Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau Services: A Local Guide for Meetings, Events, and Travel Support

Planning a conference, corporate retreat, trade show, or large group visit in Atlanta? The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) is the central resource that connects you with everything the city offers for business and meetings.

Whether you live in Atlanta and need help bidding on an event, you’re bringing a team here for a convention, or you’re just trying to understand how visitor services work in the city, this guide walks through what the ACVB does and how to use its services effectively.

What Is the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau?

The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau is the city’s primary destination marketing and visitor services organization. Its role is to:

• Promote Atlanta as a top destination for business meetings, conventions, and leisure travel
• Support event planners with tools, contacts, and destination expertise
• Coordinate with hotels, venues, attractions, and transportation providers
• Help visitors and locals navigate what to see, do, and book in the Atlanta area

The ACVB focuses heavily on business and meetings, making it especially useful if you’re planning corporate travel, trade shows, incentive trips, or large gatherings in the city.

Where to Find and Contact the ACVB

Main Office (Administrative / Business Services)
Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau
233 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30303
Main phone (commonly listed): 404‑521‑6600

Office hours, direct lines, and specific contacts (like sales, services, or media) can change, so it’s best to confirm current details through the ACVB’s main phone or directory.

If you’re attending a convention at Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), AmericasMart Atlanta, or downtown hotels, you’ll often see ACVB materials and representatives supporting those events on-site.

Core Services for Meetings and Conventions

H2: Support for Meeting and Event Planners

If you’re bringing a corporate group, association conference, or trade show to Atlanta, the ACVB acts as a free local expert and connector. Typical services include:

H3: Site Selection and City Proposals

The ACVB can help you:

• Evaluate whether Atlanta fits your event (size, season, hotel needs, budget)
• Identify best-fit neighborhoods and districts:
  • Downtown – near GWCC, State Farm Arena, Centennial Olympic Park
  • Midtown – near arts and culture, Piedmont Park, Tech Square
  • Buckhead – more upscale hotels and dining, corporate clusters
  • Airport area (Hartsfield-Jackson) – convenient for fly-in meetings
• Coordinate city-wide hotel availability checks for your dates
• Assemble a comprehensive destination proposal to present to your leadership or board

This is especially helpful if you’re comparing Atlanta with other cities or need to build a strong case for hosting your meeting here.

H3: Hotel and Venue Sourcing

The ACVB works closely with:

• Major convention hotels (downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, airport)
• Unique venues: museums, historic buildings, rooftop spaces, theaters
• Large facilities like:
  • Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC)
    285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30313
  • AmericasMart Atlanta
    240 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

They can:

• Help you distribute RFPs (requests for proposals) to multiple hotels and venues at once
• Suggest venues matched to your group size, style, and budget
• Provide rough room-block guidance based on your attendance estimates

While you’ll negotiate contracts directly with hotels/venues, the ACVB streamlines the early matching process and points you toward realistic options.

H3: On-the-Ground Event Services

Once your meeting is booked in Atlanta, the ACVB’s convention services team can often assist with:

• Welcome materials for attendees (digital guides, maps, local info)
• On-site visitor information desks at major conventions (when arranged)
• Suggestions for:
  • Off-site dinners and receptions
  • Team-building activities and tours
  • Spouse/partner and family programs
• Highlighting local vendors for:
  • Transportation and shuttles
  • DMCs (destination management companies)
  • Event production, décor, and entertainment

These services help your event feel more connected to the city and make it easier for attendees to explore Atlanta during downtime.

Visitor Information Services for Business Travelers and Groups

H2: Helping Attendees Navigate Atlanta

For corporate travelers, attendees, and visiting teams, ACVB-related services help you:

• Understand Atlanta’s layout: downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, Westside, Airport area
• Plan off-hours activities:
  • Attractions like the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, College Football Hall of Fame
  • Neighborhood experiences in the BeltLine corridor, Old Fourth Ward, or Inman Park
• Get restaurant and nightlife ideas near your hotel or venue

Many conventions distribute ACVB-produced materials in their attendee welcome packets or event apps to help visitors quickly orient themselves.

H2: Group Travel and Corporate Visitor Services

If you’re organizing corporate travel into Atlanta (incentive trips, sales meetings, customer events), the ACVB can help you:

• Connect with group-friendly hotels and attractions
• Identify itinerary ideas that combine meetings with local experiences
• Find activities that work well for:
  • Reward trips
  • Executive retreats
  • Client entertainment

They generally avoid planning every detail for you but can point you toward specialized local partners who handle full itineraries and logistics.

