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Today we shined our spotlight on Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, and visited with CEO William Pate.
Welcome to Atlanta, a world-class, modern city with a rich, passionate history. Experience how Atlanta is exactly what you make of it – where your moment in time meets the excitement around you. Atlanta, Georgia is a Brave and Beautiful City with an impressive legacy of leadership, progress and inspiration – and you are welcomed with open arms.
As president of Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB), William Pate is in charge of maintaining tourism as one of the city’s top economic drivers. The industry brought more than 37 million visitors to metro Atlanta in 2007, generating more than $11.4 billion in visitor spending ($28 million a day) and sustaining more than 230,000 jobs.
Prior to joining ACVB, Pate served as chief marketing officer for BellSouth, one of the world’s largest communications companies. Pate spearheaded the development and marketing of the BellSouth brand both nationally and internationally.
Pate also held positions at MCI, where he supervised domestic and international advertising and public relations and at Knapp Inc., an Atlanta-based marketing services firm specializing in solutions for large corporations. He also spent six years at the Southeast Dairy Association, producing advertising and marketing programs.
He began his career in non-profit, working in public relations positions with Goodwill Industries and the American Red Cross. Pate has received many awards and honors for his work from both Advertising Age and the American Marketing Association. In 2009, Pate was named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 100 Most Influential Atlantans.
Pate is the former chairman of the Atlanta Sports Council, Chick-fil-A Bowl and ACVB. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Alliance Theatre Company, The Association of National Advertisers and The Ad Council. He is also a member of the American Advertising Federation, the Georgia State University Board of Trustees and the Public Relations Society of America.
A native of Atlanta, Pate grew up in Decatur and attended Georgia State University, where he received his undergraduate degree in journalism and his graduate degree in communications. He and his family are members of St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
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Join us Thursday July 21 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Global Connect . . .
Network with 38 Bi-National Chambers of Commerce and Sample Food From Around The World. Hosted at The Grand Atrium at 2oo Peachtree LEARN MORE and REGISTER HERE
A special shout out to our new sponsor – the Business Marketing Association – Atlanta Chapter. Please go to their website to register for their monthly events www.bmaatlanta.com/events/.
Also . . . if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about, please email Amy Otto at Amy@ atlantabusinessradio.com and we’ll invite them to appear on the show.
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