Annual Downtown Development Day

October 26,2009

7th Annual Downtown Development Day Offers Unique Opportunity to Network and Learn about Completed Projects/Plans for 2010
Central Atlanta Progress Event will also Include Official Presentation of Atlanta Downtown Design Excellence Award, Three Breakout Sessions and Development Expo

October 26, 2009 (Atlanta) - Central Atlanta Progress in partnership with CREW Atlanta will host the seventh annual Downtown Development Day on Tuesday, November 10th. The day will begin at 7:15 a.m. with a coffee hour/registration and conclude by 12 p.m. It will mark the first time the event will be held at the AmericasMart, Building Two, West Wing. The 1.5 million square foot venue opened last year and is located at 235 Williams St. in Downtown Atlanta. Mark Becker, the seventh president of Georgia State University, will be in attendance for the first time to present the keynote address.

For the fourth year, the Atlanta Downtown Design Excellence Award will be presented during the opening session, and the public has the opportunity to vote for these awards online at http://www.atlantamagazine.com/ADDEA/home.aspx through October 19. The following five categories representing innovative and unique design will be recognized this year: community, hotel, office, residential and restaurant/bar. The five winners will be chosen from 21 entries and featured in the November issue of Atlanta Magazine.

“This year’s Downtown Development Day is quickly shaping up to be our best ever,” said A.J. Robinson, president of Central Atlanta Progress. “There is so much new and exciting information to share concerning Downtown’s active pipeline. This event really provides all who attend a tremendous forum to network and learn why the Downtown sub-market is one of our best for a range of business activity.”

Three breakout sessions will be held beginning at 10:15 a.m. under the following titles: “Infrastructure Improvements in Downtown Atlanta; “A New Outlook on Real Estate Financing; and “What’s Ahead on the Horizon.” Some of the panelists in the sessions include: Maria Saporta, Columnist with SaportaReport.com and Atlanta Business Chronicle; Prakash Patel, CEO of the Georgia Center for Foreign Investment and Development; Mike Alexander, Chief, Data Research & GIS Divisions, Atlanta Regional Commission and Cynthia Stanford, Managing Director – Special Situations Group – Wachovia Bank.

A Downtown development expo will feature a project showcase of new and planned real estate projects, as well as Downtown-focused initiatives.

Tickets are $45 each if purchased by November 6th at www.atlantadowntown.com and advance registration ends after that date when the ticket price rises to $55. An optional tour of new developments in Downtown will take place at 12:30 p.m. There is an additional $15 fee for all participants. This includes a boxed-lunch and one-hour guided bus tour. Ticket prices rise to $25 after pre-registration. All tickets are non-refundable. For questions about the day, please contact Tahmida Shamsuddin at 404-658-1877 or tshamsuddin@atlantadowntown.com.

Sponsors for the event are Gold Level: Cousins and Georgia Power; Silver Level: Barry Real Estate Companies, Gensler, Georgia Pacific Center w/Jones Lang LaSalle, Legacy Property Group/Luckie Marietta District, Richard Bowers & Company and Skanska; Bus Tour: Atlanta Center/Hilton Atlanta; Bronze Level/In-Kind: A. Brown-Olmstead Associates, AmericasMart, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Development Authority, Atlanta Link, News Talk 750 WSB-AM and The Big Idea.