William Pate - World Cup 2026 and Atlanta Tourism

In this episode, I sit down with William Pate, the longtime leader of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and a major force behind Atlanta’s tourism boom. We get into how Atlanta became a top destination for conventions and major events, the impact of the Olympics and Super Bowls, and what the World Cup could mean for the city. We also talk about the future of downtown — more residential, reimagined office space, and what Atlanta needs to keep momentum going. Big thanks to our sponsors for supporting this series: ✨ Songy Highroads – songyhighroads.com ✨ Corporate Environments – corporateenvironments.com ✨ USA Cabling – usacablingtech.com If you’re looking for commercial real estate in Atlanta, give me a call — I’d love to connect. #AtlantaDevelopment #DowntownAtlanta #UrbanGrowth 0:00 – Introduction & early background 0:59 – Sponsor Break (Songy Highroads) 2:00 – Early Atlanta tourism development 8:27 – Sponsor Break (USA Cabling) 9:00 – Career path 15:41 – Sponsor Break (Corporate Environments) 16:44 – Convention & event strategy 27:17 – Downtown Atlanta outlook 36:14 – Tourism & attractions 49:09 – Careers & advice 54:16 – Wrap-up More info: https://linktr.ee/timwright.cre