Officials hope to update NW Georgia convention center

By Associated Press

For the AJC

Convention and tourism officials in northwest Georgia are trying to figure out ways to upgrade the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center in Dalton.

Dalton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Brett Huske says the facility, built 21 years ago, is showing signs of its age.

Huske tells The Daily Citizen that the center has been passed over for conventions. He said Dalton wasn't chosen for the Georgia governor's conference on tourism, for instance, because organizers said the facility was "tired" and lacked an attached hotel.

The trade center was designed so that a hotel could be attached to it, but that has never happened.

Dan Rogers, chairman of the trade center authority board, says the board recognizes the importance of having a hotel at the center.