Trade Center Renovations

The new and bigger Columbus, Georgia Convention and Trade Center!

The Columbus, Georgia Convention and Trade Center has enjoyed its existing facility since its grand opening in September 1979.  Through the years, it has served as host to corporate events of local, state and national levels, concerts, political rallies, weddings and receptions and a myriad of other happenings.

Meanwhile, some of the largest convention centers in the State of Georgia grew even larger.  The Georgia World Congress Center, Cobb Galleria Centre, and Savannah International Trade & Convention Center have all grown in order to accommodate primarily larger and national level groups.  Leaders in Columbus, Georgia soon recognized the opportunity to lure smaller and medium-sized State Association and regional groups.  Using the “if you build it, they will come” philosophy, ideas quickly began to emerge on what would have to be done in order to make the Columbus, Georgia Convention and Trade Center the best second-tier convention facility in the southeast.

The City employed a firm to conduct an expansion feasibility study.  After looking at our current utilization, competitors throughout the south, and surveys of past and potential customers, the study group made numerous recommendations for expansion.  With the help of a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), state grant funding, and local public and private funding, the recommendations were put into action.  In October 1998, the local architect firm of Hecht, Burdeshaw, Johnson, Kidd and Clark, Inc. was brought on board to implement these changes. 

We broke ground on June 24, 2002 with plans to more than double the size of the existing facility as well as renovate most of the remaining space.  In exhibit space alone, we will expand from 46,000 square feet to 54,000 square feet.  A proud addition will be a new 22,000 square foot ballroom which is divisible into three separate smaller rooms.  Also included in the additions, we will have two new banquet areas:  the Foundry and the Sycamore Rooms with combined space of over 14,000 square feet.  The view along the banks of the Chattahoochee River will undertake a complete transformation as this more than $30 million adventure continues over the next two years.  We anticipate the unveiling of our newly transformed facility on September 15, 2004 – which is the 25^th anniversary of the Trade Center’s original grand opening. 

 We are remaining open throughout the renovation, and are accepting bookings for our new facility.  Contact one of our staff members for further information on your booking needs.  Also, please visit the photo gallery to view our progress. 

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