Key convention destinations in Georgia are making some serious waves.
Atlanta is home to one of the largest convention centers in the country, and game-changing developments abound in its immediate radius. Savannah just debuted a large expansion of its convention center, opening up possibilities in the historic city for large groups that could never consider it previously.
If you have your eye on these venues in Atlanta or Savannah for your next event, you might be wondering: How can I level-up my event—without the hassle?
Atlanta and Savannah make this easy with a world of unique venues within steps of their convention centers for those special opening or closing receptions, fundraising galas or other gatherings that need a little extra wow.
Walkable Venues in Atlanta
Big things are afoot on Atlanta’s convention center campus.
Its anchor, Georgia World Congress Center, is the fourth-largest facility in the U.S., with 1.5 million square feet of flexible exhibit space that includes 13 exhibit halls, 98 meeting rooms, two ballrooms, three fixed-seat auditoriums and several outdoor plazas.
Planners for groups of all sizes can find a solution here and will be further enticed by the plethora of options for offsite activations—no transportation required.
Across the plaza from the doors of the convention center are two major stadiums that routinely host events, State Farm Arena and Mercedez-Benz Stadium.
“Planners might think, ‘It's too big for what I need,’ but both of those offer very cool, more intimate spaces,” said Kristin Delahunt, VP of destination services for Discover Atlanta. “They can handle events of varying sizes because they've got so much club space and special event space. They both really have put forward bringing Atlanta into the facilities, whether it's with really cool local art programs or even pop-up activation-type stuff.”
She added that events on the field are a popular option, too.
Beyond the arenas, there’s more to explore within steps.
“Then you go a block or two from the convention center and you've got some of our major attractions—only-in-Atlanta experiences—that double as special event venues,” Delahunt said, referencing the Georgia Aquarium, College Football Hall of Fame and Restaurant Row from Legacy Ventures.
When the College Football National Championship came to Atlanta in early 2025, the organization utilized the Georgia Aquarium for “Taste of the Championship” on the eve of the game, where attendees had the chance to sample dishes from some of Atlanta’s best chefs.
“They bought out the entire aquarium, and the host committee worked with them to solicit all of our top chefs in the city, and a huge variety of them,” Delahunt said. “The chefs came in and had their own pop-up activation within the ballroom and all of the gallery spaces throughout.
“It was a great way to kind of expose all of the guests to all our top restaurants, and the great variety of restaurants that we have in the city,” she added.
In another creative use of space, American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) brought its 2023 annual meeting to the Georgia World Congress Center and tapped the entirety of Restaurant Row for its closing reception.
“They did a huge block party,” Delahunt said. “They blocked off the street, they bought out all of the restaurants on restaurant row, and the theme was celebrating ASAE through the decades. So, each street section of the party and each of the restaurants were themed in different eras. We had ‘50s era, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s , and they had entertainment and decor and costumed actors and music, everything went along with each different decade.”
Planners can also look forward to the reopening of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights later this year following an expansion.
“It's a gorgeous space. It takes you through the journey of Atlanta being kind of the hub of the Civil Rights movement,” Delahunt noted. “Very thoughtful, beautiful gallery space. Really, really popular also for sessions, for receptions, for speaker series.”
The Centennial Yards development—which will also be walkable from the convention center—will further transform the attendee experience and offer a host of new options for events near the Georgia World Congress Center campus. With an aim to partially open ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, for which Atlanta will play one of the hosts, the mixed-use development will cover 50 acres and eight million square feet of entertainment, retail, restaurants and hotel space.
“It's going to completely change the landscape of what a visitor to downtown, at a convention center, will experience,” Delahunt said.
[Related: Atlanta Shows Off Its New Conventions Developments During ASAE Annual]
Modern and Historic Locales in Savannah
In February, the Savannah Convention Center debuted its massive $276 million expansion that doubled the capacity of the venue, opening it up to an entirely new category of group sizes.
“I can say that in the last two months we’ve been able to full show the building and the response has been nothing but, ‘Wow this is the most spectacular convention center I’ve seen on the East Coast,’” said Kellie Linder, vice president of sales for Visit Savannah. “It’s a showstopper. I’ve had groups walk through the door and say, ‘I’ve gotta book this now.’”
Situated across the Savannah River from the Historic District on Hutchinson Island, new groups to Savannah will find the convention center’s location can offer the best of both worlds: a private getaway on the island, with the attached The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa and forthcoming 442-room Signia hotel offering rooms and additional event space; and the historic allures of downtown Savannah, just a free, three-minute ferry ride from the venue.
With the arrival of the new, first-ever hybrid electric water ferries produced in the country, the 150-passenger vehicles can move 450 people across the river at a time, offering convention attendees easy access to offsite events in the historic district and all of the restaurants and nightlife it has to offer.
One of the most popular offsites for special events is Savannah’s public squares, which all can be permitted for gatherings of up to 1,000.
Spots along the river beckon groups, too. The new JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District is a popular choice for its location on the riverwalk and rooftop spaces.
“The Destinations International CEO Summit (March 23-25) will be engaging part of that riverwalk and food pavilions all right along the riverfront,” Linder noted as an example.
For a more rustic, historic vibe, Linder added that Fort Jackson is another popular riverfront venue.
“You can access it via a riverboat for 1,000 passengers—have a cocktail reception on the boat then dock—do shrimp boils—it’s a nod back to the history of Savannah.”
The convention center and Westin themselves offer special spaces for a gathering, especially outdoors.
“Many of our groups choose to utilize the Hutchinson Island side, on the Westin lawn or esplanade, or esplanade in front of convention center,” Linder said. “To me, the view from Hutchinson Island is the best view in the city of the Historic District.”
[Related: Iconic Savannah Ups the Ante With a Convention Center Expansion and More]
Plus: Easy Connections at ATL Airport District
The ATL Airport District is as convenient as it gets for groups that don’t have a lot of transportation time baked into the schedule.
Gateway Center Campus—comprised of Georgia International Convention Center, Gateway Center Arena and nearly 1,000 hotel rooms—is mere minutes from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In fact, the convention center is the only large-scale convention center in the country connected to a major airport.
Groups have access to 400,000 square feet of space at the center, and next door, a special events venue in the Gateway Center Arena.
For groups that do have a little extra time to leave campus, the Delta Flight Museum and Porsche Experience Center are short drives away and offer unique spaces and experiences for attendees that cater easily to cocktail receptions, opening or closing parties or other special events.
