Industry Insider

January 2024

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The first few weeks of 2024 have flown by. We hope they have been a success for you. Visit Albuquerque is excited to continue our growth and positive momentum from the past year. Thank you for your continued support in 2024. We can’t wait to continue to promote Albuquerque alongside all of you.

This month's edition of Industry Insider includes information on how to obtain copies of the 2024 Visitors Guide, a link to watch and share a new video highlighting the city and news about exciting updates coming to the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway.

Thank you for being a Visit Albuquerque Partner!

News

Pick Up Copies of the 2024 Albuquerque Visitors Guide This Week

The 2024 Official Albuquerque Visitors Guide is fresh off the press, and it’s full of information about places to go and things to do in our beautiful city. Visit Albuquerque will distribute the guides at our Visitor Information Centers in Old Town and the Sunport, at state-operated visitors centers in Glenrio and Gallup, during trade shows and special events throughout the year, and to travelers who request a copy.

In addition, copies will be available for you to share! As a benefit of your Partnership, you are entitled to a supply of Visitors Guides to display at your business and hand out to customers, clients and guests. Three days have been scheduled for our Partners to pick up Visitors Guides in bulk:

Wednesday, Jan. 24, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 26, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

During these days, our Partners may pick up boxes of Visitors Guides at the loading dock of Visit Albuquerque’s building at 20 First Plaza Center NW, near 2nd Street and Copper Avenue. You will be responsible for loading boxes in your own vehicle. Each box of Visitors Guides contains 50 copies and weighs approximately 20 pounds. Please see this map for directions and additional details.

ALBUQUERQUE ‘ANTHEM’ HIGHLIGHTS CITY’S VIBRANCY

Last fall, Visit Albuquerque worked with local production company Inspirado to create a series of new videos designed to inspire people to visit our city. The target audience for four of the videos is leisure travelers, while meeting planners are the intended target for three other videos. At 15 or 30 seconds each, those seven video spots will run as commercials on broadcast, cable and streaming TV outlets as well as on YouTube and as website ads.

The longest of the videos is a 3-minute “anthem” that shines a spotlight on our city’s rich culture, scenic beauty, unique attractions and distinctive experiences. Its combination of beautiful imagery and poetic language serves as a love letter to Albuquerque that is designed to evoke an emotional response in the viewer. Our sales team will use the video to introduce meeting planners to the city and encourage them to learn more about bringing a convention or other group event here, as well as to build excitement among meeting attendees about visiting.

We encourage our Partners to share the video with your contacts to expand awareness of Albuquerque as a wonderful place to live, work, play and visit.

Visit Albuquerque Sales Team Attends Emerge Conference

On Jan. 9-11, Senior National Sales Manager Tabitha Stallworth represented Visit Albuquerque at the Religious Conference Managers Association’s 2024 Emerge Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Tabitha is Visit Albuquerque's new resource for faith-based meetings, conferences and conventions, and the Emerge Conference was a great way to introduce her to the community. She interacted with over 400 registered religious conference managers in the Visit Albuquerque tradeshow booth and at educational sessions.

Visit Albuquerque Sales Team Attends PCMA Conference

Vice President of Sales, Sports and Services Scott Craighead and our sales and services consultant Laura Kesselman attended the Professional Convention Management Association's Convening Leaders conference in San Diego. They attended programming and other networking events that connected thought leaders in the travel and tourism industry. The conference hosted more than 5,000 attendees, a new record.

Support the State Tourism Department’s Budget Request

The New Mexico Tourism Department submitted its budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. Some of the specific items in the department’s FY25 budget request include:

$15 million for national marketing and advertising
$2.5 million for marketing, product development and infrastructure support for the Route 66 Centennial
$3 million for support for tourism-related infrastructure projects for local and tribal governments
$2 million for the implementation of the Marketing Excellence Bureau

To learn more about the NMTD’s budget request, click here. Visit Albuquerque supports the Tourism Department’s budget request. We participate in the department’s cooperative advertising program, which provides a two-to-one match that gives a boost to Visit Albuquerque’s marketing efforts.

