Industry Insider

November 2020

News
Partner Opportunities
Promote & Share
Partner Kudos
Featured Partners
Resources

HELLO VISIT ALBUQUERQUE PARTNERS,

No one could have imagined how difficult this year was going to be, and despite the calendar changing to 2021 soon, unfortunately there remains significant uncertainty. We do know that now more than ever, our hospitality businesses need support. One way to offer support during this season is through gift certificates, online sales and takeout meals, and that support could make the difference in someone keeping their employment and/or a business being part of our community's future. As possible, we hope you’ll join us in supporting our local business community as well as help to spread the word of the benefit of the NM Safe Promise and NM Safe Certification.

With the continued belief in our industry's recovery when it's made possible and the optimism offered by the recent news on multiple vaccines, we are eager to start 2021 strong and remind and invite all of you, our Partners, to get involved and take advantage of all that we have to offer. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or needs.

As you’ll read in this issue of Industry Insider, we are in the early stages of preparing the 2021 Official Albuquerque Visitors Guide, are staying relevant in the meeting and events community, and are working to support Albuquerque’s small businesses throughout the holidays.

As we all take time this season to focus on gratitude, we are grateful for your partnership and the benefits of this industry on our community's quality of life.

Tania Armenta
President & CEO
Visit Albuquerque

News

Visit Albuquerque Works To Promote Albuquerque’s Small Businesses

In an effort to support local small businesses throughout the holidays, Visit Albuquerque created a 2020 Holiday Gift Guide highlighting local gift ideas, including eight categories and 19 sub-categories. In addition to the guide, daily social media promotions will be posted from Small Business Saturday through December. Click here to see the gift guide.

Get Highlighted on Instagram!

Visit Albuquerque will also be promoting small businesses on our Instagram stories @VisitABQ and @ABQ365 every Saturday through December. If you have any current promotions or unique offerings you’d like us to share, let us know by filling out this form.

Submit Visitors Guide Listings Update Forms

Partners in most business categories receive a free listing in the Visitors Guide as a benefit of partnership. Listing update forms for the 2021 Visitors Guide were mailed October 23 to partners that qualify. The deadline to return forms was November 9 but there is still time! Be sure to follow the instructions and return your form with any updates as soon as possible. Please contact Janice Pomeroy at pomeroy@visitabq.org if you have any questions or need another copy of your form.

Visit Albuquerque Sales Team Attends Professional Fraternity Association Coffee Chat and Meeting Professionals International World Education Conference

On October 28, Misty Jester had the privilege to attend the Professional Fraternity Association’s (PFA) biweekly Coffee Chat. She was joined by 10 professional fraternity planners across the United States to talk about what is happening in Albuquerque and how Visit Albuquerque is preparing to safely host meetings in the current environment. Misty also had the opportunity to speak directly to each organization and answer questions, as well as let each of them know that Albuquerque is ready to host their future meetings/conventions when the time is right.

Kristin McGrath represented Visit Albuquerque at the Meeting Professionals International World Education Conference in Grapevine, Texas, from November 4-6. On Tuesday, November 3 she had the opportunity to conduct a 20-minute individual sales presentation with 16 highly qualified meeting planners.

Holiday and Seasonal Media Opportunities

In an effort to provide opportunities for support during these trying times, the Visit Albuquerque media relations team is continuously working to proactively pitch our Partners for inclusion in national media coverage. With the holidays approaching, the media team is seeing an uptick in media interest regarding the following topics:

Holiday traditions and/or recipes
Information on skiing and ski resorts
New initiatives and announcements for 2021

If you have a service or offering that may be a fit for one of the above media opportunities, please fill out this form.

Vote for Albuquerque Attractions in USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards

USA Today recently launched the 10Best Readers' Choice awards, and Albuquerque attractions are finalists within two contests. Electric Playhouse is in the running for Best New Attraction, and the River of Lights is a finalist for Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights. As 10Best states, “Someday, we'll all be ready to pack our suitcases again and head out on our next adventures. In the meantime, we'll keep supporting the places that inspire us.” Help to keep these Albuquerque gems top-of-mind with future travelers by voting daily until polls close on Monday, Dec. 7. We encourage you to spread the word by sharing these contests with your social networks, colleagues and friends!

