Visit Albuquerque prohibits users from downloading images from our website.

Please use our media library for downloadable images and usage rights.

Hello, Visit Albuquerque Partners

Fiscal Year 2018 is officially behind us, and we’re feeling more energized than ever as we head into the new year here at Visit Albuquerque. The achievements made and goals exceeded in the past year are already fueling our efforts moving into FY19 in this exciting, ever-changing industry.

We encourage you to share in our celebration of the successes of the past year at our Annual Luncheon on August 28. Our accomplishments can only be made in collaboration with all of our valuable partners throughout the community, so we hope you will join us in reflecting on the advancements already made and looking forward to the developments of the future. Keep an eye on your inbox for more details soon.

As we gear up and head into the new year, we want to include you in our efforts wherever possible. You’ll find great opportunities for inclusion in our major marketing efforts as you read through this edition of the Industry Insider, including Balloon Fiesta promotions and the 2019 Official Albuquerque Visitors Guide. Together, let’s make 2019 our most successful tourism year yet! 

While we’ve been winding down our year, the summer has been flying by. Don’t miss the great events the city has to offer this summer before it’s too late! Catch the remaining Summerfests for live entertainment, family-friendly fun and great food; attend SOMOS ABQ for a unique emergence of tech, art, culture and music; and make sure to head downtown to see Prado on the Plaza and the “Da Vinci - The Genius” exhibit at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science - both running through the end of August. 

And finally, we all know our city is great, but it’s always a treat to hear about remarkable experiences others have had in Albuquerque. We encourage you to read and share a recent piece in Travel Pulse - “An Artisanal Visit in Albuquerque,” featuring some of the unique, cultural experiences a visitor can have here in our beautiful city.

As always, thank you for your continued partnership,

Thank you for your continued partnership,

Tania Armenta
President & CEO
Visit Albuquerque 

 

Tania Armenta


Partner Events

Partner Orientation

Whether you are new to Visit Albuquerque or a long-time partner, we encourage you to take advantage of this FREE Orientation. You will meet the staff of the Development Department who will review your partner benefits and provide you with valuable information on how we can work together to promote your business or organization to the leisure traveler, convention attendees and local ABQ residents. You must register in advance as space is limited. Please call 505-222-4307 or email PartnerEvents@VisitABQ.org.

Thursday, August 16, 2018
Visit Albuquerque Offices
20 First Plaza Galeria, N.W.
Ste. 601
9:30 - 11:00 am

 

ACE

New to Albuquerque or the hospitality industry? Maybe you are simply looking to enhance your customer service. If so, join our ACE class! ACE is a three-hour course that explores things to do and see in the Albuquerque area as well as do's and don'ts of customer service. Cost is $25 per student. Contact 505-222-4338 or email PartnerEvents@VisitABQ.org to register. The next ACE opportunity is:

Monday, August 20, 2018
Best Western Airport Albuquerque InnSuites Hotel & Suites
2400 Yale Blvd. S.E.
Registration Begins: 11:45 am/Class Begins 12:00 pm
Note: Lunch is not provided 

 

Annual Meeting

Register now for this year's Annual Luncheon! Come celebrate the industry's progress and hear from key leaders about future developments. Watch the mail for more information coming soon. We hope to see you there!

Become a sponsor and reach the nearly 400 people in attendance. Click here for details.

Tuesday, August 28, 2018
The Clyde Hotel
330 Tijeras Ave NW
Noon - 1:30 pm

RESERVE YOUR SPOT 

News

Visit Albuquerque at Destinations International

Visit Albuquerque attended the annual Destinations International Convention in Anaheim, California July 10-13. They joined over 1,600 destination marketing, sales and management professionals from 16 different countries gathered to connect with and learn from peers, influencers and thought leaders from all sectors of the tourism and hospitality industry.

Destinations International 2018

Networking Around the Nation

The Visit Albuquerque sales team has been out on the road recently.  During the month of June, we had the opportunity to attend the Meeting Professionals International World Education Congress where in addition to receiving three days of top-notch education and professional development, we had one-on-one appointments with over a dozen meeting planners.  Later in the month we attended Connect New England in Providence, RI.  We had the opportunity to meet with corporate, association and third party meeting planners from all six New England states.  And during the last week of June, Visit Albuquerque (Misty Jester) participated in the Military Reunion Network Summit where we had the opportunity to meet and network with professionals responsible for planning reunions throughout the United States.

Meeting Planners Education Congress 2018

June “Elements of Albuquerque” Press Trip Recap

Visit Albuquerque hosted a group of four travel writers/influencers in the city last month on an “Elements of Albuquerque” press trip. The attendees collectively contribute to a variety of top-tier media outlets, including Travel Channel, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, SHAPE, Women’s Health, EATER, SmarterTravel, and many others.

