City guide · Atlanta, Georgia · Updated
Atlanta exhibiting centers on the Georgia World Congress Center, three buildings downtown joined since 2020 by Exhibit Hall BC into more than a million contiguous sq ft, beside Centennial Olympic Park and its own connected hotel. Georgia is right-to-work, so your staff can generally build the booth. Around it sit the Marriott Marquis, where every show runs on carpet, and three suburban centers: the GICC by the airport, Cobb Galleria to the northwest and Gas South in Duluth.
Venues with guides
Atlanta has one of the country's largest convention centers downtown, a convention hotel famous for its atrium, and three suburban centers spread around the Perimeter: one beside the airport, one in Cobb County and one in Gwinnett. Georgia is right-to-work at all five, so the choice comes down to size, floor and how your attendees arrive.
Georgia World Congress CenterAtlanta · Convention center5 shows listed
Atlanta Marriott MarquisAtlanta · Convention hotel
Georgia International Convention CenterCollege Park · Convention center
Cobb Galleria CentreAtlanta (Cobb County) · Convention center
Gas South Convention CenterDuluth · Convention centerSide by side
Largest space, ceiling, labor and a planning drayage rate for each venue we have a guide for. Drayage figures are Purple planning rates, not published tariffs; the last column is the straight-line distance from the GWCC.
| Venue | Type | Largest space | Ceiling | Labor | Drayage (plan) | Airport | From GWCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia World Congress CenterAtlanta | Convention center | 1M+ sq ft contiguous (Halls B, BC, C) | 30 ft to grid | Right-to-work | ≈ $150/cwt | ATL · 15–20 min | — |
| Atlanta Marriott MarquisAtlanta | Convention hotel | 25,000 sq ft Atrium Ballroom · 160,000+ sq ft total | 30 ft (Atrium Ballroom) | Right-to-work | ≈ $155/cwt | Not listed in our guide | ≈ 0.6 mi |
| Georgia International Convention CenterCollege Park | Convention center | 150,000 sq ft exhibit hall | Not listed in our guide | Right-to-work | ≈ $145/cwt | ATL · 5–10 min | ≈ 8.6 mi |
| Cobb Galleria CentreAtlanta (Cobb County) | Convention center | 144,000 sq ft exhibit hall | Not listed in our guide | Right-to-work | ≈ $145/cwt | ATL · 30–40 min | ≈ 9.5 mi |
| Gas South Convention CenterDuluth | Convention center | 90,000 sq ft exhibit hall | Not listed in our guide | Right-to-work | ≈ $140/cwt | ATL · 45–50 min | ≈ 24 mi |
Figures come from each venue guide; open a guide for its sources, hall tables and dock details. “Not listed in our guide” means that guide does not give the figure.
Where they are
Each venue plotted from its coordinates: the GWCC and the Marriott Marquis downtown, the GICC south by Hartsfield-Jackson, Cobb Galleria to the northwest and Gas South to the northeast in Duluth.
The calendar
The dated shows below come from our Georgia World Congress Center guide, checked against each organizer's site in October 2026. IPPE anchors the year every January, and packaging, dental, self-storage and outdoor-sports shows fill the spring and fall. Our hotel and suburban guides describe the kinds of shows they host rather than dated events, so confirm those with each organizer.
Every Atlanta trade show for 2027, with booth options: see our Atlanta show pages →
Dates are copied from each venue guide's calendar (organizer and venue sites, checked October 2026); only shows ending on or after October 29, 2026 are listed. Confirm dates, halls and the general contractor with each organizer. More notes on other recurring shows are in the GWCC guide.
Busy seasons
Counting the dated shows above by the month they open, April 2027 is the busiest month in our listings, with 2 shows starting, ahead of November 2026 with 1. Plan freight and hotel rooms early for those weeks.
January belongs to IPPE, the poultry, feed and meat technology expo that fills the GWCC every year. The 2027 edition lists more than 1,300 exhibitors on over 634,000 sq ft, and it was the show that opened Exhibit Hall BC in January 2020. Before that, the self-storage industry's THE Show runs at the GWCC in early November 2026, and event listings put Anime Weekend Atlanta in Building C that same month; check its site for dates.
