The Georgia Dome is home to the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and the annual host to the Southeastern Conference Football Championship Game, Chick-fil-A Bowl (formerly known as The Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl and The Peach Bowl) post-season college football games, and since 2004 the FIRST World Championships. Since 1998, the Dome also hosts the Atlanta Football Classic by Bank of America and the 100 Black Men of Atlanta. This is an annual HBCU football game between Tennessee State University and Florida A&M University. It was also home to the NBA's Atlanta Hawks during the construction of Philips Arena from 1997 to 1999, as well as hosting basketball, team handball and gymnastics during the 1996 Summer Olympics. Since 1994, the Dome has hosted two Super Bowls and has also been host to both the Men's and Women's NCAA Final Four Basketball National Championships and several SEC and ACC basketball championships.
It hosted Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994 and Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, as well as the prestigious NCAA Final Four Men's Basketball National Championship in 2002 and 2007 along with regional semi-finals and finals in 2001 and 2006 and NCAA Women's Final Four in 2003. The Dome has been host to many WCW Monday Nitro and WWE RAW live events, including the now-infamous "Fingerpoke of Doom" in 1999 as well as the memorable championship bout between Bill Goldberg and Hulk Hogan. It was also the host to WWE Showdown XV. Since 2004, the Georgia Dome has annually hosted the FIRST Robotics Championship Event. Also, Drum Corps International held its first event at the Georgia Dome in July 2006 when the Dome hosted DCI Atlanta – The Southeastern Championship. As a result of damage done to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana by Hurricane Katrina, the Sugar Bowl game was played at the Georgia Dome on January 2, 2006 which was the first time "the South's Biggest Bowl Game" was ever played outside the state of Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl finished a string of three football games in four days that started with the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl between LSU and Miami (Florida) and an NFL game between the Falcons and Carolina Panthers two days later.
While playing at the Georgia Dome on March 27, 1998, the Atlanta Hawks broke the NBA single-game attendance record with 62,046 fans. The Georgia Dome also hosted the Georgia High School Association football semi-finals until 2007. The GHSA hosted the football finals for all classifications at the Dome in 2008. The Georgia Dome has also hosted many sold out concerts from many prominent music artist.
The Georgia Dome will also host the inaugural football season for Georgia State University when the school fields its first gridiron team in 2010. Also, The Georgia Dome will also host the 2010 General Conference Sessions of Seventh-day Adventists.
The Georgia Dome has hosted the world FIRST Robotics Championship since 2004. Over 300 teams from around the world qualify annually, to compete in the championship held in late March, as Well as the FIRST LEGO League World Festival at the same time. CSC’s partnership started with the Georgia Dome in 2001 when we took over the Crowd Management and Guest Services Program.
The Atlanta Falcons franchise began on June 30, 1965 when NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle granted ownership to Rankin Smith Sr. The expansion team was awarded the first pick in the 1966 NFL Draft as well as the final pick in each of the first five rounds. The Falcons drafted All-American Linebacker Tommy Nobis from the University of Texas with the first pick of the draft, making him the first-ever Falcon.
The Falcons had their first season in 1966, and their first preseason game on August 1, 1966, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles. They lost their first nine regular-season games and secured their first victory on the road against the New York Giants. The team finished the 1960s with only 12 wins. The Falcons had their first Monday Night Football game in Atlanta during the 1970 season. The 1971 season was their first with a winning record.
In the 2001 NFL Draft, the Falcons orchestrated a trade with the San Diego Chargers, acquiring the first overall pick (which was used on quarterback Michael Vick) in exchange for wide receiver Tim Dwight and the fifth overall pick (used on running back LaDainian Tomlinson). During the 2003 preseason Michael Vick broke his leg and missed the first twelve games of the season. The Falcons ended up with a dismal 5-11 record that year.
Vick returned for the full season in 2004, when the Falcons went 11-5. They made it to the Conference Championship, once again losing to the Eagles. The Falcons failed yet again to maintain back-to-back winning seasons in 2005, going 8-8. The 2006 Falcons had a chance to make the playoffs until the New York Giants beat the Washington Redskins, helping to seal their record at a losing 7-9. On January 13, 2008, the Atlanta Falcons named Thomas Dimitroff General Manager. On January 23, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coach Mike Smith was named the Falcons' new head coach. On March 2, Michael Turner agreed to a 6 year deal worth 30 million. On April 26, Matt Ryan (Quarterback from Boston College) was drafted 3rd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. On July 24, Contemporary Services Corporation, the Leader in Crowd Management, reached an agreement to handle the Falcons Training Camp crowd management program.
