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Savannah convention center expansion boosting events; 444-room Signia hotel project to begin groundbreaking
Summary
Georgia World Congress Center Authority officials told a Senate study committee the $276 million expansion of the Savannah Convention Center has doubled the facility's size, increased event days and attendance, and that a 444-room Signia by Hilton hotel ($398 million) will break ground Oct. 8 with an expected 2028 opening.
Kevin Moore, senior vice president of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority and general manager of the Savannah Convention Center, told a Georgia Senate study committee in Savannah that the center's $276 million expansion is already increasing event volume and economic impact and that a new headquarter hotel will further multiply benefits.
The expansion and next steps
Moore said the expansion, which doubled the convention center's size, opened in April and is beginning to show results: "In fiscal year 25, we realized over 20% increase in both the number of events and number of event days. We welcomed over 202,000 attendees and ended the year with the bottom line 14 and a half percent better than budget," he told the committee.
Moore described the next major project as a 444-room Signia by Hilton hotel, a roughly $398 million development adjacent to the center. He said bond financing for the hotel closed the week of the hearing, ground work has begun, and an official groundbreaking is scheduled for Oct. 8. "With the 33 month build to me, we're targeting an opening of 2028," Moore said.
Economic and employment impacts cited
Moore told the committee the center's fiscal-year-24 activity generated more than $260 million in economic impact, and he said the center's customer-satisfaction rating climbed to 96.1 this past year. Asked about payroll, Moore said the center currently has 138 employees on its payroll, about 50 of them full time, and that employment tied to center activity is broader: "Our economic impact study calculated there about 3,800 jobs directly tied to events here at the Savannah Convention Center. I think there are roughly 27,000 region wide in hospitality that that generate significant economic impact for the community," he said.
Why leaders urged marketing and connectivity
Moore told senators that the expansion alone will not fill the new capacity: "While doubling the size of the convention center doesn't instantly double the results, it does double our capacity to create impact. And our job now is to grow into that capacity over the coming years." He urged investment in headquarters hotel construction, improved pedestrian connectivity and wayfinding on Hutchinson Island, and sustained local and statewide tourism marketing.
Questions from the committee and attendees
Committee members and attendees asked about staffing (Moore provided the payroll figures) and whether the Signia would be the only one in the state (Moore: "This will be the second in the state of Georgia"). No formal committee action was taken; the presentation served to inform the study committee's review of how state marketing and product development funding can support newly enlarged facilities.
