Partner Connection

November 2023

Events
Partner Kudos
Marketing Tips and Tricks
Partner Opportunities
Staff Spotlight
New & Renewing Partners

Record-Breaking Attendance at this Year’s Balloon Fiesta

A record-breaking number of people attended the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® this year. Officials estimate 968,516 guests attended the nine-day event, more than last year’s 50th anniversary that saw 828,800 guests. An estimated 150,000 people attended during the morning of Oct. 14 to see the annular eclipse.

Hotel occupancy showed a 2.3% increase and total hotel revenue increased by 10% for the 13-day period surrounding Balloon Fiesta (including two days prior to and following the event), according to data from STR, Inc. Ten of the 13 nights saw stronger hotel occupancy than 2022. The strongest night of hotel performance occurred Oct. 13 with a 96.7% hotel occupancy rate. We are awaiting final data on short term rental performance.

Many Visit Albuquerque Partners reported an increase in business as well. The Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway reported that due to great weather conditions, 2023 visitation numbers were up 41% over 2022, and close to on par with 2019 values. Routes Bicycle Tours & Rentals reported a 103% increase in tour volume and bike rentals over the 2022 Fiesta. Flyby Provisions reported increases of 9.1% in gross sales.

The Albuquerque Sunport reported a record number of air travelers, with 316,208 visitors passing through the Sunport between Oct. 4 and Oct. 18, a 9% increase from 2019. The Sunport also set a single-day post-COVID travel record on Oct. 15, when approximately 28,000 passengers traveled through the airport.Congratulations to everyone on a successful Balloon Fiesta week!

Events

Refresh Your Knowledge of Partner Benefits at Partner Orientation

Refresh your knowledge about all the opportunities you have as a Visit Albuquerque Partner at Partner Orientation. Partners are welcome to learn how to make the most of your benefits. Partner Orientations will occur every third Wednesday of the month. Light refreshments will be provided. Don’t forget to bring your laptop with you for a live Partner Plaza demonstration!

When: Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, from 9 to 11 a.m.
Where: Visit Albuquerque Office (20 First Plaza NW, Suite 601, Albuquerque, NM 87102)

To reserve your spot, register here.

ACE Your Team’s Customer Service Skills and Knowledge of Albuquerque

Visit Albuquerque’s Albuquerque Community Experience (ACE) training program is designed to brush up your employees’ customer service skills and strengthen their knowledge about the city. Graduates of the program can answer guests’ questions about things to do and places to visit. The program also provides training on topics such as first impressions, effective communication and handling conflict.

Don’t miss your chance to attend an upcoming class:

Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023
9 a.m. - 12 noon
The Groove Artspace
309 Gold Ave. SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102

The cost is $25 per person for Partner businesses and $40 per person for non-Partners. Snacks will be provided along with water and coffee. To register, call Trish Hathoot at 505-908-8178 or send an email to TKHTrainingABQ@gmail.com.

Graduates will be recognized as Albuquerque Community Experience professionals and will receive a complimentary Community Experience pass that allows each of them and one guest to visit attractions throughout the Albuquerque area. The value of each ACE experience pass is more than $500!

Seating is limited, so register your employees now!

Register for Visit Albuquerque’s Annual Holiday Party

Kick off the holiday season with us! Join Visit Albuquerque for our Annual Holiday Party Dec. 7 with Board of Directors, staff members, industry leaders, and other Partners in the hospitality community for a casual get-together featuring hors d’oeuvres, drinks and networking at the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North from 5 pm to 7 pm.

There is no cost to attend, but please bring a donation of nonperishable food items or "warm fuzzies" such as mittens, scarves, socks and coats. We look forward to celebrating the holidays with you. Register today!

Partner Kudos

Renovations Completed at La Quinta Property

La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham-Albuquerque Midtown hosted an open house on Oct. 19 to celebrate the completion of its remodeling project. Visit Albuquerque President & CEO Tania Armenta, City of Albuquerque CFO Sanjay Bhakta and City of Albuquerque Controller Donna Sandoval joined the property’s General Manager Trevor Shuman for the official ribbon cutting. Congratulations on completion of the project!

Officials cut the ribbon at La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham-Albuquerque Midtown to celebrate new completed renovations

Co-Owner of Rude Boy Cookies Wins Award

Michael Silva, Jr., the co-owner of Rude Boy Cookies, is the Small Business Champion Award honoree in Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance's 505 Awards. The award recognizes a small business that focuses on collaboration and innovation and is committed to its employees, clients and Albuquerque. The award will be presented on Nov. 16. Way to go!

Lost Cultures Tea Bar Opens Its Doors

Lost Cultures Tea Bar recently opened and has received positive press coverage from KOB 4 and Albuquerque Business First. Kudos!

