East Point staff lay out multi‑tier World Soccer Games plan; council asks for revenue options before committing
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Summary
Economic development proposed a downtown “International Village,” vendor and cultural tents, wayfinding and beautification tied to the Atlanta World Soccer Games. Staff estimated a one‑off fully-featured program at about $1.5M and an eight‑event high end at about $3.03M; council asked staff to return with revenue/sponsorship projections and a work‑session update.
Economic development staff presented a multi‑option plan to host an “International Village” and related activities in downtown East Point during the World Soccer Games in Atlanta (June–July 2026), and sought council guidance on scale and funding.
Director Macio Rogers described a downtown footprint around the commons and the proposed festival layout: international cultural tents, vendor/biz village, a jumbo LED screen for watch parties, VIP and band zones, temporary wayfinding and street painting, downtown ambassadors and additional sanitary and security infrastructure. The department also proposed additional place‑making and beautification that could remain after the events.
Staff provided three budget scenarios: a large, one‑off fully featured event (with many bells and whistles) estimated at about $1.546M; an option to run major activations whenever matches occur (up to eight days) with an upper estimate in the ~$3.03M range; and smaller, targeted activations. Staff said some department costs (power, public works, communications) would be charged for extended coverage across a two‑month window if infrastructure remained in place.
Council members repeatedly asked where revenues would come from and how costs could be offset. Staff said the East Point Conventions and Visitors Bureau (CVB) would handle marketing and that CVB and hotel/motel tax (TCT/TPD) funds could support promotion; staff said the city would still likely need to cover leasing of tents, stages and other physical infrastructure. Staff suggested sponsorships, vendor fees, parking and ticketing as potential offsets but cautioned that at the proposed scale those revenues would not fully cover the high‑end budget and that CVB contributions and private sponsors were not yet finalized.
Council members also raised operational questions: whether Main Street construction would finish in time, availability of parking, securing police, fire and EMS coverage (staff confirmed Grady partnership for EMS), and trademark compliance with FIFA (staff said they would use neutral branding such as "World Soccer Games" and follow CVB guidance to avoid trademark violations). Several members urged scaling back to a realistic plan given four months of lead time and asked staff to present revenue projections and a recommended scope at the next work session.
Rogers said staff had convened interdepartmental planning since October 2025, held community outreach meetings, and would return with three defined options (high/medium/low cost) and more detailed revenue and sponsorship estimates for council consideration.