ATLANTA, GA MAY 27, 2010—  Energizing Atlanta’s position as a prime  tourism and business travel destination, the Sheraton Atlanta will host more than 65 newspaper and magazine, travel editors, freelance writers, online travel journalists, photographers and PR professionals, June 3-6, 2010.

 The Atlantic-Caribbean chapter of the SATW is comprised of members from ten Southeastern states. The ACC will conduct their annual conference, the core of which will focus on enhanced professional development sessions. The meeting will include a media marketplace and story/photo opportunities at Atlanta’s top tourism and cultural attractions. A dine-around on June 5^th  will feature ten of Atlanta’s acclaimed restaurants including Repast, NAVA, ARIA, Fandangles at Sheraton Atlanta,  Atlanta Grill at Ritz Carlton, Livingston’s at Georgian Terrace, 4^th  & Swift, Dogwood, Buckhead Diner and Atlanta Fish Market. (The members are paying their own way at the hotel and at each restaurant).

ACVB is providing City Passes and MARTA tickets for members to tour and experience such compelling attractions as the Georgia Aquarium, New World of Coca Cola, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, High Museum of Art, Atlanta Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Atlanta History Center, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Center, Centennial Olympic Park and the Margaret Mitchell House among others.

Competition to host the SATW-ACC meeting began more than a year ago with Orlando, Florida, and Waco, Texas vying with Atlanta for the destination meeting site. Daniel Senden, Director of Sales & Marketing for the Sheraton Atlanta, spearheaded a successful effort to serve as Atlanta’s host with the ACVB joining in a major support role.

Senden said, “On behalf of the Sheraton Atlanta I was not going to forfeit this incredible opportunity to Orlando or Waco for the right to expose the dynamic Atlanta tourism and business travel market to a leading organization of travel journalists and media relations.

At the same time, we had a wealth of experience and solid infrastructure to work with SATW on developing the means for a highly productive meetings agenda. Plus, we recently invested more than $20 million into our property in 2009 bringing our total Capital Improvements over the past seven years to a grand sum of $70 million. These enhancements powered our 763 room Sheraton Atlanta from an unpretentious property into a stylishly designed, contemporary business and leisure hotel with a new verve and identity.”

Freelance travel writer Bob Jenkins, Chairman of ACC and former travel editor of the St. Petersburg Times said, “Our host, the Sheraton Atlanta, and our off-site venues for the Media Marketplace are exceptional. The SATW-ACC chapter meeting will employ all-star media panel sessions, social media workshops as well as arranging tours of the Atlanta’s top tourism and cultural attractions.”

Panelists include Annette Thompson, Associate Travel Editor with Southern Living Magazine; Rich Eldridge, contributing editor, Atlanta Magazine; Renee Werbin, publisher/columnist TravelGirl magazine; Allison Entriken, writer with Flavors magazine; PBS veteran, Hollis Gillespie, creator of “The Most Popular Blogging Workshop Ever;” local Twitter expert Jenny Schmidt with Cloud Spark; Mitch Leff, Atlanta media guru; and Peter Shankman, recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about Social Media.

For more information visit www.SheratonAtlantaHotel.com