William Pate

President and CEO

As president and CEO of Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB), William Pate is responsible for maintaining tourism as one of the city’s top economic drivers. The industry brought 51 million visitors to metro Atlanta in 2024, generating a record-high of $20 billion in visitor spending and providing approximately 310,000 jobs. 

A native of Atlanta, Pate is respected for his leadership and marketing expertise. He is an appointed member of the Georgia Tourism Foundation, charged with increasing the state’s position as a destination for travel. American Marketing Association’s Atlanta chapter gave him its Lifetime Achievement award while Atlanta Business League previously named him Herman J. Russell CEO of the Year. Pate has been named one of Atlanta’s 500 Most Powerful Leaders by Atlanta Magazine, and Georgia Trend Magazine recognized him as one of its 2025 Most Influential Georgians. Atlanta Business Chronicle has honored Pate multiple times as one of Atlanta’s 50 Most Admired CEOs and has named him to its 100 Most Influential Atlantans list every year since 2009. PRSA Georgia honored him with the Distinguished Public Relations award in 2023, and he is an alumnus of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2024. 

A prominent leader in the nation’s hospitality industry, Pate is on the board of directors of U.S. Travel Association and served as a past chair of Destinations International. Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International honored him as one of the Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing, and he received an award of appreciation from International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association for his commitment to diversity and inclusion within the travel industry. 

Pate’s involvement in Atlanta’s sports industry includes serving on the boards of Atlanta Sports Council, Cricket Celebration Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame. He is also secretary for the Atlanta World Cup Host Committee (AWCHC). Pate served as vice president of the Atlanta Football Host Committee, which managed the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship, board member for the Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee for Super Bowl LIII and vice chairman of the Atlanta Basketball Host Committee, which oversaw planning for the 2020 NCAA Men’s Final Four. Atlanta Business Chronicle named him one of Georgia’s 30 Most Influential Sports Business Figures. 

Pate is very active in the Atlanta community. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta while also serving on the board of directors for Central Atlanta Progress, First Tee – Metro Atlanta, Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation, Metro Atlanta Chamber and Woodruff Arts Center. He is on the board of councilors for The Carter Center, the advisory board for Children’s Museum of Atlanta and the industry advisory board for Georgia State University’s Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration. 

Prior to joining ACVB, Pate served as president of Career Sports & Entertainment, a national sports marketing and representation firm. He is the former chief marketing officer of BellSouth, one of the world’s largest communications companies. Prior to joining BellSouth, Pate supervised domestic and international advertising and communications at MCI during the telecom ad wars of the 1990s. 

Pate attended Georgia State University where he received his undergraduate degree in journalism and his graduate degree in communications. 

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