Tuesday Talk: Finally, The Rock has come back to GWCCA
Tuesday Talk rounds up the latest Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) news you might have missed and also points forward to upcoming events on our campus.
ICYMI (In Case You Missed It): Last week Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his business partner Dany Garcia announced that their multi-faceted event Athleticon
Some of the event’s features revealed so far include yoga with Rachel Brathen, NPC bodybuilding championships,
According to Athleticon.com, ticket presales are coming soon, so stay tuned.
Johnson, the former WWE-wrestler-turned-movie-star, is no stranger to the GWCCA campus, having filmed portions of a long-form iPhone/Siri commercial here, and also as a participant in WrestleMania 27 at the now-defunct Georgia Dome.
POWER PLAY
GWCCA Executive Director Frank Poe has been named to Atlanta Magazine’s Atlanta’s 500 Most Powerful Leaders in 2020, in the Hospitality and Tourism division. Highlighted in Poe’s entry is his skill in negotiating public-private partnerships that have resulted in the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, Junior Achievement Discovery Center, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Signia by Hilton all landing on the GWCCA campus.
420 FEST BY THE DAY
Since announcing additional talent, including Snoop Dogg, to bolster the Sweetwater 420 Fest lineup, the three-day event at Centennial Olympic Park has now revealed its daily schedule.
The festival’s headlining acts have been spread out across the three days, with Cage the Elephant, Snoop Dogg and The Revivalists topping the first day’s bill on Friday, April 24. Trey Anastasio Band plays two sets on Saturday, April 25, and Lake Street Dive and Dr. Dog also perform that day/night. Closing out the final day on Sunday, April 26 is Oysterhead (the supergroup featuring Anastasio, Primus bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, and The Police’s drummer Stewart Copeland). For the full lineup, ticketing and other info, go to https://www.sweetwater420fest.com.
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
Computer program developers from across the globe converge at the GWCC for Devnexus 2020, a professional developers conference set for Wednesday (Feb. 19) through Friday (Feb. 21) throughout Building A and Sidney Marcus Auditorium.
The Georgia Society of Association Executives’ (GSAE) Luncheon, featuring a keynote address by Georgia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Chris Clark, is slated for Wednesday (Feb. 19) at GWCC’s Building B.
The International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) hosts its 2020 North American Championship on our championship campus Thursday (Feb. 20) through Saturday (Feb. 22). Sixty teams from across the U.S. and Canada will compete at the GWCC’s Thomas Murphy Ballroom for the right to advance to the ICPC World Finals in Moscow in June.
The roar of high-flying oversized trucks returns to Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a double-dip of Monster Jam on Saturday (Feb. 22) and Sunday (Feb. 23). Showtime is at 7 p.m. Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.com.
And speaking of professional grappling, All Elite Wrestling presents Dynamite on Wednesday (Feb. 19) at campus neighbor State Farm Arena. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks bounce back into action after the NBA Allstar Game with a pair of matchups this week at the arena. First up, the Hawks take on the Miami Heat at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Then the home team squares off against the Dallas Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 22).
