AmericasMart unveils details about Two West expansion
Staff -- Home Accents Today, 9/1/2007
AmericasMart is adding 1.5 million square feet of showroom and meeting space to its three-building campus in downtown Atlanta.
Work on AmericasMart Building Two West Wing will take place in two phases, according to mart officials. The first phase, which is scheduled to open in July 2008, will add four levels of meeting and exhibit space, five floors of showrooms and three levels of basement operational space, including loading docks and kitchens. The second phase will add eight more floors of showroom space; the completion date has not been determined.
As part of the expansion plan, Brian Quirk has been promoted to vice president of convention center sales for AmericasMart Atlanta. As vice president, Quirk will oversee the sales and execution of all AmericasMart convention center events and tradeshows. His roles will expand as AmericasMart's space grows with the launch of the additional exhibit halls in Building Two West and the opening of the Building One ballroom and conference center in 2009. Quirk will be responsible for leasing the tradeshow and event hall space in Building Two West, as well as the ballroom and conference center in Building One.
"AmericasMart is taking convention center services to the next level and continuing to revolutionize conference and meeting offerings in Atlanta," said Chas Syndey, AmericasMart's senior vice president of new business development. "Spearheading this movement is Brian, a veteran of AmericasMart and the industry. We look forward to his leadership and strengths to help grow our company."
Mart officials said the grand opening for the new wing is scheduled to take place in January 2009, to coincide with the winter Internationa Gift, Home Furnishings and Area Rug markets.
"Building Two West Wing continues the vision that has powered our business for more than half a century," said Jeffrey L. Portman, president and chief operating officer of AMC, AmericasMart's parent company. "It captures the spirit, innovation and imagination that help make AmericasMart the destination for America's markets of necessity."
AmericasMart, founded in 1957, has 6.2 million square feet currently.
"The amount of business that AmericasMart brings to Atlanta makes them a key ingredient to the success of Atlanta's convention industry," said Mark Vaughan, executive vice president, chief sales and marketing officer for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Their current expansion will make sure that hospitality will remain a top economic driver in Atlanta for years to come."
