Geo L. Smith, II Georgia World Congress Center Authority - AGG Successfully Assists in Providing New Location for the College Football Hall of Fame

Challenge

When the National Football Foundation decided to relocate the College Football Hall of Fame to Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center was an obvious choice for the site. The Hall of Fame presented the opportunity to bring an exciting experience to college football fans, tourists and Georgia citizens. The project required both public and private resources to establish a long-term partnership for operating the facility. With both state government and private sector transactional and contracting experience, AGG attorneys were uniquely suited to assist the State with this public-private partnership.

Approach

Together with the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority and other State agencies, AGG attorneys worked to develop and implement a transactional and operational structure that preserved the public interest, while also providing flexibility for private investment and management resources to create a premier attraction within the Georgia World Congress Center complex.

Result

The 94,256-square-foot College Football Hall of Fame opened on August 23, 2014. It’s one of the key projects in downtown Atlanta’s transformation into a destination not only for Georgia World Congress Center conventioneers but for tourists, joining the nearby National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the World of Coca-Cola, and the Georgia Aquarium as nationally-known attractions. The Hall anticipates 500,000 annual visitors initially and an economic impact of approximately $12.7 million annually.