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 724–384–54. The "Dawgs," as they are sometimes called, play in historic Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. With a capacity of 92,746, Sanford Stadium is the fifth largest on-campus stadium in the United States and the 15th largest stadium in the world. Architecturally, the stadium is known for the fact that its numerous expansions over the years have been carefully planned to fit with the existing "look" of the stadium. Games played there are said to be played "Between the Hedges" due to the privet hedges, which have stood around the field since its opening day in 1929. The Bulldogs have won three consensus NCAA Division 1-A college football National Championships and 12 Southeastern Conference championships. The team has also produced two Heisman Trophy winners, as well as winners of a number of other awards and numerous All-Americans and NFL players. CSC has been handling all crowd management responsibilities for UGA since 2003.
Lakewood Amphitheatre located in Atlanta, Georgia, has been one of the premier concert venues in the Southeast since its debut season in 1989. The venue was built specifically for popular music. It was designed to offer a state of the art musical experience for both music fans and artists. Notable past performers include The Who, Tina Turner, The Allman Brothers Band, R.E.M., Alice In Chains, Jimmy Buffett, Phish, Weezer, 311, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Rod Stewart, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Prince, Spice Girls, The Steve Miller Band, Sting, Lenny Kravitz, Dave Matthews Band, Kiss, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Green Day, Blink-182, Linkin Park, Radiohead, and Counting Crows. The amphitheatre seats 19,000 (7,000 seats under cover; 12,000 on the lawn behind the seating area). In 2006, House Of Blues was managing Lakewood and reached an agreement to have CSC take over their security/crowd management responsibilities. In 2007, Live Nation purchased House of Blues and under their direction, CSC continues to provide the same quality service that has led Lakewood to be named The Best Outdoor Venue in Atlanta by INSite Magazine the past 3yrs.
The Georgia World Congress Center opened its doors in 1976 as one of the nation's premier convention facilities with 350,000-square-feet of exhibit space. Today, the facility features 1.4 million square feet of exhibit space, making the GWCC one of the top five largest convention centers in the country. Over the years, the Georgia World Congress Center underwent numerous expansions to meet the needs of growing conventions and special events. The CSC Atlanta Branch Office re-located from inside the Georgia Dome to Building A, Level 3 of the GWCC in 2006. CSC is on the Preferred List as a Contracted Security Vendor and has provided badge checkers, show floor security and crowd management personnel for conventions and tradeshows, such as, Microsoft, Herb-a-Life, Primerica, Cardiology and others. In 2008, Judith Olsen came on board as the CSC Director of Convention Services. She brings 16 years of trade show management experience in preparing security plans for potential conventions and trade shows.
Less than two decades ago, Centennial Olympic Park's neighborhood was a run-down part of town. That all began to change on the day Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games CEO Billy Payne gazed out his office window and a brilliant inspiration came to him - to convert a multi-block eyesore into a glorious gathering spot for visitors and residents to enjoy during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and for years to come.
The community support, coupled with the willingness of the State of Georgia to take the lead in the Park's development and to assume ownership after the Games, transformed a dream into a grand reality - Centennial Olympic Park.
Today, this unique 21-acre park performs a dual mission: it serves as Georgia's lasting legacy of the Centennial Olympic Games and it anchors efforts to revitalize residential and commercial development in Georgia's capital city of Atlanta.
The Park sponsors community-wide free events, including the Fourth of July Celebration, Wednesday Wind Down concert series and Fourth Saturday Family Fun Days. The Park also hosts festivals, fundraisers and private events. These events, in addition to the normal day-to-day traffic, bring an estimated three million visitors to this urban oasis each year. CSC has handled the security and crowd management responsibilities for several park events, such as, The SOCO Festival, The National Black Arts Festival, ESPN College Football Game Day, concerts, private parties and functions.