Spring is the GWCC's second peak. The Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting brings its exhibit hall to Building A in March 2027, and PACK EXPO Southeast follows in April with about 500 exhibitors in Exhibit Hall C. The NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits close April with more than 14 acres of exhibits; the organizer's site shows two different start dates, so confirm move-in with the organizer.
Late summer has two recurring anchors. IWF Atlanta, the woodworking show, runs in even-numbered years and last ran in August 2026; its 2028 dates were not posted when we checked. Each Labor Day weekend, DragonCon takes over downtown hotels, and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis is one of its five official host hotels. In the suburbs, our Cobb Galleria and Gas South guides describe mid-size and regional trade shows and consumer expos.
Planning guide
All five of our Atlanta guides say your own full-time staff can generally build the booth without a union card; the show's contractor still handles freight and sets the hand-carry and tool rules. The sections below pull together what our 5 Atlanta venue guides say about labor, freight, move-in, travel and hotels, venue by venue, with a link to the guide each fact comes from.
Labor & union rules
Georgia is a right-to-work state, and the GWCC's own January 2025 Event Planning Guide says so. At all five of our Atlanta venues, your own full-time staff can generally assemble and dismantle the booth without a union card. That does not make every task yours. Freight still runs through the show's general service contractor, commonly Freeman or GES at the GWCC, which sets the hand-carry and tool rules, and the GWCC keeps electrical, food and IT with exclusive providers. Hotel shows can set tighter rules than a convention center floor.
Who builds: The show's general service contractor handles freight and booth services. Edlen holds electrical and utilities, Levy Restaurants food and beverage, CCLD IT, and SP+ parking and the marshaling yards. Rigging for production is in-house.
Your own staff: Your full-time employees can generally assemble and dismantle the booth, or an EAC filed with the show can build it. Electric aerial lifts are allowed on terrazzo and carpet under venue rules.
Who builds: The show's official decorator sets hand-carry and self-install allowances, and our guide notes hotel shows often set tighter rules than a convention center floor. Floor protection may be ordered through the hotel or decorator.
Your own staff: Full-time staff, no union card required, but confirm your show's hand-carry allowance with the official decorator first.
Who builds: Drayage and utilities route through the show's official contractor, per our guide.
Your own staff: Your own full-time staff can generally handle booth assembly. Confirm your show's hand-carry allowance with the official contractor.
Who builds: Official contractors such as Advanced Exposition Services or GEMS typically handle drayage and decorating, with a drayage fee charged for materials delivered to the center.
Your own staff: Full-time staff, no union card required. Confirm your show's hand-carry allowance with the official contractor.
Who builds: The show's official contractor handles freight. Our guide does not name the usual contractors here.
Your own staff: Full-time staff, no union card required, on standard right-to-work terms. Confirm hand-carry and self-install allowances with the official contractor.
Your show's general contractor and its exhibitor kit set the final rules for your booth; these notes come from the venue guides and the venues' own rules.
Free tool · plan your Atlanta budget
Atlanta drayage sits in a narrow band in our guides: about $150 per hundredweight at the GWCC, $155 at the Marriott Marquis, $145 at the GICC and Cobb Galleria, and $140 at Gas South, each with a 200 lb minimum. These are Purple planning rates, not published tariffs. The GWCC does not publish a rate at all; the general contractor's show kit carries the actual tariff, as it does at every venue here.
| Venue | Planning rate | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Marriott MarquisRight-to-work | ≈ $155/cwt | Purple planning estimate about $155/cwt; every show runs on carpet, so drayage and floor protection work differently from a hall. |
| Georgia World Congress CenterRight-to-work | ≈ $150/cwt | About $150/cwt planning rate, 200 lb minimum. The GWCC publishes no rate, and its receiving warehouse takes no event freight. |
| Cobb Galleria CentreRight-to-work | ≈ $145/cwt | Purple planning estimate about $145/cwt; the official contractor charges a drayage fee for materials delivered to the center. |
| Georgia International Convention CenterRight-to-work | ≈ $145/cwt | Purple planning estimate about $145/cwt with a 200 lb minimum; drayage routes through the show's official contractor. |
| Gas South Convention CenterRight-to-work | ≈ $140/cwt | Purple planning estimate about $140/cwt with a 200 lb minimum, the lowest in our Atlanta set. |
The fields below fill in from size and type. Change any of them.