The press trip included a variety of activities that represented the city’s rich history, culinary traditions and abundant outdoor adventure, corresponding with the four elements – earth, air, fire and water. Attendees experienced adventures ranging from a hot air balloon ride with Rainbow Ryders and hiking Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument with Watermelon Mountain Tours to soaking in the waters of Jemez Hot Springs and tasting the fiery flavors of traditional New Mexican cuisine.

The attendees, most of whom had never been to New Mexico, were blown away by what Albuquerque and the state has to offer, and we expect to see some great coverage as a result!

June Elements Press Trip Balloon Ride

Albuquerque Featured as Innovation and Tech Hub in Skift

Albuquerque was recently featured as the meeting planner’s portal to the future of innovation in Skift, a leading travel and tourism industry online publication and platform. The article, the first of two, touts Albuquerque’s innovation, entrepreneurial community and other advanced industry sectors as the one-stop hub for technology-focused meeting planners.

Visit Albuquerque worked closely with Skift and local industry partners on the article, ensuring the city’s catalog of technology and innovative developments was included.

The Albuquerque Innovation District, Innovate ABQ, UNM’s Innovation Academy and their recent developments, Central New Mexico Community College, and many other local technology-focused startups and economic development projects are also highlighted in the story..

You can read the full story here.

This article highlights and furthers the positive momentum in Albuquerque’s meetings and innovation industries—and the unique opportunities to connect the industries in this very accessible city.

City Scape Innovate ABQ

Governor Martinez Celebrates New Mexico Tourism

On July 11, Governor Susana Martinez and Secretary Rebecca Latham made a special announcement celebrating tourism in New Mexico: 35.4 million trips were taken in the state in 2017 - breaking the record set in 2016 of 34.4 million by one million visits. The announcement, made in Albuquerque at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, also highlighted other great accomplishments made in New Mexico tourism in the past year (2017) including:

  • 5.6 million more trips taken in NM than in 2010
  • 3.3% increase in overnight trips from 2016
  • 65% of overnight trips to New Mexico originated from out of state, up from 55% in 2011
  • 1,700 leisure and hospitality jobs added in 2017
  • More than 17,000 leisure and hospitality jobs added since 2011

The New Mexico Tourism Department reported that road trips remain a top motivator for travel in New Mexico and that in 2017 we saw a higher number of visits to New Mexico’s landmarks and historic sites, national and state parks, museums and art galleries than the U.S. norm.

Visit Albuquerque is proud to be a part of these record-breaking numbers and achievements, thanks to the work and collaboration with our partners throughout the city.

Governor Martinez Tourism Update

Celebrate the Season at Summerfest this August

The city’s annual Summerfest series is underway featuring free, fun events for the whole family throughout Albuquerque during the summer months. Join us at one of the remaining Summerfests in August for great food, live entertainment, family-friendly events, children’s activities, and local artisans and vendors.

Help us promote and share these community events, and bring the crowds out to all of our partners and colleagues participating in the Downtown Summerfest, August 4, 2018 and the Westside Summerfest, August 18, 2018.

Civic Plaza Downtown Summerfest  by MarbleStreetStudio.com

Win a SOMOS Staycation

Don’t miss SOMOSABQ, the city-wide festival that showcases the very best Albuquerque has to offer, happening August 25, 2018. The event features world class entertainment, food vendors & local restaurants, craft brewing, arts and culture organizations, nonprofits, technology companies, and so much more.

Help share and promote this great city event, and you could win a staycation package. SOMOSABQ is giving away a trip to Albuquerque for a lucky visitor to experience the event themselves. But, we all know that Albuquerque locals are the heart of this city and of the SOMOS festival. If you share the sweepstakes with your social media circles, you will become eligible for the SOMOS STAYCATION, including two expedited entry festival tickets and a one-night stay at Hotel Andaluz on Saturday, August 25. In your post, you must include the hashtag: #SOMOSsweepstakes

SOMOS ABQ

Last Call to Visit Prado on the Plaza

Date: June 1 - August 31, 2018
Location: Civic Plaza
Cost: Free

"Prado on the Plaza brings Prado to the people," said Mayor Tim Keller. "This outdoor exhibition will give visitors the chance to see fine art in a casual setting with Albuquerque's cityscape as a backdrop.”

Albuquerque is this exhibit's second stop in the United States. The Prado in Santa Fe drew more than 150,000 visitors and was listed as one of “The best museum exhibits in the U.S. this spring” in 2017 by USA Today.

The Prado Museum opened in 1819 and is Spain's main national art museum. It is widely considered to have one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century.

Head to Civic Plaza before the end of August to catch this limited-time event.

