The SEC Championship just means more…business for downtown Atlanta

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – This weekend in Atlanta, it just means more.

More traffic. More events. More SEC signs saying, “It just means more.”

“If you haven’t been to Atlanta in the last four to five years, we’ve probably rebuilt most of the city,” said William Pate, President & CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. “For a lot of these businesses, this is incremental revenue.”

That’s because this time of year would typically see a drop in business if it wasn’t for sports and concerts.

Now, instead of a lull, it just means more than 150,000 people will pack hotels in Metro Atlanta to watch Georgia face Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium or rapper Travis Scott perform at State Farm Arena.

“Atlanta is just a great city for big championship events, which is why we have so many of them,” Pate said.

That is why, despite rumors that soon-to-be-SEC-newbie Texas was pushing to move the SEC championship to Dallas, the conference decided it just means more to stay in Atlanta.

“Not only are we extending through 2031, but the conference has an additional five-year extension that they can exercise to keep the game through 2036,” Pate said.

And with the big events this weekend, it just might mean a wise plan would be to strategize carefully or just turn on the TV and cheer.

“Ah, man, rooting for the Dawgs,” Pate admitted. “We want to get that third national championship.”

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