Mayor Andre Dickens announced Monday the creation of Showcase Atlanta, an initiative that aims to ensure residents and local businesses are able to participate and benefit from large-scale events.
Atlanta is known for hosting major conventions, conferences, festivals, political rallies and sporting events. Last week, the NFL announced Atlanta will host the Super Bowl LXII in 2028 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Super Bowl announcement is one of numerous major sporting events coming to the city over the next few years including the College Football Playoff National Championship and MLB All-Star Game in 2025, FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2031.
“Since the $5 billion economic success of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the metro area has captured an estimated additional $9.18 billion from major events and is expecting over $500 Million in impact from the 2026 FIFA World Cup alone,” according to the Showcase Atlanta website.
“The primary goal of Showcase Atlanta is to provide our residents, small businesses and visitors with exceptional experiences during major events hosted in our city. As more large sports and entertainment events continue to choose Atlanta, we want our community to participate fully and equitably, and this initiative is a unique opportunity to drive generational progress for our communities across the city,” Dickens said in a news release.
Dickens selected Arthur Blank, philanthropist and owner of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United, and UPS CEO Carol Tomé to serve with him as co-chairs of the Showcase Atlanta committee. The committee will advise the mayor on city-led plans for these events and ensure that the local community is engaged and directly benefits, according to the news release.
Additional committee members, including local business and civic leaders, will be added over time, according to the news release.
“We are an international city with a rich history, vibrant culture and thriving entertainment industry and Showcase Atlanta will highlight everything our city has to offer,” Tomé said in the release.
The initiative’s plan includes establishing a process for businesses to directly engage with large-scale events and to implement policies that encourage event organizers to source services and products from local businesses.
The plan also calls for community and neighborhood engagement as plans for major events are planned and implemented. This includes prioritizing opportunities for nonprofit collaboration and maintaining open communication with residents and local business owners to ensure they all can benefit from the influx of people attending the large-scale events.
Norelie García, board chair of the Georgia Latino Film Alliance (GALFA), has been named executive director of Showcase Atlanta. With over 20 years of experience leading private-public partnerships, business management and large-scale global initiatives, García will spearhead efforts to ensure the success of Showcase Atlanta.
“Through the leadership and vision of the mayor and other public and private leaders, we are going to showcase Atlanta to the rest of the world, while ensuring major events are done with and for the benefit of all our residents,” García said in the news release.
