Industry Insider

City Announces Campaign to Promote Historic Central Corridor 

In June, the City of Albuquerque Economic Development Department launched a comprehensive marketing campaign to revitalize Albuquerque’s historic Route 66 by boosting consumer activity and sales revenue along the corridor. Called “ABQ 66: Explore the Real Original,” the program is part of the City’s post-pandemic economic recovery plan to support local businesses and boost outside economic investment by championing what makes Albuquerque unique. 
 
The campaign will promote the 14-mile stretch of Central Avenue between 118th and Tramway and includes new branding, special events, light pole banners, a website, videos, and digital and traditional media placements. The website, ExploreABQ66.com, provides information on nine Route 66 neighborhoods in Albuquerque and contains links to Visit Albuquerque’s website, VisitABQ.org, so that people can plan their visits to each neighborhood. The Route 66 Visitor Center under construction at the corridor’s western end will add to the vibrancy of the area with a taproom, a drive-in movie area, a neon sign graveyard, and a heavily-anticipated lowrider museum. Read more here. 

Albuquerque to Host USA Cycling 2021 Road Masters National Championships 

Albuquerque will host the USA Cycling 2021 Road Masters National Championships August 5-8. The event will draw 800 athletes to the city and includes a criterium and athlete expo on August 8 at Balloon Fiesta Park. Spectators are welcome at the event and volunteer opportunities are also available. The Albuquerque Sports Commission, a division of Visit Albuquerque, is working with the City to coordinate and promote the event to travelers and locals. Promotions include various marketing and advertising efforts such as outdoor and radio advertising, social media advertising, email marketing, volunteer outreach and more. Learn more here. 

New Mexico Hospitality Association Creates Hospitality ‘Career Board’

In June, the New Mexico Hospitality Association (NMHA) launched a ‘Career Board’ specifically for those seeking jobs in the hospitality industry such as lodging, drink and food services, event planning and tourism. Members of NMHA can post their jobs on the Career Board for free. Those who aren’t members can post their jobs for free on the site from July through the end of August. Visit newmexicohospitality.org for more information on submitting a job posting. 

Albuquerque Named One of America’s Best Cities for 2021

Albuquerque has been named one of America’s 100 Best Cities for 2021 by Resonance Consultancy, a global advisory firm focusing on real estate, tourism and economic development. Albuquerque was ranked No. 34 on the list of the best American cities with metro populations of 500,000 people or more, up from No. 54 in 2020.
 
The list highlights Albuquerque’s natural beauty and outdoor recreation opportunities and calls attention to the city’s rich cultural heritage and one-of-a-kind culinary scene. The city also ranked highly within a few of the report’s subcategories, coming in at No. 19 for Museums, No. 38 for Restaurants, No. 16 for Shopping and No. 14 for Weather.
 
The rankings’ methodology evaluates each qualifying city across the six pillars of place equity: Place, Product, Programming, People, Prosperity and Promotion. To capture the reality of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic within these rankings—now in its seventh year—Resonance added several new subcategories to the six performance pillars to better understand the economic performance of cities amidst the crisis.

Albuquerque Hosts Premier Baseball Tournaments 

Albuquerque hosted the Triple Crown Sports-Pathway Baseball Tournament June 14-24 at the Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Complex. We welcomed 45 teams, with 41 from Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas, Utah and Washington. Both five-day sessions were a great success. The Albuquerque Sports Commission, a division of Visit Albuquerque, along with our partners at ASM Global and area hotels are also gearing up for the Texas Premier New Balance National Championships, also taking place at the Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Complex, July 21- August 1. With 64 teams slated to participate in the championships, Albuquerque is sure to see baseball players and families throughout the community.

Albuquerque Ranks as 8th Best City for Recreation

July is National Parks and Recreation Month, and WalletHub has ranked Albuquerque as the 8th Best City for Recreation in its report released earlier this month. WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 48 key indicators of recreation-friendliness including accessibility of entertainment and recreational facilities, the quality of parks and the weather. See the full report here. 

Providing Excellent Customer Service in Challenging Situations

Customer demand is strong and people are eager to plan overnight vacations, eat out, attend events and visit attractions. That’s great news for the hospitality industry, where our top goal is to create a welcoming environment and ensure a pleasant experience for our customers and guests. However, the staffing shortages affecting the industry are straining resources at many businesses. Some customers expect everything to operate exactly the way they remember it, back before the pandemic, and they are surprised when they have to wait a bit longer for their meal or are asked to make reservations or buy tickets in advance. Visit Albuquerque has developed a 13-minute training video with tips to help your newest employees communicate effectively with customers, set expectations and gain customers’ support and empathy. Share the video with your new hires to help give them the skills to develop rapport with customers, especially during challenging situations. Access the video here. 

Campaign Reminds Customers to “Be Patient, Be Kind, Be Respectful”

 The New Mexico Hospitality Association, New Mexico Restaurant Association and Jennifer Riordan Foundation have launched a campaign that asks the public to be patient, kind and respectful when dealing with hospitality and restaurant staff. The campaign encourages guests and customers to follow the “Golden Rule” when patronizing hotels or restaurants and treat others as they’d wish to be treated. The Be Kind campaign will be shared on social media and will continue throughout the summer. In addition, Visit Albuquerque posted information on its website and social media accounts with tips on how to be a good customer or guest, including reminders that going out may be a little different now and asking for compassion, patience and humor. 

Unbelievable Pass

Calling local brewery, entertainment and restaurant businesses to participate in a digital passport program developed to help local businesses with no cost to participate. The Unbelievable Pass will be the premier deals pass for Albuquerque and the perfect cure for cabin fever.

Email support@unbelievablepass.com for more information.