Industry Insider

August 2023

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It’s almost time for Visit Albuquerque’s Annual Meeting, a can’t-miss event where the organization will preview its goals for the upcoming year and share current industry insight. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting on Sept. 27, when you’ll hear about our collective accomplishments, get an update on the state of the local tourism industry and network with other Partners and Visit Albuquerque staff and Board members. See below for more information and register here.

It’s hard to believe, but the 51st Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® is only about a month and a half away. Please let Visit Albuquerque know about your special Fiesta events and offers so that we can help promote them to visitors.

Thank you for being a Visit Albuquerque Partner.

News

Register to Attend Visit Albuquerque’s Annual Meeting

Register for Visit Albuquerque’s Annual Meeting on Sept. 27, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The meeting will begin promptly at 3:30 p.m., followed by a networking reception with drinks and light hors d’oeuvres. All Partners are welcome to attend this free event to recognize the travel and tourism industry in Albuquerque and celebrate the opportunities for a landmark year ahead. Learn more about the success of the first year of the Albuquerque Tourism Marketing District, hear an overview of our industry’s performance during the past year, receive updates on exciting new marketing initiatives and network with Board members, fellow Partners and Visit Albuquerque staff. Register here.

Review Your Listing for the 2024 Visitors Guide

Production of the 2024 Official Albuquerque Visitors Guide is underway! The guide is a vital resource for travelers, highlighting where to stay, eat, shop and enjoy all that our city has to offer. We will distribute 200,000 copies of the publication beginning in January 2024.

Partners in certain categories – such as shopping, dining and attractions – need to verify your listing in the Visitors Guide. Earlier this month, the primary contact person at your business received an email with a customized link to update and confirm listing information. If you have questions, please contact Janice Pomeroy at 505-222-4307 or Pomeroy@VisitABQ.org.

For businesses that want an elevated presence in the Visitors Guide, we are also offering a variety of paid advertising opportunities. We are working with sales professional Lisa Saturday who will be contacting many of our Partners to discuss display advertising. If you’d like to contact Lisa, you can reach her at Lisa.Saturday@MilesPartnership.com or 303-867-8301.

Visit Albuquerque Attends American Society of Association Executives’ Annual Meeting

Visit Albuquerque Vice President of Sales, Services and Sports Scott Craighead, Senior National Sales Manager Tabitha Stallworth, Associate Director of Sales Larry Atchison and Director of Sales at Hotel Andaluz Misty Jester attended the American Society of Association Executives’ Annual Meeting Aug. 6-9 in Atlanta. Tinsmith Jason Younis y Delgado was our special guest in the Visit Albuquerque booth, demonstrating the New Mexican craft of punched tin. The additional activation with Jason in the booth proved to be successful, with Visit Albuquerque generating 260 leads during the show, double the number from last year. An estimated 5,200 people attended. Visit Albuquerque co-hosted a client breakfast with Go Providence and Destination Madison with over 40 people in attendance.

Visit Albuquerque Unveils New Mobile Visitors Center

Keep an eye out for Visit Albuquerque’s colorful new van as it travels around town! The van is wrapped with a vibrant illustration of an Albuquerque landscape, featuring many iconic Albuquerque attractions such as Route 66, Old Town, the KiMo Theatre and hot air balloons. The illustration also celebrates other Albuquerque favorites including red and green chile, the Sandia Peak Aerial Tram, kayakers on the Rio Grande and a lowrider car. Visit Albuquerque will use this van as a mobile visitors center during events such as the State Fair and the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®. Its public debut will be at the Labor Day Lift Off in Colorado Springs, Sept. 2-4, where we will promote Albuquerque’s cuisine, culture, attractions and outdoor recreation and help travelers plan a trip to our city. Thank you to McKee Wallwork + Co. for creating the van wrap artwork and FastSigns for installing the wrap.

Two-Question Survey About Balloon Fiesta Bookings

How are bookings for this year’s Balloon Fiesta performing so far? If you are associated with a lodging property or an attraction or tour that sells tickets in advance, please take this quick, two-question survey and let us know what you’re seeing. Responding will take less than a minute, and your feedback will provide us with valuable insight that helps with our marketing decisions.

New Mexico Tourism Department Secretary Departs for New Department

Earlier this month, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed New Mexico Tourism Department Secretary Jen Paul Schroer as the new Cabinet Secretary for the Aging and Long-Term Services Department. Deputy Secretary Antoinette Vigil also moved over from Tourism to the Aging and Long-Term Services Department as well. Lancing Adams, who had formerly served as NMTD’s Development Director, is the acting Tourism Secretary. Visit Albuquerque thanks Secretary Schroer and Deputy Secretary Vigil for their lasting impact on the state’s tourism industry, especially their work to increase the Tourism Department’s budget to expand marketing and promotion of New Mexico and the new programs they introduced to support destination and product development! We look forward to working with Lancing Adams in his new role.

Upcoming Meetings and Sports Events

In September 2023, nearly 6,500 people will participate in meetings and sports events booked and supported by Visit Albuquerque. These events will generate an estimated $3 million in direct spend and include:

Dates	Group Name	Est. Attendance	Meeting Location	Est. Direct Spending
Sept. 1-3	Church of God (Seventh Day) National Women’s Retreat	275	Embassy Suites by Hilton Albuquerque	$95,922.41
Sept. 6-8	Credit Union Association of New Mexico Annual Conference	300	Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town	$161,057.73
Sept. 7-10	General Federation of Women's Clubs Board of Directors Meeting	200	The Clyde Hotel	$120,522
Sept. 7-9	Professional Fraternity Association Annual Conference	85	Embassy Suites by Hilton Albuquerque	$77,291
Sept. 7-9	American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses Executive Event Planning Meeting	100	Albuquerque Marriott Hotel	$49,776
Sept. 8-10	Albuquerque Baseball Academy Five Tool Fall Challenge	1,690	Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Sports Complex	$267,707.63
Sept. 11-13	Shamrock Foods Food Expo Southwest	1,000	Albuquerque Convention Center	$601,209.55
Sept. 13-14	Texas Energy Managers Association ABQ Symposium	150	The Clyde Hotel	$19,126.36
Sept. 13-15	Tilde, Inc. RustConf	800	Albuquerque Convention Center	$275,959.15
Sept. 17-21	University of New Mexico School of Medicine MetaECHO	1,000	Albuquerque Convention Center	$826,167.72
Sept. 19-21	National Conference of State Social Security Administrators Annual Meeting	40	Embassy Suites by Hilton Albuquerque	$43,523.28
Sept. 19-21	Haven Ventures Converge ABQ	100	Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town	$69,289.15
Sept. 20-23	39th Engineer Army Battalion Annual Reunion	100	Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown	$75,996.21
Sept. 21-23	New Mexico Association of Educational Retirees State Convention	100	Hilton Garden Inn Albuquerque Uptown	$34,065.18
Sept. 25-27	One Call Concepts, Inc. Users’ Group Meeting	120	Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town	$126,179.97