Purple planning estimate · not a quote
Drayage + I&D labor, Georgia World Congress Center
Get a real Atlanta quote Georgia World Congress Center guide
All drayage numbers are Purple planning estimates per hundredweight (100 lbs), not quotes or published tariffs. The general contractor for your show publishes the actual material-handling rates in the exhibitor kit. See all venues on the drayage rates page.
Freight
At the GWCC all event freight goes through the show's general service contractor. The building's own receiving warehouse does not accept event freight or store crates, and it has no carts or pallet jacks to lend. In our freight countdown the advance warehouse deadline falls about seven days before move-in, and late freight pays the surcharge. Your kit sets the real dates.
From our Georgia World Congress Center guide
From our Georgia World Congress Center guide
From our Georgia World Congress Center guide
From our Georgia World Congress Center guide
From our Atlanta Marriott Marquis guide
Move-in & move-out
The GWCC is the only Atlanta venue in our guides with a detailed dock picture: a marshaling yard for about 600 trucks, docks by building and a separate parcel dock. Our suburban guides mostly say to confirm the current dock count with the venue, so ask for it with your space assignment.
Trucks stage at a 540,000 sq ft marshaling yard on Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd, next to the Yellow Lot, which holds about 600 trucks. The general contractor dispatches you to the building's docks, 72 in all on the GWCC floor plan booklet. Empty crates go back to the yard.
From our Georgia World Congress Center guide
Cobb Galleria's 144,000 sq ft exhibit hall is one contiguous floor, reached by I-285 and US-41. Our guide does not give a dock count and says to confirm the current dock count and column spacing.
From our Cobb Galleria Centre guide
The 90,000 sq ft hall on the Gas South District campus is reached by I-85 and Sugarloaf Parkway. Our guide says to confirm the current dock count with the venue before planning move-in.
From our Gas South Convention Center guide
Getting there
Hartsfield-Jackson is the airport for every Atlanta venue, but the drive varies a lot: 5 to 10 minutes to the GICC in College Park, 15 to 20 minutes downtown, and up to 45 or 50 minutes to Duluth in traffic. Downtown has MARTA rail on the GWCC campus; the suburban centers are driving venues.
| Venue | Airport | Transit, shuttles and parking |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia World Congress CenterAtlanta | ATL · 15–20 min | MARTA's SEC District station, formerly GWCC/CNN Center, sits on the campus; from the airport, change at Five Points. Over 5,600 parking spaces in GWCCA lots and decks. |
| Atlanta Marriott MarquisAtlanta | Not listed in our guide | At Peachtree Center downtown, a MARTA ride or a walk past Centennial Olympic Park from the GWCC, per our GWCC guide. |
| Georgia International Convention CenterCollege Park | ATL · 5–10 min | A free airport shuttle connects the GICC to nearby MARTA stations. Downtown hotels are a 20 to 25-minute drive. |
| Cobb Galleria CentreAtlanta (Cobb County) | ATL · 30–40 min | I-285 and US-41 both reach the campus directly. The Battery Atlanta and Truist Park are a short drive away. |
| Gas South Convention CenterDuluth | ATL · 45–50 min | I-85 and Sugarloaf Parkway reach the campus, about 30 minutes northeast of downtown Atlanta. Hotels sit on the Gas South District campus. |
Drive times are the guides' figures and change with traffic; the area map above shows where each venue sits.
Where to stay
Two hotels connect to the GWCC campus: the 976-room Signia by Hilton Atlanta, joined to Building C and owned by the GWCCA, and the Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park. The Signia is the campus headquarters hotel, so it fills first. Downtown blocks at the Marriott Marquis and along Andrew Young International Blvd take the rest. In the suburbs, each center has hotels within walking distance.
976 rooms, opened January 2024 and owned by the GWCCA. The campus headquarters hotel, so it fills first, and the natural pick for shows in Building C or Exhibit Hall BC.
From our Georgia World Congress Center guide
About 1,070 rooms, formerly the Omni at CNN Center, connected to the GWCC and to State Farm Arena.
From our Georgia World Congress Center guide
One of the big downtown blocks, under John Portman Jr.'s 470 ft atrium, with more than 160,000 sq ft of meeting space of its own. A MARTA ride or a walk past Centennial Olympic Park from the GWCC.
From our Atlanta Marriott Marquis and Georgia World Congress Center guides
A wide range of price points along Andrew Young International Blvd and around Centennial Olympic Park, for crews who do not need a connected room.