We encourage local hospitality businesses to contact legislators and ask them to support the Tourism Department’s budget request. Legislators need to hear from their constituents about the positive impact this funding will have on the hospitality and tourism industry. Contact legislators today!

TRAM CLOSED UNTIL MID-MARCH AS MODERNIZATION UPGRADES GET UNDERWAY

Work began Jan. 9 to modernize the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway’s drive and control system, making it more automated and energy-efficient. The project means that both the tram and TEN 3 restaurant will be closed until mid-March. Renovations also will be made to the lower and upper terminal tram consoles during the closure, and solar-powered cameras and weather stations will be added on both towers. According to tram executives, the upgrades will result in smoother trips, quicker tram rides during busy periods, improved weather monitoring and other benefits. Project updates and videos will be posted throughout the renovations so you can follow along with the progress.

Upcoming Meetings and Sports Events

In February 2024, more than 28,000 people will participate in meetings and sports events booked and supported by Visit Albuquerque. These events will generate an estimated $5.8 million in direct spend, and some of the noteworthy events include:

Dates	Group Name	Est. Attendance	Meeting Location	Est. Direct Spending
Feb. 2-3	UNM Track & Field NM Collegiate Classic	1,120	Albuquerque Convention Center	$321,516
Feb. 2-3	New Mexico Youth Soccer Association Annual General Meeting	100	Crowne Plaza Hotel	$37,576
Feb. 2-4	Encore Performing Arts Showcase Inc. Albuquerque	350	Albuquerque Convention Center	$58,927
Feb. 2	New Mexico Activities Association State Bowling Championships	743	Local Facility	$67,194
Feb. 7-10	National Hearing Conservation Association Annual Conference	230	Albuquerque Marriott Hotel	$174,825
Feb. 9-10	UNM Track & Field Don Kirby Elite Invitational	1,600	Albuquerque Convention Center	$459,254
Feb. 10-11	New Mexico Youth Soccer Association TnT Spring Blast	2,723	NM Soccer Tournament Complex	$278,073
Feb. 10	Great Southwest Track & Field Championships Indoor Meet	1,155	Albuquerque Convention Center	$205,755
Feb. 15-17	USA Track & Field Indoor Track & Field Championships	1,500	Albuquerque Convention Center	$701,008
Feb. 17-18	United States Speciality Sports Association President’s Day Tournament	2,574	Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Sports Complex	$342,519
Feb. 17-18	New Mexico Youth Soccer Association Power Ford Rio Rapids Cup	3,713	NM Soccer Tournament Complex	$445,763
Feb. 18-20	National Auctioneers Association Marketing Summit	100	Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North	$50,715
Feb. 21-24	American Endurance Ride Conference Annual Meeting	250	Embassy Suites by Hilton Albuquerque	$268,288
Feb. 22-24	Mountain West Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships	675	Albuquerque Convention Center	$394,079
Feb. 22-23	New Mexico Activities Association State Chess Competition	330	NMAA Partner Hotels	$37,656
Feb. 23-24	New Mexico Activities Association Swimming & Diving Championships	1,568	Albuquerque Academy Natatorium	$293,414
Feb. 23-24	New Mexico Activities Association State Wrestling Tournament	1,980	Local Facility	$420,041
Feb. 24-25	New Mexico Youth Soccer Association Classic FC Spring Cup	7,425	NM Soccer Tournament Complex	$1,115,450

Bolded events are citywide events, defined as events that require a minimum of 400 room nights on peak, and will take place across the city in February. Each of these events take place in one part of town, but people who attend them will visit businesses throughout the city for shopping, dining and entertainment.

Let's come together to make their stay memorable, showcasing the best of Albuquerque’s hospitality. Your welcoming spirit can contribute to a positive experience for these visitors and foster a lasting impression of our community.