James May June 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 18
ATLANTA’S SIGNIA BY HILTON
the state’s hospitality industry, luring
major conferences and conventions
that spill out into surrounding hotels,
restaurants and bars.
An example of one of those largescale conventions is the International
Production & Processing Expo, (IPPE)
a collaboration of three major industry
shows— the International Feed Expo,
International Meat Expo and International Poultry Expo— that serves
as the leading poultry and egg, meat
and animal food industry event in the
country and is held annually at GWCC.
IPEE brought in more than 1,400
exhibitors and 31,000 attendees to its
January 2024 conference, including
9,000 international visitors from an
astonishing 133 countries. The poultry
industry runs deep here in Georgia;
the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association,
based in Tucker, this year recognized
three companies that have exhibited at
the show for more than 60 years.
And what’s good for the goose is
good for the gander— when GWCC
lands a major convention, other convention centers in the region benefit.
Whether it’s the Cobb Galleria, the
Georgia International Convention
Center by the airport, or even the
newly expanded Classic Center in
Athens, the region’s entire hospitality
industry scores when Atlanta lands a
major convention.
Mark Zimmerman, a hospitality
consultant and former longtime general
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manager of the Georgia World Congress Center, tells James about how the
various convention centers and exhibit
halls work in concert to support the industry: “When Atlanta gets something,
all the surrounding facilities get something as well. Each one of them plays
a big role in helping Atlanta— once the
big spaces are taken by the exhibitions
or the trade shows, the other venues
around town can do some of the exhibitor parties and some of the ancillary
events that are connected with the
major trade show.”
Industry Growth Continues
GWCCA’s sparkling new crown
jewel is the Signia by Hilton hotel,
which opened earlier this year. The
976-room, 40-story hotel is the largest
built in Atlanta in more than 40 years
and stands as the single tallest building on the city’s westside. With eight
food and beverage establishments
and the largest ballroom in Georgia
the hotel is an economic driver unto
itself, creating more than 800 permanent jobs. Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta
calls Atlanta the company’s “most
important market” and the new Signia
hotel “a milestone for Atlanta and a
milestone for the state of Georgia.”
He’s not the only one impressed.
“The Signia by Hilton is an important addition to our city because it
gives us an additional hotel attached
