Industry Insider

May 2018

Hello, Visit Albuquerque partners,

Happy May! I hope this month has brought much success to all of you. The city is gearing up for a fun-filled summer, and we are looking forward to welcoming visitors to Albuquerque to experience all that will be taking place within the next few months.

We hope you are also planning to take advantage of upcoming events throughout the city, including ABQ Beer Week, the Albuquerque Wine Festival, Isotopes Baseball, and the several farmers markets that have sprung up in recent weeks. Be sure not to miss the Da Vinci, The Genius exhibition at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science and Because It’s Time: Unraveling Race and Place in NM exhibition at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.

It has certainly been a busy past few weeks for us at Visit Albuquerque. Our Sales team conducted a successful spring FAM tour for 14 meeting planners, our PR team recently wrapped up an Artisanal Albuquerque press trip—where travel writers from all over the country were introduced to the city through a variety of curated experiences. The Albuquerque Sports Commission recently represented the city at the 2018 National Association of Sports Commissions Sports Symposium in Minneapolis.

We wish safe travels and great success to those attending IPW, and we look forward to building on the interest in Albuquerque and New Mexico in the coming months.

Thank you for your continued partnership,

Tania Armenta
President & CEO
Visit Albuquerque

Partner Events

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, June 4, 2018
Home2Suites
1660 University Blvd NE
Registration Begins: 11:45 am/Class Begins: 12:00 pm
Note: Lunch is not provided

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, June 21, 2018
Visit Albuquerque Offices
20 First Plaza Galeria, N.W.
Ste. 601
9:30 - 11:00 am

News

Travel Tank 2.0 Recap

Albuquerque was well-represented at New Mexico Tourism Department’s second annual Travel Tank, a “Shark Tank” style pitching competition that brought tourism professionals from all over the state face-to-face with top-tier travel writers for the chance to win media coverage for their unique story idea. Visit Albuquerque presented a strong pitch on the flamenco capital of the U.S., but it was the City of Alamogordo that took home top honors with a pitch that focused on the unknown oddities of White Sands National Monument. Other finalists did a wonderful job of representing their area/business, and included Routes Bicycle Tours & Rentals, Los Alamos County, the Northeast Regional Marketing Board and the City of Roswell. Read the full release here.

Artisanal Albuquerque Press Trip Recap

Visit Albuquerque hosted a group of five travel writers/influencers in the city last week on an “Artisanal Albuquerque” press trip. The attendees collectively contribute to a variety of top-tier media outlets, including Travel + Leisure, Los Angeles Times, Money, Inc., Fodor’s Travel, Thrillist, AFAR, and many others. The press trip focused on the artisanal side of Albuquerque, with attendees experiencing everything from a hands-on workshop at Spur Line Supply Co. to small-batch wine tasting at Sheehan Winery. The trip also included a sneak peek of the up-and-coming Sawmill District in Old Town with a stay for the journalists at Hotel Chaco. Attendees were blown away by what Albuquerque had to offer, and we expect to see some great coverage of our wonderful city as a result! Photo taken at Campo at Los Poblanos.

360-Degree Videos

The 360-degree videos used in the Albuquerque viewfinders are now integrated into Visit Albuquerque’s website and accessible to all visitors and meeting planners! To view, go to VisitABQ.org and scroll down to the “Explore Albuquerque Now” button.

Sales Fam Recap

Visit Albuquerque conducted the Spring familiarization trip for 14 meeting planners April 26-28. The FAM would not have been possible without our phenomenal partners including, the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North, El Pinto Restaurant & Salsa Company, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Albuquerque Convention Center, Rainbow Ryders, Sandia Peak Tramway, The Ranchers Club of New Mexico, Destination Southwest and Herrera Coaches. Our guests were inspired by the natural beauty, friendly hospitality, and rich cultural heritage of Albuquerque. Photo taken at El Pinto’s greenhouse.

Visit Albuquerque travels to National Association of Sports Commissions

Albuquerque Sports Commission, a division of Visit Albuquerque, was well represented at the National Association of Sports Commissions 2018 Sports Symposium in Minneapolis, where over 125 events rights-holders were in attendance. Pictured here, along with the Sports Commission team, is Jason Mountain, Director of Operations and Venues, for National Senior Games Association. Albuquerque is thrilled to be hosting the 2019 National Senior Games next June.

Partner Opportunities

Send Us Your Packages and Deals: SOMOSabq

Albuquerque’s busiest season is quickly approaching! Send us your spring and summer coupons and lodging packages to include in Visit Albuquerque’s upcoming promotional efforts, especially if you are offering something unique during an event.

SOMOSabq: Taking place Aug. 25, SOMOSabq – a celebration of all-things Albuquerque – offers the perfect opportunity to highlight your business or organization to the thousands of event attendees. Submit a package 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.

Submit Packages Here

Send anything and everything “talk-worthy"

As we at Visit Albuquerque approach the close of our fiscal year, we are busy developing our marketing plans for the next. And we need your assistance. Please don’t assume we already know about your upcoming new developments, celebrations or milestones.

We love talking about you! Give us something to talk about!

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.

Promote & Share

ABQ in the news

» Forbes: The Secret Ingredient Award-Winning Chef Marc Quinones Adds to Every Dish

» Architectural Digest: What You Should Know Before Visiting These 31 Popular Travel Destinations

» The Lemon Bowl: 10 Best Things to Do in Albuquerque in 24 Hours

» World Property Journal: Top 5 Artsiest Hotels in America Revealed

» Fox News: National Bike Month: How to celebrate this May

Partner Kudos

Pueblo Harvest Rebrands

Congratulations to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on the recent rebranding of their on-site restaurant, Pueblo Harvest. The restaurant also launched a new Pre-Contact menu and is home to a new executive chef, Brent Moore. Be sure to stop in and check out the new space!

Congratulations to the brand new SpringHill Suites by Marriott®

The 94-suite hotel, located at 5910 Holly Ave. NE, on its recently celebrated grand opening!

Travel in style at SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, the all-suite hotel that seamlessly blends design and functionality offering the modern amenities you need to stay refreshed and focused - all at an affordable price. Spacious suites and vibrant lobbies offer flexible spaces perfect for working, meeting or relaxing.

Welcome to Albuquerque’s hospitality industry!

Featured Partners

ABQ Beer Week

Albuquerque Beer Week returns with an 11-day celebration for its 8th anniversary; May 24 through June 3. A barley-filled celebration with something for everyone: local microbrew tastings, exciting tours, incredible food events, and some of the best bands that Albuquerque has to offer. Recipients of the Industry Insider will get 10% off GA & EA tickets using code VisitABQ10 online through May 26th. www.abqbeerweek.com

Albuquerque Sol F.C

Albuquerque Sol F.C. is a minor league soccer team in the Premier Developmental League (PDL) of the USL. Albuquerque has long been a soccer hotbed, and these exciting games deliver!
Click here to enjoy the season!

Resources

President's Report

April Assisted & Generated Bookings