The Atlantis Center in Lynn Haven aced an important test when it hosted its first large-scale event, Florida State University Panama City’s 2026 commencement.
Some 2,500 people attended the event at the 133,000-square-foot venue owned by TechFarms founder Steve Millaway.
“I am surprised at how few things we would change,” Millaway said while confessing that he was a little nervous in hours leading up to the event. “First time for something like this, you expect that something might go wrong.”
Instead, Millaway and all involved in planning and preparing for the event made pleasant discoveries.
“We had never tested a large sound system at Atlantis before, but we found that the building is acoustically sound,” Millaway said. “Now we know that we can hold events like concerts there.”
He applauded the work of Todd Neves and his team at Neves Media who made staging, displays, lights and sound ready for action. Millaway noted the efforts of Dr. John Holdnak, Ben Collier and others at TechFarms who helped with a variety of facilities-related modifications such as installing attach points in the ceiling for use by Neves and otherwise equipping Atlantis for the big event.
He complemented, too, The Celebration Place, which proved itself capable of organizing and pulling off a large, consequential gathering.
Dr. Jim Clark, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at FSU, presided over the ceremony, noting that “commencement is a joyful occasion that is in fact this university’s most significant celebration,” one that includes, he said, “traditions and symbols that emphasize its importance in the life of the institution” and involves “regalia and robes that date to the Middle Ages.”
FSU PC Dean Randy Hanna, in congratulating graduates, assured them that they will begin a new phase in their lives accompanied by a “desire to be engaged in your community” and promised them that “Florida State University will always be your home.”
The Atlantis Center, at one time a student loan servicing call center, has embarked on a new chapter in its life. Millaway intends that it be engaged in the community as a site for businesses and events and as a factor in economic and cultural development. He intends, too, that FSU commencements at Atlantis become a continuing tradition.
“Positive comments about the event and the Atlantis Center have been pouring in,” said Dr. Irvin Clark, the associate dean for student and strategic initiatives at FSU PC. “In particular, I heard from parents who have now attended graduations at both Tommy Oliver Stadium and Atlantis, and they really appreciated the change in venue. Everyone involved did an amazing job. The staging, the sound system, the big screens, it was all great.”
“Everything went well,” said Karrie Bradshaw, the events director at Atlantis and the owner of The Celebration Place. “We delivered on everything we said we were going to do, and it was a great afternoon. A lot of work, but we were very pleased with how everything turned out, and we will approach our next big event with added confidence.”
