This review for AmericasMart Atlanta is the second in a six-part series covering the official host hotels and venues at Dragon Con. These reviews are written primarily from my perspective as a regular Dragon Con attendee over the better part of the last decade.
AmericasMart is a huge wholesale trade center in downtown Atlanta. It consists of four separate buildings, connected via tubeways, totaling over seven million square feet in space. It's located next door to the Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel, an official Dragon Con host hotel. Outside of the con, I've attended a jewelry and accessories trade show as well as Walker Stalker Con, a fan convention for the TV show The Walking Dead, at AmericasMart. The place is massive.
During Dragon Con, AmericasMart Building 1 serves as the home of the dealers and exhibitors rooms. The dealers room used to be located in the Marriott on the Marquis Level. It wasn't until 2013 that the dealers and exhibitors rooms were moved to AmericasMart. It was a much welcome and needed change that was long overdue because these rooms were and still remain among the most consistently packed areas of the convention.
As of 2014, two floors of Building 1 house the various dealer tables and exhibitor booths. The official Dragon Con store can be found on the 1st floor. You can purchase official Dragon Con merchandise at this store, but you cannot purchase memberships here. To purchase memberships, go to registration at the Sheraton located two blocks east and one block south.
The dealer tables are located on the 2nd floor. The exhibitor booths are located on the 1st and 2nd floors. By my estimate, there are roughly 230+ vendors in total and the number is growing. If you're looking for a specific vendor, refer to the Dragon Con Pocket Program which can be picked up at registration or downloaded online from Dragon Con's web site or through the official Dragon Con mobile app. Some of my favorite vendors to visit each year are Stylin Online for geeky apparel and Yaya Han's table to see the Queen of Cosplay. I've also met Lloyd Kaufman, co-founder of Troma Entertainment and director of The Toxic Avenger, at his Troma booth. In person, he acts just like he does on TV.
I do not recommend visiting AmericasMart when it first opens for Dragon Con. Most recently, it has opened at 1pm on Friday. If you go anywhere near that time, expect a line wrapped around the sidewalk and a slammed house inside with very little room to maneuver. If you go on Friday, late afternoon/early evening is your best bet. The big advantage to going on Friday is all the vendors will be fully stocked.
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday mornings are a good time to check out the dealers room when it's not too packed. If you enjoy hanging out at the con late at night like most people, that's easier said than done. In the past, the AmericasMart has opened at 10am on these days. Note the downtown parade also starts at 10am on Saturday morning. I personally like to visit AmericasMart at least once Friday-Sunday and then again on Monday when it's less crowded.
In addition to finding cool and unique stuff to buy, AmericasMart is also a good place to see creative and high quality cosplays, and also buy food and drink to replenish energy. There's a Starbucks located inside the 1st floor (it faces Peachtree St.) along with a Domino's Pizza table and other various refreshment vendors. Wells Fargo customers can take advantage of the Wells Fargo bank and ATM located on-site.
The 2nd floor of Building 1 conveniently connects to the Westin via enclosed sky bridge.
Good parking for the convention can be found behind Building 1, across the street, on Spring St. In 2014, parking at this garage was a flat rate of only $10. This compares favorably to the more expensive $20-30 garages near Peachtree Center. The garage is part of AmericasMart. The entrance is located next to Haveli Indian Cuisine. Navigate to 225 Spring St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308 to find it. The garage connects directly to Building 1 via enclosed sky bridge.
As the convention continues to grow, I wouldn't be surprised to see the dealers and exhibitors rooms grow to fill additional buildings of AmericasMart. In 2014, Building 1 was already slammed with tons of people all four days, even Monday (Labor Day).
Walker Stalker Con is held exclusively at AmericasMart Building 2. The convention takes place on four floors of Building 2. The first two floors contain vendor and guest tables, the third floor is reserved for large panels, and the fourth floor is where professional photo-ops are taken. It's comparable to consolidating Dragon Con's dealers rooms with the Walk of Fame. Functionally speaking and traffic-wise, I think AmericasMart Building 2 is an ideal location for Walker Stalker Con and it has worked out well. read more