The development of a new immersive entertainment venue in downtown Atlanta has begun!
Centennial Yards Company recently announced its long-term lease with Cosm.
A leading immersive technology, media, and entertainment company, Cosm and Cenntennial Yards Company will work together to create a 70,000-square-foot, three-level immersive entertainment venue, including an 87-foot diameter 12K+ LED dome to deliver live sports and experiential entertainment in Shared Reality, as part of the Sports and Entertainment District at Centennial Yards.
Cosm offers fans a new way to experience live sports, immersive art, and experiential entertainment by merging ultramodern visuals with world-class hospitality and elevated food and beverage service.
Additionally, Cosm is the first addition to Centennial Yards’ next phase of development, which will bring approximately 470,000 square feet of entertainment, a two-story retail building, a Live Nation music venue, and restaurant space, including a 230-room flagship hotel, to a 7.5-acre site adjacent to the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home to the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United, as well as the Five Points MARTA station connecting the site with the rest of the city.
Centennial Yards Company is an affiliate of CIM Group, the developer of the $5 billion transformation of what was known as “The Gulch” into a massive 50-acre mixed-use development.
Working with award-winning architecture firm Gensler, who also designed the Signia by Hilton Atlanta, Cosm Atlanta will expand on the foundational design of Cosm’s first and second venues in Los Angeles and Dallas, respectively, and ensure its values and iconic features are embodied while still incorporating unique characteristics that reflect Centennial Yards and the Atlanta community at large.
Jeb Terry, president and CEO of Cosm, said there’s so much excitement around the development, and how Atlanta’s district is a premier sports and entertainment district, not just in the U.S., but in the world.
“Atlanta is a global destination, with the attention of the entire world, such as World Cups, Super Bowls, and more. We are going to be authentically Atlanta, it’ll be Cosm, but we will remain true to Atlanta, I promise you,” he said.
He also said the concept around the excitement is Shared Reality, which is bringing in “technology with the experience economy.”
Brian McGowan, president of Centennial Yards, also announced plans to bring a Live Nation venue to Cosm Atlanta.
“We’re building momentum and if you have been living under a rock, you may not know but we announced Live Nation is also coming to the venue where we will be building a 5,300 seat live music theater right here, which was signed two weeks ago, so we’re very excited about that as well,” he said.
Additionally, McGowan said they want to ensure they are building the “best sports-adjacent entertainment district in the world.”
“We want to make sure it’s the best, not in the southeast, not in the United States, but in the world,” he said. “When people come down to Centennial Arts, we want them to have a different and unique experience every time they come here, and we have a lot of other great announcements that are coming, and we’re super excited about this.”
Andrew Saltzman, president of business enterprise and chief commercial officer of the Atlanta Hawks, said they are thrilled to add Cosm to Atlanta.
“This really marks the beginning of something that is transformational here in the city of Atlanta,” he said. “We are just so thrilled to be a part of that realization of what truly will be the world’s greatest sports entertainment district.”
He also said Cosm will provide what residents and guests have been asking for, which is a vibrant new entertainment option in the heart of downtown Atlanta.
“Cosm is going to provide a new immersive experience that will be new and exciting to our customers and will be available to our customers. We’re excited,” he said.
As far as job opportunities in Atlanta, Terry says they’ll be hiring “hundreds of people” at Cosm Atlanta and will have an excellent job impact, where it’s a bridge between technology, hospitality, and human experience once construction is finished.
“We typically keep about 200 plus base in each city that we come to, and some of that is built around the corporate kind of infrastructure we need in each city,” he said. “We also make sure we have a fantastic staff that’s driving and creating the hospitality environment that we all aspire to have, so we look for a diverse talent base that comes in and understands how important this location is to us and the hospitality that we want.”
McGowan said there is a lot coming with the live entertainment venue as well and the economic impact will be “enormous.”
“We are going to build 2,000 – 3,000 apartments, 1,800 hotel rooms, 900,000 square feet of office, and 900,000 square feet of retail space. The economic impact is enormous, which will result in thousands of job opportunities for entrepreneurs to start businesses,” he said. “We have an online contract goal of 38 right now under construction, which is a $6 million project, so 38% of that will go to minority people, business enterprises, which is already changing lives, and there’s more to come.”
Furthermore, Terry said he wants people to come in Cosm Atlanta and have their minds blown.
“We want them to be wowed and speechless when they come in, but we also want them to leave and say, ‘I don’t know how to describe that, it’s just awesome, you have to see it.’ We really want guests to feel and have a wonderful time,” he said. “We want it to be an authentic experience”.
Terry also said their collective goal is to be finished in time for the 2026 World Cup, starting in June.
“I think there’s so much energy being put into it citywide; that’s the goal. We feel we’re in a pretty good spot, and we feel great about our progress,” he said.
For more information and updates, visit https://www.cosm.com and https://centennialyards.com.