From our Georgia World Congress Center guide
Directly adjacent to Cobb Galleria Centre, within walking distance along with the center's hotel partners. Battery Atlanta-area hotels near Truist Park are about a 10-minute drive.
From our Cobb Galleria Centre guide
The closest options to both the GICC and the terminal, useful for fly-in exhibitors and early flights home.
From our Georgia International Convention Center guide
Hotels on the 118-acre Gas South District campus are the closest to the hall; Duluth and Gwinnett-area hotels 5 to 10 minutes away cover a wide range of price points.
From our Gas South Convention Center guide
Room counts, links and walking times are the venue guides' figures; ask the hotel or your show's housing bureau about room blocks.
In pictures
Photos from our Atlanta venue guides. Each one opens the guide it comes from, with the full-size photo and its story.
Choosing a venue
Short answers drawn from our venue guides. Your show's organizer picks the venue; these help you plan the booth for it.
The Georgia World Congress Center has more than 1.5 million sq ft of exhibit space in three buildings, and since 2020 Exhibit Hall BC joins Buildings B and C into more than a million contiguous sq ft. Halls are 30 ft to the grid with 16 ft dropped areas. Edlen is the exclusive electrical provider, and covered or multilevel booth plans go to the fire marshal at least 60 days before move-in.
The Atlanta Marriott Marquis has more than 160,000 sq ft of meeting space in 61 rooms, including the 25,000 sq ft Atrium Ballroom with 30 ft ceilings, under John Portman Jr.'s 470 ft atrium. Every show there runs on carpet, so drayage, rigging and floor protection work differently from a hall, and it is one of five official DragonCon host hotels each Labor Day weekend.
The Georgia International Convention Center in College Park is about 5 to 10 minutes from Hartsfield-Jackson, closer than any other major Atlanta-area venue, with a 150,000 sq ft exhibit hall and a 40,000 sq ft ballroom. A free airport shuttle connects to nearby MARTA stations.
Cobb Galleria Centre, renamed Cobb Convention Center-Atlanta in October 2025, has a 144,000 sq ft exhibit hall on one contiguous floor and a 25,000 sq ft ballroom, reached by I-285 and US-41, a short drive from the Battery Atlanta. Gas South Convention Center in Duluth, about 30 minutes northeast of downtown, has a 90,000 sq ft hall, a 21,600 sq ft ballroom and 23 meeting rooms on the 118-acre Gas South District.
Georgia is a right-to-work state, and all five of our Atlanta guides say your full-time staff can generally build the booth without a union card; the show's official contractor sets the hand-carry and tool rules, and drayage still runs through it, planned at about $140 to $155 per hundredweight.
Georgia World Congress Center guideCobb Galleria Centre guideGeorgia International Convention Center guideGas South Convention Center guide
FAQ
Answers from our Atlanta venue guides. Each answer links the guide it comes from.
Our guides cover five Atlanta-area venues. Downtown, the Georgia World Congress Center is the big one, and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis hosts hotel shows nearby. The Georgia International Convention Center is in College Park by Hartsfield-Jackson. Cobb Galleria Centre, renamed Cobb Convention Center-Atlanta in October 2025, is in Cobb County to the northwest, and the Gas South Convention Center is in Duluth, about 30 minutes northeast of downtown.
From our Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Georgia International Convention Center, Cobb Galleria Centre and Gas South Convention Center guides
The Georgia World Congress Center. It has more than 1.5 million sq ft of exhibit space across Buildings A, B and C, and since Exhibit Hall BC opened in January 2020, more than 1 million sq ft of contiguous floor across B, BC and C. Halls are 30 ft to the bottom of the grid, with 16 ft dropped-ceiling areas. IPPE alone books more than 634,000 sq ft in 2027.
From our Georgia World Congress Center guide
Right-to-work. Georgia is a right-to-work state, and the GWCC's January 2025 Event Planning Guide says so plainly. All five of our Atlanta guides say your own full-time staff can generally build the booth without a union card. The show's general service contractor still handles freight and sets the hand-carry and tool rules, and at the GWCC electrical goes through Edlen.
