Before you move in
The Rules That Shape the Event
Four early checks that affect your certificate, show floor, exhibitor brief, and service plan.
Insurance / COI
Send the certificate before the 45-day mark
The customer must provide occurrence-basis commercial general liability insurance
from a carrier authorized in Georgia, including contractual liability coverage.
The published minimum is $1 million per person and $3 million per occurrence.
List the customer and, as additional insureds, the State of Georgia (including
the State Tort Claims Fund and other State-established Liability Funds), the
Savannah Convention Center, and their respective officers and employees. The
policy may not be cancelable without 30 days' written notice to the Authority.
Event Planner Guide, p. 27.
Fire Marshal / floor plan
Draw egress into the first plan
For exhibit-hall layouts, keep 20 feet clear around entrance and exit points,
8-foot cross aisles, 10-foot perimeter aisles, no more than 225 feet to an exit,
and no dead-end corridor longer than 20 feet. Floor-plan review is billed at
$55 per hour and plans must arrive by the 60-day deadline for the layout to be permitted.
A built exhibit booth requires a licensed structural engineer's stamp, a minimum
60-day submission, and a $250-per-booth review fee. Exhibition cooking uses a
separate Form E review at $250 per form.
Event Planner Guide, pp. 29, 32.
Decorating / exhibitors
Brief your decorator before materials are ordered
Adhesives are prohibited on columns. Double-faced tape cannot go directly on
Terrazzo, and adhesive floor graphics are not allowed on Terrazzo or other hard
surfaces. Carpet graphics need Event Manager approval 30 days before move-in.
The guide permits only specified tape products on Terrazzo and carpet; put that
approved-tape list in the decorator packet rather than letting a crew choose a
substitute on site. Signs and banners also need Manager-approved locations and methods.
Event Planner Guide, pp. 15–19.
Food / beverage
Plan food service with SCC from the start
Food and beverage service is exclusive to the Savannah Convention Center; outside
food and beverages are not allowed. Estimated catering charges are due in full two
weeks before the event, and food service is capped at two hours.
Exhibitor sampling is limited to the exhibitor's own product or service line:
up to 1 ounce of food or 2 ounces of beverage per patron. Alcoholic sampling is
not permitted.
Event Planner Guide, pp. 35–36.