Prado on Civic Plaza

Da Vinci Exhibit Extended Through August

With its proven popularity, “Da Vinci - The Genius” at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science has been extended another month. The traveling exhibit has drawn more than 70,000 visitors since its February 10 opening.

“Da Vinci - The Genius” will now close on August 29, so be sure to take advantage of the extension before the summer ends.

Da Vinci the Genius Exhibit

 

Partner Opportunities

 

Tell Us What’s New

As we at Visit Albuquerque close out Fiscal Year 2018, we’re already busy at work creating the 2019 Visitors Guide and developing new marketing initiatives. We want to talk about you!

Do you have an upcoming anniversary? Did you just remodel? New name? New tour? New feature? New concept? New specialty dish? Have you moved, or about to? Grand opening? Send anything and everything to Media@VisitABQ.org.

 

Send Us Your Balloon Fiesta Packages and Deals

We want to include you in our upcoming Balloon Fiesta promotional efforts. If you are offering a Balloon Fiesta/Fall package or deal, we want to know about it and share it! Packages and deals created around an event or a season are a great way to encourage visitors to your business. Balloon Fiesta and the surrounding fall events create a great opportunity to do just that.

Submit a package (including lodging) or a coupon to have your offer promoted on our webpage, which is highly ranked on search engines and receives an average of 140,000 unique visitors per month.

 

Nominations Open for 2018 New Mexico True Heroes

The New Mexico Tourism Department has opened nominations for the 2018 New Mexico True Heroes program. This year’s honorees will be recognized at the 2018 New Mexico Bowl. The nomination form is available online here.

“New Mexico True Heroes is one of my favorite ways to highlight what really makes New Mexico True – our people,” Governor Susana Martinez said. “This is a unique opportunity for us to recognize and honor New Mexicans across the state who show exceptional dedication and service.”

Nominations are open to all ages and will remain open through September 3. A panel of judges from around the state will determine the Top 10 finalists, and four New Mexico True Heroes will be named this fall. The nomination form asks two key questions: “What makes this person a New Mexico True Hero?” and “How have the nominee’s efforts made a difference in his or her community?”

 

Take Part in Mayor Keller’s One ABQ Challenge and Be Featured at Our Annual Meeting

Visit Albuquerque challenges you to take part in Mayor Tim Keller and First Lady Elizabeth Kristin Keller’s One ABQ Challenge! Mayor Keller challenges all of us in the Albuquerque community to step up and show what makes us “One ABQ.”

Visit Albuquerque encourages you to take on the challenge, and make time in August to engage in a community service project that connects youth and elders in our community and then challenge others to do the same.

If you take part in the One ABQ Challenge, and let us know how you got involved, we’ll feature you and your One ABQ story at our upcoming annual luncheon on August 28.

Get involved and show us how you’re reflecting the city’s creativity, diversity and needs! Learn more about the challenge here

 

Promote & Share

 

 

Partner Kudos

 

Congratulations to Artichoke Café for being named Albuquerque’s Favorite Power Lunch Spot!

“Albuquerque Business Weekly asked readers what their favorite power lunch spot in Albuquerque was and got a lot of good responses. From new dining options to longtime go-to's, this year's favorites give diners many spots to power lunch. The winner this year was a longtime staple and frequent power lunch spot. Artichoke Cafe, owned by Pat and Terry Keene, beat out the other top spots.” We’re proud to have Artichoke Cafe as a partner!

 

Congratulations to Isleta Resort & Casino on the Grand Opening of their all new Bingo and Poker area!

Isleta Resort & Casino’s new bingo room can accommodate 400 players per session and features convenient access to food service. The grand opening of the bingo room was held July 14.

 

Congratulations to Sandia Resort and Casino for the brand new renovation of their state of the art amphitheater!

After nine months of renovation construction, the Sandia Resort and Casino amphitheater is now open and ready for its first show in its revamped venue. The renovated amphitheater includes added concession lines for more options for concert goers, 4,160 new seats, centered sounding and lighting equipment among other updates.

 

Congratulations to McKee Wallwork + Company on Being Named the Southwest’s Small Agency of the Year!

McKee Wallwork + Co, Visit Albuquerque’s advertising agency partner, was recently named the Gold, Southwest Small Agency of the Year by AdAge. We congratulate the agency on the honor and recognition for their outstanding creative work, and are proud to have them as a partner of Visit Albuquerque.

 

Featured Partner

Main Event Entertainment

MainEvent.com
505-884-4928
4040 Pan American Freeway NE 

It’s never too early to start planning your organization’s holiday event!

Join Main Event for our annual Holiday Showcase on Tuesday, August 28th from 5:30-7:30 pm. Enjoy our holiday buffet, festive handcrafted cocktails, activities and Arcade Games!

RSVP to abqsales@mainevent.com or call us at 505-884-4928.

Event details 

Main Event Logo

 

Resources