With Clients' Help, GWCC Expansion Design Is Set

Atlanta — With $225 million in revenue bonds approved by the Georgia General Assembly in hand, construction on a major expanson of the Georgia World Congress Center began last month.

The so-called Phase IV project will add 450,000 square feet of exhibit space, increasing the GWCC's total to 1.3 million square feet. Also to be built are a 45,000-square-foot ballroom, 125,000 square feet of meeting space and two fixed-seat lecture halls. Phase IV is slated to be open for business in mid-2002.

In an effort by the GWCC Authority to "get it right," three brainstorming sessions were held to solicit input on design features from more than 50 customers and contractors. Here are some features to be incorporated in the expansion:

Additional meeting space. "Across the board, everyone wants as many meeting rooms as we can build," said Henry Munford, the GWCC's director of marketing. The 125,000 square feet of meeting space will be divisible into 25 flexible meeting rooms. The two lecture halls will have 200 and 400 seats.

Covered bus and taxi drop-off in front of the building. This may seem obvious, but since Atlanta doesn't receive much rain during high convention seasons, it was not in the preliminary design plans. Users wanted it, though, so it was added.

Common loading-dock area. The new loading docks will back up to the building's existing docks, creating a service backbone. "At first we weren't sure how to connect the buildings, and where to put the dock area," said Munford. "Thanks to customer input, all loading docks will share a common roadway." This feature was particularly important for shows using both the old and new buildings, which will be connected by a wide covered walkway half a floor above the dock area.

Quiet service areas. Meeting planners told GWCC officials that service carts often rumbling through the corridors and meetings areas were a distraction. As a result, the amount of service and beverage areas behind the common areas was increased so the carts could "run silently" along corridors in the back of the house. "This keeps them out of the public eye instead of traversing public corridors," said Munford.

A convenient registration area. It's now located on the same level as the exhibit halls.

"With this expansion the Georgia World Congress Center will meet the demands of our shows needing more space and offer us new opportunities for hosting multiple shows simultaneously," said GWCC general manager John Smith.

Listening to users made sense for the GWCC Authority. Out-of-town visitors to conventions and trade shows at the building spent $704.3 million in 1998, and exerted a total economic impact on the region of $1.6 billion.

Participants in the brainstorming sessions were grateful for the opportunity. "It meant a lot to us to know that our input on design issues was heard. If they get one idea that helps them avoid a mistake, it was worth it," said Gary Edgar, group vice president for Reed Exhibition Cos.

"No doubt, their input was invaluable," said Munford. "I would say we did 90 percent of what they wanted."