Atlanta
(2008-09-05)
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Yesterday, the Bureau's executive committee recommended that the 27 year marketing veteran get the job.
Pate hopes the Bureau says yes because he's got an idea on how to improve the big business of selling Atlanta to conventions and tourists: Use Centennial Olympic Park as a starting point.
PATE: If you go to San Francisco, you go the Wharf. If you go the New York, everybody meets in Times Square. Now, we have a destination where everybody can gather to sort of start their journey in Atlanta.
Pate's marketing strategy would also include nearby attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium, the New World of Coke and the Children's Museum of Atlanta.
Marketing is Pate's strong suit. He's spent the last 27 years promoting everything from milk to office telecommunication projects. He's marketed for several Fortune 500 companies and is credited for reshaping the image of BellSouth before it became AT&T.
In Georgia, conventions and tourism combined represent an 11 and a half billion dollar industry and 225 thousand jobs. © Copyright 2009, WABE
