Savannah at a Glance
Location: Southeastern coastal Georgia
Access: Savannah Airport; interstates 95 and 16
Hotel Rooms: Over 14,000
Contact Info: Visit Savannah
912-944-0455
visitsavannah.com
Savannah Convention Center
Built: 2000; $276 million renovation completed February 2025
Exhibit Space: 660,000 square feet total, 200,000 square feet exhibit space
Other Meeting Spaces: 40,000-square-foot ballroom, 25,000-square-foot ballroom, 32 breakout rooms
Meeting Hotels
Hyatt Regency Savannah
Guest rooms: 351
Meeting Space: 33,000 square feet
JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District
Guest rooms: 419
Meeting Space: 17,000 square feet
Perry Lane Hotel
Guest Rooms: 176
Meeting Space: 9,195 square feet
Who’s Meeting in Savannah
Student and Youth Travel Association
Attendees: 1,200
Georgia Municipal Association
Attendees: 2,000
Meetings, meet the hostess city of the South. Savannah has long held the attention of leisure travelers, but thanks to some recent upgrades, it’s also gaining notoriety as a great spot for meetings and events. Cobblestone streets and vibrant nightlife combine with capable hotels and brand-new venues to give planners and attendees a seamless experience.“It’s such a fun, friendly city,” said Stephanie Muehlher, destination services manager at Visit Savannah. “It has great accessibility with the Savannah airport, and we’ve worked really hard on getting 30 direct flights from major destinations.
Destination Highlights
Known for its historic squares filled with Spanish-moss-draped live oak trees, bubbling fountains and iconic statues, Savannah is one-of-a-kind in the South. The city’s charming scenery is easily recognizable from iconic books and films, like “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” and “Forrest Gump,” among others. Its plantation homes, inns, cemeteries and churches have abundant stories to tell visitors on topics ranging from architecture to Black history.
Some of its top attractions in the historic district include Forsyth Park, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Bonaventure Cemetery and River Street, complete with the original cobblestones. There’s also the American Prohibition Museum, the only museum of dedicated to the topic in the country, as well as the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, just minutes from the airport.
No trip to Savannah is complete without a historic trolley tour. Walking tours, including cemetery tours, history tours and even ghost tours, are also a signature part of the Savannah experience.
Nearby Tybee Island, nicknamed Savannah’s Beach, provides all the fun on the water travelers could ask for, from dolphin tours to a marine science center to lazy days spent lounging in the sand.
Distinctive Venues
“With Savannah being such a historic city, we have a lot of historic venues for hosting main events or fun off-sites,” Muehlher said.
Several historic properties function as multi-use venues for everything from elegant banquets and weddings to trade shows. Savannah Station, a former train depot, offers 6,000 square feet of rustic, climate-controlled space for up to 300 guests. The Trustees’ Garden Kehoe Iron Works Building offers 8,000 square feet of space in a historic setting with river views for both large and small events.
Many of the city’s most distinct museums double as venues for a range of events, from corporate meetings to weddings. The Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center, a hub for the city’s art, contains an atrium, an auditorium and multiple galleries that can host events.
Old Fort Jackson, dating back to 1808, is a great place for an off-site or outdoor event. Another distinctive spot to meet is on the Savannah River, onboard the Georgia Queen with Savannah Riverboats. With multiple climate-controlled decks, scrumptious Southern cuisine and top-notch local entertainment, these river cruises are one of the city’s signature experiences. Meeting groups can do a full buyout of the boats or simply attend one of the many lunch, dinner or sightseeing cruises offered daily.
Major Meeting Spaces
The crown jewel of Savannah’s meeting and event venues is the magnificent Savannah Convention Center, which debuted a $276 million expansion in February 2025. Located on Hutchinson Island on the Savannah River, and visible from River Street, the convention center is accessible by ferry. It has 660,000 square feet, with over 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, two ballrooms, a 900-space parking garage and 32 breakout rooms. Its design combines plenty of natural light and views of the Savannah Harbor with functional features like charging stations throughout and the addition of private rooms for attendees to use for phone calls or one-on-one meetings.
“It is really a gorgeous space,” said Muehlher. “It’s new, but it’s fresh and user-friendly. It also incorporates some of the unique vibe of Savannah. They brought in bricks from historic Savannah to incorporate into the design.
”The convention center is connected to the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa, which features a golf course and 403 guest rooms. In addition to the Westin, another convention center hotel broke ground in 2025. The Signia by Hilton Savannah, slated for completion by 2028, will be 18 stories and add another 444 guest rooms.
After the Meeting
Savannah’s variety means meeting attendees will find plenty to keep them entertained once the day’s program is over. They can start by sampling some of the city’s signature cuisine. In addition to Southern fare, which can be found at the famous historic restaurant The Pirate’s House, Savannah has an eclectic food scene featuring everything from Asian fusion to upscale steakhouses found in local inns.
Plentiful seafood and rooftop bars can be found along River Street, especially at the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, an upscale hotel spanning three buildings in the heart of Savannah’s riverfront. Attendees should check out the Electric Moon, one of its rooftop spaces, which brings the vibe of an adult-sized playground with plenty of live music. Myrtle and Rose, an adjacent rooftop bar, offers a more refined rooftop experience. Both spaces are among many of the JW Marriott’s meeting and event offerings.
If they want to take the fun on the go, attendees will also find barhopping in Savannah is made easy because it’s an open container city. They can peruse the shops along Broughton Street, meander through the squares of the historic district and enjoy Savannah’s charming atmosphere.
“It’s such a fun city,” Muehlher said. “It’s historic, but it’s hip and fresh and so walkable. It also has great food.”
