For the last 18 years, Visit Albuquerque has been recognizing locals with a strong commitment to the Albuquerque tourism industry. For the past two years, that recognition has been titled Albuquerque Meeting Heroes recognizing local ambassadors that have helped bring meetings and conventions to the city. The work of the 2013 Meeting Heroes will contribute more than $2.6 million in direct spending to Albuquerque:
- Patty Grodner is bringing the 2013 Pacific Coast Conference of Origami USA to Albuquerque October 4-6, 2013. Patty was the local contact for the organization, which is based in New York. She has worked tirelessly to make this event happen for the group during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta this year (2013) and Albuquerque has been well received as the conference destination.
- Evelyn Petree and Sharon St. John are bringing the Supreme Session of Daughters of the Nile to Albuquerque June 10-18, 2015. As residents, these two ladies have been extremely involved.Evelyn Petree was instrumental in securing this convention for Albuquerque as the Past Queen Supreme along with Sharon St. John, future elect Queen Supreme.
- Andrea Polli and Suzanne Sbarge brought the 18th International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) September 20-30, 2012. This symposium generated more than 2,400 hotel room nights. Andrea and Suzanne were instrumental in bringing this internationally recognized event to Albuquerque.
- Martin Plass is bringing the 2014 International CPV-10 (the 10th Annual International Conference on Concentrating Photovoltaic Systems) to Albuquerque after making a strong case for Albuquerque and successfully presenting the destination to the group. The meeting will take place April 6 – 9, 2014.
“Visit Albuquerque continually partners with locals and organizations across our community to seek out future business for the city,” said Dale Lockett, Visit Albuquerque President/CEO. “We appreciate the Albuquerque Meeting Heroes’ efforts in bringing meetings and conventions to their city and playing a role in Albuquerque’s economic growth.”
Travel and tourism is Albuquerque’s second largest private industry. Albuquerque welcomes approximately 6.1 million visitors annually, which generate more than $69 million in local taxes each year. Meetings contribute $65 million each year in direct spending. The hospitality industry also employs nearly 29,000 people in Albuquerque.
If residents would like to help bring a meeting to Albuquerque, they can visit www.MyABQMeeting.com for details. It’s quite simple and they could become a future ABQ Meeting Hero.
* Individual photos of the meeting heroes are available here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v939o31dlx446br/NnoJCBExES