The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) marks its 50th anniversary Tuesday, Sept. 8, five decades after opening its first exhibit hall with an event that helped establish Atlanta as a growing convention destination.
GWCC opened Sept. 8, 1976, with the Bobbin Show/American Apparel Manufacturers. The exhibition drew roughly 18,000 attendees to a facility that emerged from years of planning, political debate, financing challenges, and construction. The original project cost $35 million and was then Georgia’s largest state construction project.
Growth came quickly
The center did not have to wait long to prove demand existed. In its first full year of operation, GWCC hosted 44 major events and welcomed more than 700,000 attendees. According to historical information provided by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA), those events generated an estimated $197 million in economic impact for Georgia.
Within several years, the center was already running short of space. By 1978 and 1979, approximately 120 events could not be accommodated because suitable dates were unavailable. That demand helped drive a series of expansions that reshaped the facility over the following decades.
Phase II was completed in 1985, adding 1.1 million square feet. Phase III followed in 1992, increasing GWCC exhibit space to approximately 950,000 square feet. The 1.1 million-square-foot Phase IV expansion was completed in 2002, further expanding the center’s convention capacity.
From convention center to destination
GWCC’s growth also became intertwined with Atlanta’s development as a destination for conventions, sports, and major international events.
The Georgia Dome opened next to the center in 1992, and GWCC played a major role in the 1996 Summer Olympics. Its exhibit halls served as the International Broadcast Center, while Olympic competition and operations took place across the GWCCA campus. Centennial Olympic Park, developed ahead of the Games, became a lasting part of downtown Atlanta.
The campus continued to evolve with Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a new exhibit hall connecting GWCC buildings B and C, renovations to Centennial Olympic Park, and the 2024 opening of Signia by Hilton Atlanta.
Most recently, the campus played a role in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted eight matches during June and July, while Centennial Olympic Park welcomed more than 530,000 people for the FIFA Fan Festival, according to GWCCA.
Fifty years after the Bobbin Show opened GWCC, the center’s history reflects broader changes across the exhibition industry, from larger show floors and more complex freight operations to advances in technology, hospitality, transportation, and the attendee experience.
Exhibit City News (ECN) will take a closer look at GWCC’s 50-year history, the people who helped shape it, and the center’s plans for the future in an upcoming feature.
For more information about the Georgia World Congress Center Authority and Georgia World Congress Center, visit https://gwcc.com.
