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TODAY o July 20, 2000
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Conventions draw record numbers to Atlanta
This month has been the city's busiest ever, and there's no letup in sight.
Saeed Ahmed - Staff
Thursday, July 20, 2000
It's not the heat, it's the head count.
Along with afternoon showers and characteristically oppressive temperatures, there's
another addition to Atlanta's summer that's becoming a regular fixture: conventioneers.
From the Association of Environmental Sanitarians to the National United Church Ushers
Inc., organizations are flocking to the city in record numbers, pumping millions of dollars
into the city's summer economy.
July alone has had more visitors to the city than there were during the peak period of the
'96 Summer Olympics --- a number that's been increasing steadily since the Games
ended.
"Most cities that host the Olympics experience a letdown in number the following year, but
we never experienced a cooling off, a slowing down," said Bill Howard, vice president of
marketing, tourism and communication at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Our
numbers for '97 were higher than that of '96, and the numbers for '98 were higher than '97,
and so on. And this July has been the busiest in recorded history."
And there's still more to come.
The Bronner Brothers International Beauty Show and the Bobbin Trade show both expect to
draw upward of 20,000 attendees next month. The highly anticipated religious conference
"Woman Thou Art Loosed!" is set to return next Thursday. Last year, it packed in more than
265,000 women during its three-day run and broke the Georgia Dome's single-day
attendance record on its last day.
In addition, there are more than three dozen family reunions, a handful of Greek gatherings
and annual meetings for such disparate groups as the American Rose Society and the
Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America.
Organizations prefer Atlanta to host their events for its accessibility, hospitality and the
diversions it has to offer to visitors, said Lloyd Webre, chairman and CEO of Georgia
Hospitality and Travel Association.
"Eighty percent of the United States' population lives within two hours' flight from Atlanta,
and that's a major factor," said Webre. "Add to that mix our hospitality --- which is
well-known from hosting major events like the Olympics and the Super Bowl --- and that no
matter what time of year you come here, there will be major league sports events, you can
see why Atlanta is in the forefront of people's minds."
With each convention bringing its own style and spending habits, the attendees --- filling up
Atlanta's 82,000 available hotel rooms and dining in their pick of 8,000 restaurants --- are a
financial windfall for the city.
The International Association of Conventions and Visitors estimates on average a
conventioneer spends \$1,200 during his stay in a city, which would leave Atlanta with a
revenue in excess of $600 million for the summer months alone.
But what of the cost to the city residents? Surprisingly little for the most part, civic leaders
say.
While the city's transit system, MARTA, has a significant increase in its ridership during
major conventions, the Atlanta Police Department said it doesn't usually have to deploy
additional staff to accommodate the crowds.
"We're pretty much used to the numbers by now," said police Lt. L.R. Gilbert, who oversees
the downtown precinct. "If there's congestion in, say, International (Boulevard), all I have to
do is tell the sergeants, and they know what to do and how to take care of it."
Howard, of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors' Bureau, said the city itself has also become
accustomed to hosting mega-events on a regular basis.
"If you're a local, you might not be able to get into your favorite restaurant, and it may take
you 10 minutes longer to get to a parking space," Howard said. "But when you consider
that the visitors that come to Atlanta will leave in excess of $150 million in additional tax
money that all of Atlanta benefits from, I think that's a pretty good exchange."
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