Industry Insider

June 2023

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HELLO, VISIT ALBUQUERQUE PARTNERS,

It’s June, and the summer heat is officially here! Along with the sunshine has come a multitude of exciting events for our vibrant city. I encourage you to get out and be a visitor in your own city this summer. There is so much to see and do, and you can find it all on our ABQ365 events calendar. This month, we celebrate Pride Month in Albuquerque. Our city’s diverse and vibrant population makes it one of the most welcoming vacation destinations in the Southwest, which we highlight and share throughout the year.

In addition to strong leisure visitation, our community is also benefitting from strong sports tourism along with the increased return of citywide conventions and meetings overall. This combination of business continues as we move through the summer and is vital to ensure the overall success of the industry. Be sure to check out the lineup of the meetings and sports events happening in the upcoming month noted below.

This issue of Industry Insider includes information about Visit Albuquerque’s FY24 Marketing Plan, a call for Board nominations and news about an advertising campaign targeting the Los Angeles area.

Thank you for being a Visit Albuquerque Partner.

Tania Armenta
President & CEO
Visit Albuquerque

News

Visit Albuquerque Releases FY24 Marketing Plan

Earlier this month, Visit Albuquerque submitted its FY24 Marketing Plan to Mayor Tim Keller and members of the City administration along with the City Council. The plan outlines how Visit Albuquerque will implement sales and marketing campaigns to promote the city as a top destination for leisure travel, meetings and sports events. It describes our geographic and demographic targets, highlights our unique selling propositions and key messages, and explains how results will be tracked and evaluated. Initiatives described in the plan include paid advertising, social media, digital marketing, media relations, trade shows, sales missions and familiarization tours, as well as publication of an annual Visitors Guide and operation of two Visitor Information Centers. The Marketing Plan also includes a budget summary that illustrates how Visit Albuquerque will allocate the portion of its budget funded by public and Partner revenue as well as Albuquerque Tourism Marketing District funds in FY24. The budget and marketing programs were approved by Visit Albuquerque’s Board of Directors in May. In addition, the ATMD budget and plans were also approved by the ATMD Governance Committee. Contact news@visitabq.org for a log-in and password to view an online copy of the FY24 Marketing Plan.

Nominate Someone for the Visit Albuquerque Board

You are encouraged to actively determine the Board leadership of Visit Albuquerque by participating in the annual selection of nominees for our Board of Directors. At our Annual Membership Meeting on Sept. 27, 2023, we will elect a slate of nominees for fiscal year 2024.

We encourage you to participate in the process by identifying individuals, including yourself, whom you recommend be considered as Board nominees. Only owners or employees of Visit Albuquerque Partners in good standing are eligible to serve on the Board. There are four open seats for the FY24 Board from the following industry categories:

one seat, Hospitality/Lodging
one seat, General Business
two seats, Hospitality/Non-Lodging

The Hospitality/Lodging seat, General Business seat and one of the Hospitality/Non-Lodging seats are held by incumbents who qualify for a second term.

Qualifications and Expectations for Board Directors:

Business or organization must be a Visit Albuquerque partner in good standing;
Passionate about Albuquerque, the destination;
The primary decision maker of their company;
Willing to serve on a high-functioning, working Board;
Available for committee assignments, as needed;
Able to attend Visit Albuquerque events;
Available on the fourth Tuesday of every other month for a Board meeting (11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.) and one annual all-day board retreat;
Desire to work hard toward best possible leadership in the hospitality industry.

Click here for more details of the nominations process. Submit nominations here.

Visit Albuquerque Launches Ad Campaign in Los Angeles

Thanks to the strong performance of lodgers’ tax and additional funds provided by the Albuquerque Tourism Marketing District, Visit Albuquerque was able to launch an advertising campaign this spring in the greater Los Angeles region. Due to its large population and vast geographic footprint, Los Angeles is an expensive advertising market. Visit Albuquerque ads have reached southern California in the past, but we have not been able to deploy a dedicated campaign focused on Los Angeles until now. The campaign includes:

Programmatically placed online banner ads that are running May 1 to June 30, targeting residents in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.
More than 370 outdoor boards, including 17 billboards on freeways in the Los Angeles area, that will be posted from April 5 to July 16.

