Atlanta attracted an impressive 52 million visitors in 2016. Many of them headed downtown to one or more of the city’s elite attractions – the Georgia Aquarium, Center for Civil and Human Rights, the College Football Hall of Fame, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, the World of Coca-Cola, the CNN Center.
Now comes Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the home of both the Atlanta Falcons NFL squad and the city’s new MLS team, the Atlanta United FC. The $1.5-billion multi-use facility will host its first game this Saturday when the Falcons play the Arizona Cardinals.
The stadium is already receiving accolades for its innovative design and amenities. While Mercedes-Benz Stadium will no doubt wow sports fans with one-of-a-kind features such as the world’s largest 360-degree halo video screen, even more important for Atlanta is the impact this huge project will have on the local economy.
The stadium has already been booked for some of the sporting world’s biggest events, including this season’s College Football Playoff National Championship, the 2019 Super Bowl and the 2020 NCAA Men’s Final Four. Visitors from all parts of the U.S., as well as international travelers, will converge on Atlanta to attend these events.
“The opening of Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a very exciting moment for the city of Atlanta. It will raise Atlanta’s image by bringing more high-profile events to the city, and these events will be great for the city’s economy, generating income for area hotels, restaurants and shops,” said Kris Miller, President of Ackerman & Co. “The new stadium also complements the other major venues near the stadium, like the Georgia World Congress Center, which hosts one million-plus visitors each year.”
In addition to these economic benefits, major commercial real estate projects are in the works near the stadium: GWCC has proposed building an 800-room hotel on the former site of the Georgia Dome (which will be demolished this fall) and a 220-room Hard Rock Hotel is expected to open before Atlanta hosts the 2019 Super Bowl.
So, to be sure – Atlanta has plenty to be excited about as it gears up for the upcoming games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.