GWCC’s Social Table Introduces Flexible Dining to Event Planners and Guests

Staff Report From Metro Atlanta CEO

Monday, February 27th, 2017

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority officially unveiled Social Table, a new food and beverage experience shaped to suit the distinctive needs of individual events and their attendees. The convention center, food and beverage partner Levy and its experience design agency, Curiology, and Atlanta-based design and architecture group ai3 collaborated on the research and design process, emphasizing flexibility, high quality, freshness and local flavors.

Social Table enables show organizers to customize dining service to each event’s audience, and offers guests a new choice for fresh flavors under one roof.

“Each convention center event brings a new set of attendees, who move, see, and dine differently,” said Cindy van Rensburg, Division President of Levy Convention Centers. “We recognized an opportunity to craft a more intuitive experience serving guests fresh, locally-inspired menus where, when, and how they want it.”

Levy, GWCC and ai3 grounded the design process in research to understand show manager, exhibitor and event attendee patterns. The immersive process identified several common behaviors, such as sitting at a restaurant space or roaming the event floor, which guided Social Table’s design and configuration.

Social Table infuses GWCC’s on-campus dining options with flexible and variable menus and spaces, including a full 35-seat bar, a build-your-own salad bar and a “Grab and Go” station. The space also features a multi-use food and beverage station serving a rotating and customizable selection of house-smoked BBQ, hand-pressed burgers and artisanal flatbreads. Southern twists on classic cocktails, like the Southern Mule, Midnight Manhattan and Lemon Sapphire Mojito highlight the revamped beverage offerings.

Social Table launched for the International Production & Processing Expo earlier this month, and will continue to provide customizable dining options for all guests and show organizers.