James March-April 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 71
said Brian Daniel, chair of GWCCA’s board of governors.
“He brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this
role, and we are confident that under his guidance, GWCCA will continue to thrive, impacting not only Georgia’s
economy, but the live events industry.”
One of Duvall’s first big moves was to hire a replacement for COO. Stacey Church took over as COO in February, coming from Dallas. She was previously the general
manager at the Dallas Fair Park, a 277-acre campus that
includes the Centennial Building and the Cotton Bowl
Stadium. “Stacey’s extensive experience and proven track
record in operational leadership make her the ideal choice
for this pivotal role,” said Duvall.
Savannah—and More
Duvall’s time at the GWCCA has certainly been eventful. The whole reason he came to Atlanta in the first place,
the Georgia Dome, was torn down in 2017. But a new
expansion outside of Atlanta is also becoming a key piece
of the GWCCA network— the Savannah Convention Center
(SCC). The SCC features 330,000 square feet of space
directly on the Savannah River across from downtown
Savannah. Approximately 200,000 people attend events at
the center annually— before the completion of the expansion. These attendees resulted in more than 170,000 nights
booked in rooms at Savannah area hotels. It’s quickly
becoming yet another jewel for Savannah, not to mention
exposing that many more people to the Hostess City of the
South and perhaps enticing them for a return visit.
“I got to work alongside Frank (Poe) and go to Savannah and work with that board there and strategically
begin management of Savannah by the Georgia World
Congress Center,” said Duvall. “The Savannah Convention
Center has just expanded and effectively doubled the size
there on Hutchinson Island. So it’s been exciting.”
Besides Savannah and the soon-development of the
Home Depot Backyard space on the Atlanta campus, the
looming 2026 FIFA World Cup will be a monster event for
the new CEO. “From a global magnitude and the amount
of activity that will probably have happened around this
campus over a 30-day period, that’s one of the largest
events, if not the largest event you can do in the world,”
said Duvall. “I wasn’t here for the Olympics, but I’ve been
involved with Super Bowls, Final Fours, football championship games, et cetera. The magnitude of the World Cup is
coming into focus now that we just closed the book on the
college football season here and celebrated in Atlanta.”
Numbers are difficult to estimate this far out, but
some 500,000 visitors are expected to the Atlanta metro area for the eight matches that will take place here.
Undoubtedly, it will be the biggest event in the city since
the Olympics in 1996 and if it even has a fraction of the
impact of the Olympics, there will be another pivotal
point in the history of the city.
Conventions and Trade Shows
For the GWCCA though, the focus on these big events
can easily outweigh what is maybe the most important part
of their business, both for the GWCC and for the metro region in general— the day-to-day convention and trade shows
that roll through on a near-weekly basis. The Atlanta Boat
Show, the CHEERSPORT National Championships, Southern Region Volleyball . . . the Thomas P. Hinman Dental
Meeting— 14,000 attendees in 2024. Each of these events is
one of many throughout the year that feature thousands of
attendees, trailed at the hotels and city by their spouses or
children or parents. Most of us do not even know they are
happening unless you are involved with that sport, business
or third-tier comic card collecting. There’s a show or convention for everything and many of them take place somewhere in the Georgia World Congress Center.
“We’ll have 60,000 folks here a couple weekends in
February for CHEERSPORT. We are an economic driver, and
we can’t forget that. That’s what our mission is for the state
of Georgia and the city of Atlanta,” emphasizes Duvall. “And
so each and every day we’re working with IPPE (the world’s
largest poultry, feed and meat technology expo) or the International Woodworking Fair or Modexes (50,000 attendees
for a supply chain convention) of the world.”
Baker Owens is a staff writer for James and James Magazine Online.
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