Visit Albuquerque Celebrates Global Meetings Industry Day
Visit Albuquerque honors the impact and value of meetings and events in Albuquerque
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – (April 3, 2025) – Visit Albuquerque today posted Meeting Heroes Spotlights on its social media channels, recognizing local champions who go above and beyond to bring impactful meetings and sports events to our city in honor of Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID).
Posted on LinkedIn, Facebook and X, each of these Meeting Heroes Spotlights highlight a dedicated individual who championed a meeting, conference or sporting event in Albuquerque and was instrumental in bringing an event to the city.
“We are grateful to our Meeting Heroes for all their hard work and dedication to making Albuquerque a center for meaningful gatherings,” said Tania Armenta, President & CEO of Visit Albuquerque. “The travel and hospitality industry – including the vitally important sector of meetings and events – is one of the city’s largest private industries and one of Albuquerque’s most effective economic development strategies. On Global Meetings Industry Day, we recognize the countless professionals who are instrumental in bringing events to Albuquerque and work to make every event a success.”
GMID, led by the industry advocacy coalition Meetings Mean Business, brings together organizations across six continents to showcase the value of the meetings industry and spotlight the importance of in-person events. In 2024, more than $126 billion in meeting and event-related travel spending took place in the U.S., directly supporting nearly 620,000 American jobs.
The meetings industry in Albuquerque encompasses a wide range of sectors and disciplines. From technology and healthcare to arts and education, Albuquerque hosts a range of events each year that showcase the city’s depth of talent and expertise. Meetings and events are a critical component of Albuquerque’s tourism and hospitality industry, which brings in 6.7 million visitors who spend $2 billion annually and support more than 45,000 jobs within the metro area. In calendar year 2024, Visit Albuquerque – with assistance from its partners and the local hospitality community – supported 230 meetings, conventions and sporting events that brought almost 267,000 attendees to Albuquerque and generated more than $76.5 million in estimated direct spending.
“Event planners know that Albuquerque is an ideal destination to host a meeting or sporting event,” said Angie Jepsen, Vice President of Sales, Services & Sports for Visit Albuquerque. “Our affordability, great weather and unique culture offer attendees a one-of-a-kind experience that can’t be found anywhere else. We are excited to continue using these assets to our advantage and welcome even more visitors for future events.”
On the horizon are high-profile meetings such as the upcoming American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) Annual Conference (April 5-8), estimated to bring 600 attendees to the city; the spring meeting for the Association of Computational Linguistics (April 26-May 3), estimated to bring 2,000 attendees to the city; the Association of Children’s Museums InterActivity Conference (May 12-16), with an estimated attendance of 1,000; the National Farm to School Network’s National Farm to Cafeteria Conference (June 2-5), with an estimated attendance of 800; the Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Foundation’s U.S. Public Health Service Scientific & Training Symposium (June 6-13), with an estimated attendance of 1,300; the Senior Softball USA 2025 Land of Enchantment Championships (June 24-26), expected to bring 2,100 attendees; and the 2025 USA Archery JOAD Target Nationals and JOAD U.S. Open (July 16-20) with an estimated attendance of 2,800.
Visit Albuquerque is a proud member of and partner to the New Mexico Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), the New Mexico Society of Association Executives (NMSAE), the Rocky Mountain Chapter of International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), the Greater Albuquerque Hotel and Lodging Association (GAHLA) and the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce. Together with the event professionals at the Albuquerque Convention Center and the hospitality experts at local hotels, the industry’s collective commitment to excellence helps create memorable experiences for all who visit the city.
Local community members who are interested in bringing a meeting or event to the city are encouraged to contact Visit Albuquerque at 800-733-9918 or meet@visitabq.org.
About Visit Albuquerque
Visit Albuquerque is an accredited destination marketing organization (DMO), and a private, not-for-profit organization [501(c)(6)]. The mission of Visit Albuquerque is to stimulate economic growth by marketing Albuquerque as a convention, sports and visitor destination. For more information, go to www.VisitABQ.org.
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