Interior of Lost Cultures Tea Bar

Three Visit Albuquerque Partners Create Combined Event

Visit Albuquerque Partners Lapis Room, Flyby Provisions and ABQ Trolley Co. have created a combined event called the Nightbird Trolley Experience. Visitors get to enjoy Old Town and Downtown in the same evening, and are shuttled between the neighborhoods by the ABQ Trolley. The event kicks off with an art show at Lapis Room and continues for a pop-up experience at Flyby Provisions. The event debuted on Oct. 19, and the next opportunities to join the fun will be Nov. 24 or Dec. 8. Congratulations on the collaboration. We love to see our Partners teaming up!

City of Albuquerque Receives Route 66 Grant

The City of Albuquerque’s Department of Arts & Culture won a National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation cost-share grant award. The money will go towards producing a six-part video series called “Albuquerque Neon: The Stories Behind the Signs,” focusing on the neon signs that make Route 66 in Albuquerque so unique. Congratulations!

MARKETING TIPS AND TRICKS

How to Use Google Ads to Boost Your Business

A good Google Ads campaign could bring in new customers. But if you’re confused about how to build a successful campaign, this article helps explain how to master Google Ads.

Partner Opportunities

Advertise on Visit Albuquerque’s Website with DTN

It’s easy to get more exposure for your business on Visit Albuquerque’s website. In partnership with DTN, Visit Albuquerque offers seamless ads that integrate with our VisitABQ.org website’s content to make your ad feel natural. With a variety of paid advertising opportunities throughout our website, we have options fit for businesses of every size, scope and scale to capitalize on the fantastic visitor traffic that Visit Albuquerque is bringing to our market.

If you’re interested, contact DTN at Advertising@DTNads.com or (855) 801-5905. For more information, click here.

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 highly visited and shared Specials & Coupons page. We also promote these specials and coupons during special events, meetings and conventions being hosted in Albuquerque.

Click here to submit your current coupons and specials.

Submit Your Events to the ABQ365 Events Calendar

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

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.

Tell Us What’s New

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.

Sign Up to Participate in Tourism Exchange USA

Your hospitality business can be a part of a new partnership between New Mexico True and Tourism Exchange USA that is designed to help grow your online bookings and international visitation.

Tourism Exchange USA is a B2B digital marketplace that connects inventory and availability from tourism businesses like yours with a diverse marketplace of OTAs, travel distributors and international buyers. The goal of this program is to help businesses increase their distribution and online visibility, including helping offline businesses with making inventory bookable online for the first time.

If you’re interested in being an early adopter to get connected to the Tourism Exchange, you can learn more and start the application process at tourismexchangeusa.com.

Visit Albuquerque Staff Spotlight

Chelsea Canon, Director of Partnership & Events

Chelsea Canon comes to Visit Albuquerque as the new Director of Partnership and Events, with more than seven years of experience in the nonprofit sector. With a diverse background in event management, community outreach, program management and grant administration, Chelsea's career has been marked by a commitment to building partnerships and executing high impact programs and initiatives.

Before joining Visit Albuquerque, Chelsea was the Assistant Director at New Mexico Wine & Grape Growers Association, where she coordinated all aspects of large- and small-scale wine festivals across New Mexico, managed a dedicated events team, implemented the organization’s short and long-term programs, and managed a $1 million appropriation fund awarded by the state legislature. She also has experience as the coordinator of the New Mexican Children's Law Institute, was the Membership Director at the New Mexico Hospitality Association and served as a Victim Advocate at the District Attorney’s Office.

Chelsea is a native New Mexican and holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural biology from NMSU and is currently pursuing her MBA at UNM. She is passionate about creating meaningful positive impact within her community, state and world. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling globally, reading, working on creative projects and volunteering for local organizations. You can reach her at Canon@VisitABQ.org.

New & Renewing Partners

Thanks To Our New And Renewing Partners

Visit Albuquerque’s Partners help support our mission to market the city as a top-choice destination for leisure travel, meetings and sporting events. Our thanks to the following Partners that recently joined or renewed their partnership with Visit Albuquerque. We appreciate your commitment to making Albuquerque a great place to live and to visit!

New Partners

Renewing Partners

A Few Old Things - Antiques & Collectibles
ABQ-Live
Achievement Gallery
Blake's Lotaburger®
Chello Grill
Church Street Café
Downtown Historic Corporate Housing
Eldora Chocolate
Encore
Fully Promoted Albuquerque, NM
Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS®
Grey Dog Trading
High Country Air Service
Japanese Kitchen Steakhouse
Jason's deli - North
Jason's deli - Uptown
Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm
Mountain Top Tees
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Rio Grande Trading
Taylor Garrett Spirits
Tour New Mexico, Inc.
Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway - Turquoise Trail Association
Wildlife West Nature Park