Vote for Electric Playhouse
Vote for River of Lights

Free Workshops Provide Resources For Minority-Owned Businesses

The New Mexico Economic Development Department has developed a series of free online workshops designed specifically for New Mexicans of color who own a small business or are interested in starting a business. Although the focus is on meeting the needs of minority business owners, the workshops will be useful to any small business owner in New Mexico.

The topic of the Nov. 20 session was Effective Financial Tools for Small Businesses: CDFIs and Credit Unions. Presenters described how Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) provide financial services to underserved communities that lack access to traditional financing. Learn about resources available to small business owners from CDFIs and credit unions by watching the recording here.

The session on Dec. 11 at 12:30 p.m. will focus on Tools to Help Your Business Flourish. Find out how to take advantage of important business resources around the state during this workshop, which will include presenters from WESST and the New Mexico Small Business Development Center. Register here.

Albuquerque Named One of America’s Best Cities for 2020

Albuquerque has been named one of America’s 100 Best Cities for 2020 by Resonance Consultancy, a global advisory firm focusing on real estate, tourism and economic development. Albuquerque was ranked No. 54 on the list of the best American cities with metro populations of 500,000 people or more. The ranking’s methodology evaluates each qualifying city across the six pillars of place equity: Place, Product, Programming, People, Prosperity and Promotion.

In addition to America’s Best Cities, Resonance Consultancy also publishes the World’s 100 Best Cities and America’s 100 Best Small Cities reports. This was the first year that Resonance Consultancy revised the population metric for the small city classification to be between 100,000 and 500,000 people (in past years, small city was defined with a metro population of under 1 million people), meaning that Albuquerque moved out of the small city category for 2020. Under the previous classification, Albuquerque was ranked as the No. 4 best small U.S. city in 2019 and the No. 3 best small U.S. city in 2018. Read the article here.

Partner Opportunities

Update Your Business Listing with Reopening Information

One of your key benefits as a Partner of Visit Albuquerque is your business listing on our website. Travelers and residents alike count on our website for information about where to eat, shop, play and stay in Albuquerque.

As businesses begin to reopen, many of you are making changes to your business hours, operations, products, services and amenities. Make sure your customers, clients and guests know about these changes by updating your business listing on VisitABQ.org. It only takes three easy steps!

Use the link below to submit your updates.

You'll receive a verification email with a link to complete the form.
Complete the relevant fields to reflect your current business operations.
By providing this information, you’ll help ensure that your business shows up in search results when people are looking for specific types of amenities. You can continue to use this same form to provide updates as your business operations change over time.

If you have any questions, please contact us at listings@visitabq.org.

Complete the Form Now

Advertise in the Official Albuquerque Visitors Guide

The Official Albuquerque Visitors Guide is designed to inspire people who are planning to visit our beautiful city as well as those who have already made the trip and are looking for ideas about where to eat, shop and spend their time while they are here. The new edition of the guide, which will be distributed in Spring 2021, will focus on what travelers desire now: outdoor recreation, a city-wide commitment to welcoming guests safely and responsibly, and the opportunity to visit an exciting destination that offers distinctive art, culture, cuisine and history.

The guides are distributed through mail to those who request a copy, as well as to leisure and business travelers, meeting planners and event attendees. It will also be available at Visitor Information Centers throughout the state and in Amarillo, Texas, as well as the Albuquerque Sunport, museums, restaurants, lodging establishments and citywide attractions. An interactive digital version of the guide also is posted on the Visit Albuquerque website.

Being included in the Visitors Guide increases your exposure to the millions of visitors who travel to Albuquerque annually. Make sure visitors to our city know about your business! If you are interested in advertising in this publication, contact Mary Brown, 505-222-4310 or brown@visitabq.org.

A recent survey conducted by Destination Analysts confirmed that:

Almost 89% of potential visitors who received an Official Albuquerque Visitors Guide said it helped them make the decision to travel to Albuquerque!
Nearly 67% said that they increased their stay 1.3 days after receiving the Visitors Guide!

