8 New Venues in Atlanta for Summer 2021 Meetings and Events

A project in the making since 2017, Colony Square finally unveiled a huge part of its ongoing $400 million facelift that's had Atlanta's Midtown neighborhood—and event planners (the renovation includes a bevy of meeting space)—buzzing in anticipation for the last four years. Politan Row, the hub's new chef-driven "food hall for Midtown" that opened on June 25, takes the average food mecca and raises it a sophisticated lounge for seated diners, a photo booth and a central bar, to start. Available for a full buyout of up to 250 seated guests, the 20,000-square-foot space, and features a midcentury-modern design that nods to Colony Square's grand opening in 1973, plus nearly a dozen stalls—with more opening soon—that serve a variety of bites and sips from local, up-and-coming chefs (you won't find any chain restaurants here). Smaller parties or corporate groups entertaining clients may want to consider the chef's table, where, for $30 per person, groups of up to 12 can get a full-service dining experience across two hours.

For larger groups, Politan Row's private event space, The Blue Room, is available for full buyouts and accommodates 70 guests seated or 120 guests standing. Additional indoor event space includes the swanky Jojo’s Beloved Cocktail Lounge, which boasts cathedral-height ceilings and can hold as many as 80 guests, and the above IPIC Theater, which can seat up to 72 guests in one of its upscale auditoriums.

In addition to Colony Square’s private event spaces, guests have access to The Plaza, a 10,000-square-foot, open-air green space that plays host to the mixed-use development’s 200-plus annual community-driven events. The Plaza features a direct connection to Politan Row and The Patio, offering guests even more space to roam. While available for full corporate buyouts for up to 400 standing guests, The Plaza has limited availability—which means you better act quick if you're looking to snag the outdoor venue.

Silverspot Cinema rolled out the welcome mat at The Battery Atlanta (the shops and restaurants destination surrounding Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves) on May 28. The 50,000-square-foot theater includes 10 auditoriums varying in size that can accommodate anywhere from 32 to 112 seated guests. The unique venue offers a full buyout, which includes room for 621 seated guests within the auditoriums, plus space for about 250 standing guests outside the auditoriums. For smaller gatherings outdoors, Silverspot's non-covered patio seats 20 and can comfortably hold 30 guests standing for reception-style events. Rates for full buyouts vary depending on the requested date and time of the events, but starting rates for full buyouts begin at $7,000. (Full buyouts cannot be accommodated on dates that align with a notable movie release.) Smaller meetings and events can reserve a private space within the venue at a starting rate of $500. For a semiprivate affair, event organizers can look to reserve the S Bar (pictured here) and its surrounding restaurant area.

Of course, a perk of hosting an event within the upscale movie theater is access to state-of-the-art audiovisual technology. Here, hosts can tap the theater's projection and sound equipment for corporate functions or presentations. When it comes to F&B, Silverspot's kitchen serves up untraditional movie theater fare—such as salmon, steak and pasta dishes, to name a few—alongside curated cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks. (The venue will soon launch its own catering menu.) While many may not look to a movie theater to host their event, this type of venue works for an array of gatherings, from TV and film premieres, product launches and corporate meetings to conferences (hello, breakout rooms!), social events and more.

Officially opened this month on the Atlanta BeltLine, Illuminarium Atlanta offers 14,000 square feet of private event space, providing event organizers a blank canvas with soaring ceilings, custom-designed interiors and state-of-the-art projection and sound systems, plus an indoor-outdoor cafe and patio. The immersive space is available for full buyouts to accommodate up to 300 guests seated or 600 standing for corporate events, receptions, social events and more.

EVEN Hotel Atlanta—Cobb Galleria, an IHG Hotel opened June 2 near Atlanta's Cumberland area. From IHG's health- and wellness-forward hotel brand, the property—which is managed by Real Hospitality Group and owned by Epelboim—features 133 rooms, each offering its guests an in-room fitness zone and on-demand instructional videos. Also included on the property is 1,300 square feet of flexible meeting space that's available for a full buyout, starting at a rate of $6,000. The meeting room comes pre-equipped with 55-inch flat-screen TVs, a whiteboard and complimentary Wi-Fi; the hotel will happily partner with a third-party vendor for any additional audiovisual requests. For a more casual on-site meeting space, the hotel's restaurant, Cork & Kale, can be rented out to accommodate 40 people seated indoors and 30 people seated on the patio. The hotel popped up in an ideal location too, with close proximity to a convention center (Cobb Galleria Centre) with 144,000 square feet of exhibition space—not to mention, it's just 1 mile from Truist Park for any business travelers or eventgoers looking to catch an Atlanta Braves game while they're in town.

Opening its doors on July 22, just a few months after the property's debut, Wylie Hotel's on-site restaurant Mrs. P's Kitchen & Bar pays homage to the original Mrs. P’s Tea Room that opened in the same space in the 1950s. On the menu, guests will find seasonal Southern dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, such as barbecue lamb lollipops, crispy seared chicken thigh and char-grilled New York steak, plus shareable plates like grilled peanut hummus, Louisiana blue crab spread and charcuterie boards. The space itself, which is available for full buyouts, offers 1,017 square feet for small corporate groups of up to 102 guests seated across the restaurant, sunroom, terrace and garden terrace. While on-site audiovisual capabilities are offered, the venue can accommodate a third-party AV vendor for meetings and events.

Making its grand entrance in Atlanta's Dunwoody neighborhood next month, AC Hotel Atlanta Perimeter will feature 1,041 square feet of dedicated event space alongside its 156 guest rooms, plus the area's first rooftop bar (Bar Pari) offers panoramic views of Atlanta's skyline. Two distinct meeting spaces will be available to corporate groups and the like: The Board Room, at 487 square feet, seats 12 conference style, while the Meeting Room offers 554 square feet of space and can accommodate 60 theater style or 40 banquet style. The two meeting rooms offer audiovisual capabilities in the form a TV with in-wall media connections and are available for buyouts for $250 per day and $500 per day, respectively. The AC Lounge—a community area on the seventh floor—features a bar, lounge and patio that can be rented out for private events of up to 80 seated guests or 130 for reception-style events. For especially small gatherings or board meetings, the AC Library can hold 19 standing or six seated. Up on the rooftop, the 1,270-square-foot Bar Pari accommodates 85 standing or 55 seated and boasts a private dining area that can seat up to eight guests and fit 16 guests reception style.