Research shows that Albuquerque has the potential to attract greater numbers of travelers from Los Angeles who are interested in our culture, cuisine, outdoor recreation and events. Additional nonstop flights from the area also make it easier than ever for LA residents to visit Albuquerque.

Visit Albuquerque Hosts Business Exchange at El Vado

On June 1, Visit Albuquerque hosted a successful Business Exchange for Partners and prospective Partners at El Vado. Albuquerque businesses got to network with each other and Visit Albuquerque board and staff members. Thank you to El Vado for hosting, Old Town Catering for catering the event, and El Vado, Carla Forrest Fine Art, Casa Flamenca, New Nuevo, TourABQ and Turquoise Museum for providing raffle gifts.

The next Business Exchange will be announced soon!

Visit Albuquerque Attends IPW

Visit Albuquerque joined the New Mexico Tourism Department, TOURISM Santa Fe and Visit Las Cruces for U.S. Travel Association’s IPW in San Antonio, Texas, May 20-24. Scott Craighead, Vice President of Sales, Services & Sports; Brenna Moore, Director of Communications & Public Relations; and Megan Martin, Marketing Specialist for Meetings & Sports Events, met with over 40 international travel buyers and with over 30 media buyers. Attendance from many buyer markets was back to pre-pandemic levels with more than 5,000 media, international travel buyers and exhibitors from over 60 countries.

Open Positions Available at Visit Albuquerque

Visit Albuquerque has multiple open positions available. Employment opportunities include: Senior National Sales Manager for the Mid-Atlantic Region, Human Resources Director, Director of Partnership and Events, Group Tour Sales and Services Manager, National Sales Manager for the Western States, Partner Sales Manager and Administrative Coordinator positions. For more information, click here.

Nominate Someone for a True Heroes Award

Do you know someone who has gone above and beyond to serve their community this year? Nominate them today for the New Mexico Magazine True Heroes Awards! The program was launched, in partnership with KOB4, in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to recognize those that had gone above and beyond in service to make our state and their communities better. The fourth-annual True Heroes event continues to recognize New Mexicans who work tirelessly and make sacrifices in support of the greater good in the areas of healthcare, education, volunteerism, philanthropy, hospitality, and culture.

The 10 recipients selected by a panel of judges will receive the True Heroes award and be featured in a video recognition ceremony on Nov. 16 and in the December issue of New Mexico Magazine. KOB4 will announce the 10 recipients in November and will broadcast the 10 recipient’s profiles in December. The nomination deadline is July 7.

Please note, to be eligible, the nominee’s service must have taken place between July 2022 and June 2023. To nominate someone, click here. For more information, please contact Anna Maria Gonzales at anna.gonzales@td.nm.gov or 505-469-9592.

Upcoming Meetings and Sports Events

In July 2023, almost 9,800 people will participate in meetings and sports events booked and supported by Visit Albuquerque. These events will generate an estimated $6.44 million in direct spend and include:

Dates	Group Name	Est. Attendance	Meeting Location	Est. Direct Spending
July 5-9	Texas Premier 2023 New Balance Championships Session 1	1,386	Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Sports Complex	$766,191
July 6-9	USA Track and Field Region 10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships	4,290	Nusenda Community Stadium	$1,885,962
July 12-16	Texas Premier 2023 New Balance Championships Session 2	1,386	Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Complex	$766,191
July 16-20	American Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting	1,200	Albuquerque Convention Center	$1,536,593
July 16–22	Catholic Alumni Clubs International 2023 National Summer Convention	75	Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown	$105,745
July 20-24	Albuquerque District V Little League 2023 Southwest Regional Junior. Softball Tournament	323	Other Local Facility	$192,081
July 23-27	U.S. Association for Computational Mechanics 17th US National Congress on Computational Mechanics	1,050	Albuquerque Convention Center	$1,169,157
July 23-25	Meridian International Center 2023 Study of the U.S. Institutes EUR	13	TownPlace Suites Albuquerque Airport	$16,659

Additionally, Al-Anon Family Groups will hold its International Convention June 30-July 2 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. With approximately 4,000 attendees, lots of visitors will be looking for places to dine and enjoy their free time. The group will be seeking Albuquerque experiences, including shopping and tours, while they are here. They’ll also be looking for great spots to enjoy meals, coffee at all hours of the day, and desserts. Please be prepared to welcome these attendees and treat them to #TrueABQ hospitality!