The inaugural event is an expo designed to showcase everything New Mexico destinations and tourism businesses can offer locals and visitors. "We are excited to introduce New meXpo! 2017 to the Albuquerque public," said Anderson-Abruzzo International Balloon Museum Foundation Executive Director Jill Lane. "Travel and tourism is such a vital industry for our state. We want to establish an event for New Mexico tourism destinations and businesses to showcase their products and travel packages directly to potential visitors."
The Albuquerque Balloon Museum will play host to New meXpo! 2017 with over 50 destination booths, indoor and outdoor activities, boats and RVs, a New Mexico True Marketplace, beer garden featuring local beers and wines, and food trucks. In addition to the tourism booths, this family-friendly event will also include tethered hot air balloon rides, New Mexico children's storytelling, face painting, fun surprise guests and mascots, music and dance entertainers, interactive activities and more.
A consumer contest, The Enchantment Scavenger Hunt, adds a unique feature to the event. The first 1,000 adults who attend will be given a passport. By "touring the state in a day" and visiting the various destinations at the expo and filling in the passport, they will become qualified to win the grand prize-a $500 Cash Bounty to be drawn and given away at 5 p.m. the same day.
New meXpo! 2017 is aligned with the 2017 New Mexico True Governor's Conference on Hospitality and Tourism presented by the New Mexico Hospitality Association. This year's conference is taking place in Albuquerque. Visit Albuquerque, the city's convention and tourism bureau, is hosting this year's conference at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Visit Albuquerque's President and CEO, Tania Armenta, said, "We're pleased to be the host city of the 2017 New Mexico True Governor's Conference on Hospitality and Tourism. Tourism is one of the largest industries in New Mexico and this annual event brings together the best and brightest industry partners and destination marketing leaders to further enhance the positive impact of the state's tourism industry."
New meXpo! 2017 is also partnering with New Mexico Hospitality Association to host a job fair dedicated to travel and tourism businesses in New Mexico. "We wanted the job fair to coincide with New Mexico destinations and tourism businesses ramping up their staffing to prepare for the summer tourism season," said New Mexico Hospitality Association President & CEO Jen Schroer. "The tourism industry is such a vital part of New Mexico's economy, and we wanted to provide tourism businesses with the opportunity to find and hire great hospitality professionals."
Job Fair participants will be able to attend the event free of charge with qualified high school or college IDs and/or resumes in hand.
General public tickets for the event are $5 for adults and FREE for kids 12 and under. Parking is free as well and event tickets also include admission to the Balloon Museum.
For more information on the event, please contact Jill Lane at (505) 880-0500 at the Foundation office. Tickets can be purchased online at www.balloonmuseum.com. For more information on the Job Fair, contact Jen Schroer at NMHA at (505) 506-8624 or jen@newmexicohospitality.org.