From our Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Georgia International Convention Center, Cobb Galleria Centre and Gas South Convention Center guides
Generally, yes. Your full-time employees can assemble and dismantle the booth, or an exhibitor-appointed contractor filed with the show can build it. Check your show kit for hand-carry and tool limits, and at the Marriott Marquis confirm with the decorator, since hotel shows often set tighter rules. At the GWCC, covered or multilevel booths still need stamped plans for fire marshal review at least 60 days before move-in.
From our Georgia World Congress Center and Atlanta Marriott Marquis guides
Our planning rates are about $150 per hundredweight at the GWCC, $155 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, $145 at the GICC and Cobb Galleria, and $140 at Gas South, each with a 200 lb minimum. These are Purple planning rates, not published tariffs. The GWCC does not publish a rate; the general contractor's show kit carries the actual tariff, including surcharges for late or off-target freight.
From our Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Georgia International Convention Center, Cobb Galleria Centre and Gas South Convention Center guides
Either way, freight goes through the show's general service contractor, never to the GWCC itself, whose receiving warehouse does not accept event freight. In our countdown the advance warehouse deadline is about seven days before move-in, and late freight pays the surcharge. Direct trucks check in at the marshaling yard on Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd and are dispatched to the building's docks. Your kit sets the dates.
From our Georgia World Congress Center guide
At the GWCC, THE Show for the self-storage industry runs in early November 2026. IPPE fills the building in late January 2027, the Hinman Dental Meeting comes in March, and April brings PACK EXPO Southeast and the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits. IWF Atlanta runs in even-numbered years and last ran in August 2026. DragonCon fills downtown hotels each Labor Day weekend.
From our Georgia World Congress Center and Atlanta Marriott Marquis guides
Two. The 976-room Signia by Hilton Atlanta, opened in January 2024 and owned by the GWCCA, connects to Building C and is the campus headquarters hotel, so it fills first. The Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park, about 1,070 rooms and formerly the Omni at CNN Center, connects to the GWCC and State Farm Arena. The Atlanta Marriott Marquis is a MARTA ride or a walk away.
From our Georgia World Congress Center and Atlanta Marriott Marquis guides
Hartsfield-Jackson is about 15 to 20 minutes by car from the GWCC, or MARTA rail with one change at Five Points to SEC District station on the campus. The GICC in College Park is about 5 to 10 minutes away and runs a free shuttle to nearby MARTA stations. Cobb Galleria is about 30 to 40 minutes and Gas South about 45 to 50, depending on traffic.
From our Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia International Convention Center, Cobb Galleria Centre and Gas South Convention Center guides
For a regional show, Cobb Galleria has a 144,000 sq ft exhibit hall on one floor plus a 25,000 sq ft ballroom, and Gas South has a 90,000 sq ft hall, a 21,600 sq ft ballroom and 23 meeting rooms. The GICC's 150,000 sq ft hall suits fly-in shows. For a hotel show, the Marriott Marquis has more than 160,000 sq ft in 61 rooms, including the 25,000 sq ft Atrium Ballroom.
From our Cobb Galleria Centre, Gas South Convention Center, Georgia International Convention Center and Atlanta Marriott Marquis guides
SP+ runs over 5,600 spaces in the Yellow and Blue lots and the Green, Red, Orange and Silver decks. The standard daily rate is $15, higher on Falcons game days and during major events, so plan crew parking around the stadium schedule. Every contractor and crew member wears an ID badge and enters through designated service entrances. Empty crates go to the marshaling yard, never the dock ramps.
From our Georgia World Congress Center guide
Yes. Multilevel and covered booth plans need a licensed structural engineer's stamp and must reach the GWCC at least 60 days before move-in for fire marshal review. Covered or enclosed areas of 300 sq ft or more also need a fire watch through GWCC Public Safety, and decks or enclosed rooms that size need two remote exits. Keeping a canopy under 300 sq ft avoids both.
From our Georgia World Congress Center guide
Exhibiting in Atlanta?
Purple ships and installs from New York, and Purple coordinates crews and freight for Atlanta shows, from the GWCC marshaling yard downtown to the ballroom carpet at the Marquis and the suburban halls. Send us your show, building and booth number.
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Written by the Purple Exhibits team from our Atlanta venue guides: Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Georgia International Convention Center, Cobb Galleria Centre, Gas South Convention Center. Each guide lists its own sources (venue rules, exhibitor kits, organizer sites). Drayage figures are Purple planning rates. Reviewed for the 2026–2027 season.
