GWCCA COO Stacy Church: Running the US’s 4th-Largest Convention Center

Stacy Church, Chief Operating Officer of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA), joins us for the latest interview in our Innovators series. With 20 years in the venue industry, Stacy shares how she went from finance director to COO of one of the most complex venue portfolios in the country. In this conversation for event venue operators and executives, Stacy covers: • How the GWCCA’s portfolio works: the Georgia World Congress Center (the fourth-largest convention center in the US), Centennial Olympic Park, a roughly 1,000-room attached hotel, and management of the Savannah convention center • The two-year, $40M performance contract to upgrade HVAC, building automation, mechanical systems and generators, with a focus on customer experience and asset stewardship • Capital projects, including public safety enhancements, roofing, escalator modernization and a new phase of master planning • Practical AI wins: cutting vendor contract abstracts from two hours to 30 minutes, and building an internal knowledge hub for verified answers • What stood out at the Australian venue-management congress, including differences in event management education • Two candid stories of things going wrong, plus a cautionary tale about relocating for a career opportunity Whether you run a convention center, arena, stadium or theater, this episode offers real operational insight from a leader managing a tier-one market campus. ⏱ CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome and Introduction 0:23 Stacy’s Career Path: From Finance to COO 3:49 Inside the GWCCA Portfolio 5:33 The $40M Performance Contract and Capital Projects 8:31 Using AI to Speed Up Venue Operations 10:56 Building an Internal Knowledge Hub 12:17 Lessons from the Australia Congress 14:26 Venue Horror Stories and a Relocation Cautionary Tale 🔔 Subscribe for more interviews with leaders shaping the venue and events industry. Learn more about Momentus Technologies event venue solutions: https://bit.ly/momentus-innovator-series Momentus Technologies is the global event & venue technology leader. End to end software designed for events. Sales, booking, registration, floor-planning, financials & more. #MomentusTechnologies