the convention center used to be called GWCC/CNN Center. MARTA has renamed it SEC District Station (Sports, Entertainment and Convention District), so look for that name on the maps. From Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, ride MARTA rail to Five Points and transfer to a westbound train to SEC District.

Atlanta is a great show town once you're downtown. If your hotel isn't downtown, leave extra time to get to the show. For hotels and the rest of the city, Discover Atlanta is the place to start.

Sources

1. https://www.gwcc.com/plan-an-event/
2. https://www.gwcca.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GWCCA-Planning-Guide-1.24.25.pdf
3. https://www.gwcca.org/signia-by-hilton-debuts-flagship-hotel-in-downtown-atlanta-at-georgia-world-congress-center
4. https://cobbconvention.com/about-us/
5. https://www.ippexpo.org/
6. https://modexshow.com/
7. https://discoveratlanta.com/explore/neighborhoods/
8. https://www.gwcc.com/services-our-partners/
9. https://dor.georgia.gov/sales-tax-rates-general
10. https://itsmarta.com/marta-renaming-gwcc.aspx
11. https://discoveratlanta.com/meetings/