The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) recently appointed a new director of event services for the convention center located in downtown Atlanta.
As the new director of event services, Jim Ridgway is responsible for overseeing the event
coordination of the fourth-largest convention center in the United States. Ridgway has served as the GWCC’s assistant director of event services for the past 19 years.
Ridgway began working at the GWCC in 1983 as a member of the convention center’s security team. He joined the event services department in 1986 as an event coordinator and three years later was promoted to senior event coordinator. In 1993, he became the assistant director of event services.
“We are so pleased to appoint Jim to the director of event services position,” said Mark Zimmerman, general manager, GWCC. “As a loyal member of our team for the past 29 years, we know that he is dedicated to providing excellent service to our customers and to continuing to make the GWCC a top tradeshow and convention destination. We know Jim’s leadership will guarantee continued commitment from our event services department.”
As a long-term member of the GWCC’s staff, Ridgway’s expertise has led to additional responsibilities, including serving as the facility project representative during the reconstruction of the building after it was hit by a tornado in 2008. Ridgway serves as liaison between the convention center and the service contractors that operate within the building. This includes facilitating biannual meetings between the two parties, which have led to strengthened relationships and improved operations.
During his tenure at the GWCC, Ridgway has served as the event coordinator for many major events and tradeshows, including the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, the 1988 Democratic National Convention, American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session, the National Business Aviation Association Annual Meeting and Convention and the International Home Builders’ Show. He is a member of International Association of Exhibitions and Events.
An Atlanta native, Ridgway graduated from Georgia State University. He and his wife, Amy, live in Decatur, Ga. They have two sons.