Local Expertise: Neighborhoods and Meeting Districts

H2: Where Meetings Typically Happen in Atlanta

The ACVB is particularly useful when you’re deciding which part of Atlanta is right for your event. Here’s a quick overview:

The ACVB can talk through:

• Transit access (MARTA, ride-shares, walkability)
• Pros and cons of each area for your specific group profile
• Whether you need city-wide coordination or a single-property solution

Marketing, Attendance-Building, and City Branding Support

H2: Helping You Promote Your Atlanta Event

Many organizers want to use Atlanta’s appeal to boost attendance. The ACVB often supports this with:

• Destination images and descriptions for your marketing materials (subject to usage guidelines)
• Sample copy highlighting Atlanta’s attractions, food scene, neighborhoods, and accessibility
• Suggestions on themes like:
  • “Meet where business and culture intersect”
  • “Bring your attendees to a walkable, attraction-rich downtown”

This type of support helps you market your event as more than just a meeting—it becomes a trip to Atlanta, which can encourage higher participation.

Working With the ACVB Step-by-Step

H2: How a Typical Planning Process Might Look

If you’re planning a meeting or corporate visit, your interaction with the ACVB might follow a path like this:

1. Initial Contact

   • Reach out with basic details: dates, estimated attendance, budget range, preferred area of town.
   • Explain whether this is a city-wide conference, corporate meeting, incentive trip, or training.

2. Destination and Fit Discussion

   • Talk through Atlanta’s districts, seasonality, and likely pricing ranges.
   • Decide if Atlanta is a realistic fit before you invest too much planning time.

3. Hotel/Venue Sourcing

   • Share an RFP or event profile.
   • The ACVB helps circulate it to relevant hotels and venues and may summarize interest or capacity.

4. Site Visits

   • If you’re seriously considering Atlanta, ACVB staff may help coordinate site inspections:
     • Touring hotels and meeting spaces
     • Seeing dining and off-site options
     • Understanding traffic patterns and transit

5. Pre-Event Planning

   • Connect with:
     • Transportation providers
     • DMCs and event service companies
     • Attractions and restaurants for off-site events

6. On-Site Support

   • Arrange visitor information tables, maps, or materials (depending on event size and agreements).
   • Answer attendees’ questions about what to do and how to get around.

Services for Local Businesses and Hospitality Partners

H2: If You Operate a Hotel, Venue, or Attraction in Atlanta

The ACVB also serves local tourism and hospitality businesses by:

• Promoting Atlanta to meeting and travel planners
• Featuring partners in destination marketing efforts
• Coordinating city-wide bids for large conventions and events

If you run a hotel, restaurant, attraction, or service that caters to visitors, connecting with the ACVB can help you:

• Understand upcoming convention calendars
• Learn what types of groups are coming to the city
• Align your offerings with visitor demand during peak event dates

Transportation and Access Guidance

H2: Helping Visitors Understand Getting Around Atlanta

Business and group travelers often ask how to move efficiently between:

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
• Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, and the Airport area
• Major venues like GWCC, hotels, and attractions

While the ACVB does not run transportation, it typically provides guidance and overviews on:

• MARTA rail connections from the airport to downtown and Midtown
• Typical use of ride-share services, taxis, and shuttles
• Walkability around Centennial Olympic Park, Peachtree Center, and Midtown blocks
• Approximate travel times between major districts (depending on traffic)

This kind of information is especially helpful when you’re designing:

• Event schedules
• Off-site dinners with tight turnarounds
• Free time blocks for attendees to explore

When to Contact the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau

You’ll likely benefit from ACVB services if you:

• Are considering Atlanta for a future meeting, convention, or trade show
• Need to compare Atlanta with other cities for an upcoming event
• Already chose Atlanta but want to:
  • Refine your hotel and venue options
  • Build local flavor into your agenda
  • Help attendees make the most of their visit
• Operate a local hospitality business and want to align with the city’s meeting and tourism efforts

For many planners, the ACVB becomes a first stop—a way to quickly understand how Atlanta works as a meeting destination and who to contact next.

Using the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau services can save time, reduce guesswork, and help your event or corporate visit align with what the city does best: hosting groups, connecting people, and making it easy for visitors to experience Atlanta while they’re here for business.