2021 Official Visitors Guide Brochure
2021 Official Visitors Guide Rate Card

Attention Hotels: Update Your Property’s TripAdvisor Listing with your Current Opening Information

A new filter allows Tripadvisor users to sort lodging properties in order to view only those that are taking additional safety precautions related to COVID-19. This means it is important for your property to update its Tripadvisor listing as soon as possible. Access the safety checklist in your Tripadvisor Management Center and select which safety measures you have in place, such as mandatory face masks, additional sanitation procedures and social distancing policies. You also can submit a text description of the steps you are taking to protect customers.

www.tripadvisor.com/TripAdvisorInsights/w6853

Send Us Your COVID-Safe Images

We’re looking for images of COVID-safe practices in Albuquerque. Help us promote your business and Albuquerque in this new era by uploading your images of employees and customers wearing masks, socially distancing and participating in other COVID-safe practices. We might use your photo on social media, on our website or in other marketing materials to promote our city and our Partners. It’s easy to share your image; just click this link and drag and drop your images in our public uploader.

Click here to upload your image(s) now.

Submit Your Virtual and COVID-Safe Events to the ABQ365 Events Calendar

Visit Albuquerque’s ABQ365 Events Calendar offers a great opportunity to promote your virtual and COVID-safe events! The one-stop, all-ABQ encompassing calendar features primarily arts, entertainment and culture-focused events, appealing to both locals and visitors.

Virtual event listings offer a great opportunity for additional exposure and promotion, and can help keep your business top-of-mind – for free!

Click here to get started, and be sure to select the virtual events tag on the submission form.

Submit Your Current Coupons

Coupons can be a great way to drive traffic to your business. If you have a current coupon or special running, please submit it to us so we can list it on our Specials & Coupons page.

Click here to submit your current coupons and specials.

Tell Us What’s New

We know things are different right now. We want to help you share your new initiatives. If you are offering a new type of service or concept, a new product, or have anything else exciting or new going on, we want to hear about it! Send anything and everything to Media@VisitABQ.org.

Promote & Share

ABQ in the News

Local

ABQ 365 Highlights Local Events Taking Place This November - KRQE

How You Can Shop Local and Online This Holiday Season - KOAT

Visit Albuquerque Releases 2020 Holiday Gift Guide Supporting Small Businesses - KRQE

National

The Best Family Vacation Spots In The U.S. - Condé Nast Traveler

How to Bring More Native American Ingredients to Your Thanksgiving Menu - Forbes

A Green Chile Road Trip Through New Mexico - Condé Nast Traveler

High-Altitude Wines Are on the Rise in the U.S. - American Way

The Best Farm Stay Vacations in the U.S. - Business Insider

12 Most Breathtaking Rock Formations in America - Reader’s Digest

Partner Kudos

Eldora Chocolate Named Finalist In 2021 Good Food Awards

Congratulations to Eldora Chocolate for being named one of the 336 Good Food Awards finalists out of 1,928 entries in 16 categories! The awards are sponsored by the Good Food Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting sustainable, authentic and responsible food production. Eldora Chocolate is a finalist in the chocolate category for its 70% Tanzania Kokoa Kamili Bar. Winners will be announced Friday, January 22, 2021.

Celina’s Biscochitos Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary

Biscocitos are an Albuquerque staple and a perfect holiday treat. Congratulations to Celina’s Biscochitos for celebrating its 10-year anniversary of baking up these tasty treats and a variety of other goodies!

New Mexico United Head Coach/Technical Director Wins USL Coach Of The Year

Congratulations to New Mexico United’s Head Coach and Technical Director Troy Lesesne for receiving one of two United Soccer League (USL) 2020 Coach of the Year Awards.

Congratulations to Partners Who Have Completed the NM Safe Certified Program

More than 100 Visit Albuquerque Partners have earned certification through the NM Safe Certified program, which verifies that their management team has been trained in COVID-Safe Practices. Check out all the businesses statewide that have earned the certification so far at nmsafecertified.org, and click here to start earning your certification today.

Featured Partners

New Mexico Magazine Special Subscription Rate

Bask in DIY ristra-making, recipes from local chefs, and a deep-dive into White Sands. We’ve been celebrating New Mexico since 1923 and haven’t stopped yet! Each month, our award-winning writers and photographers share the heartbeat of New Mexico, inspiring readers to taste, explore, and delight in the Land of Enchantment.

We’re offering Visit Albuquerque members a special rate to our one-year subscription. Use promo code IGAJ15 (that’s an “I” as in “incredible”) for a $15 deal, 70% off the cover price.

And, if you’re looking for a holiday gift, our 2021 calendars will charm artists and photography lovers alike. Supplies are limited, buy yours today!

DOABQ

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@doabq.com for more information.

Resources

October President’s Report

October Pace Report

October ABQ365 eNewsletter