Industry Insider

October 2022

News
Events
Marketing Tips and Tricks
Partner Opportunities
Staff Spotlight
Promote & Share
Partner Kudos
Featured Partners
New & Renewing Partners
Resources

HELLO, VISIT ALBUQUERQUE PARTNERS,

Another Balloon Fiesta is officially behind us. Thank you to all our Partners for making the 50th anniversary a success. While the weather did not cooperate for all events, travelers found plenty of ways to enjoy our city’s distinctive cuisine, rich culture and one-of-a-kind attractions. There were also exciting additions to the on-field Balloon Fiesta experience this year like the new and remarkable drone show! As we take a moment to express gratitude for an incredible event that welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to our city, we’re also ready to share the experiences and offerings that come with our beautiful fall and holiday season.

Native American Heritage Month begins in November. We encourage you to take a moment and celebrate the rich ancestry and cultural traditions in Albuquerque.

This edition of Industry Insider includes a recap of Balloon Fiesta, an exciting New Mexico initiative from Netflix and news about a music television show filmed in Albuquerque that will be coming to PBS soon.

Thank you for being a Visit Albuquerque Partner.

Tania Armenta
President & CEO
Visit Albuquerque

News

50th Anniversary of Balloon Fiesta Wraps Up

The 50th anniversary of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® is in the books. While the weather did not cooperate for the glow aspects of the evening events and three of the morning ascensions were cancelled, the Balloon Fiesta was a success that brought hundreds of thousands of visitors into the city and state. Attendance numbers will be released in the upcoming weeks, but there were many crowded events, particularly the first weekend. We will also have some additional insight to share on hotel and short-term rental occupancy along with other travel trends for this year. Visit Albuquerque provided information to visitors at Balloon Fiesta and took free photos of guests in the Visit Albuquerque frame. Next year’s Balloon Fiesta will take place Oct. 7-15, 2023.

Visit Albuquerque Reveals Official Hot Air Balloon

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®, Visit Albuquerque unveiled its official hot air balloon. With its “Red or Green?” theme, the balloon brings together two beloved Albuquerque treasures – chile and ballooning. The balloon is sponsored and operated by Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride Co. It made its debut at the 2022 Balloon Fiesta and will fly year-round in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado to promote travel to Albuquerque. It was rewarding to work with the team at McKee Wallwork and Rainbow Ryders on the design of the balloon.

Photo Credit: Core-Visual

Visit Albuquerque Sales Team Attends IMEX America

Senior National Sales Manager Misty Jester and Vice President of Sales, Services and Sports Scott Craighead attended IMEX America 2022 in Las Vegas Oct. 11-13. IMEX America is the largest trade show in the United States for the meetings, events and incentive travel industry. Visit Albuquerque shared booth space with Tourism Santa Fe. The Visit ABQ team had over 22 scheduled one-on-one appointments and met and networked with over 60 additional meeting planners on the tradeshow floor.

Visit Albuquerque Assists with Seven Meetings and Conventions in September

The Visit Albuquerque sales team secured seven meetings and events for the city during the month of September. These group events brought in almost 1,500 attendees and generated more than 3,000 room nights. The Albuquerque Sports Commission supported four sporting events in the city during September. Ten more meetings and conventions are scheduled for October. Groups that held an event in Albuquerque during September include:

National Association of Parliamentarians
American Association of Airport Executives
Association of Donor Relations Professionals
Women of NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association
Civil Aviation Medical Association
American Society for Photobiology
Southwest Drycleaners Association Inc.

Downtown Public Safety Center Opens in Albuquerque

The Downtown Public Safety Center is now open in Albuquerque. The Albuquerque Police Department’s downtown officers are now operating out of the new location on 4th St. and Central Ave. The opening is a part of initiatives the City of Albuquerque has been in the midst of to improve safety Downtown. Previously, Downtown officers were stationed in the Alvarado Transit Center.

“Bands of Enchantment” Finishes Filming Season Two in Albuquerque

The television show “Bands of Enchantment” finished filming its second season in Albuquerque in September. The series features performers from across the country in a variety of genres, playing their music against the backdrop of Albuquerque. Twelve bands were filmed while performing at the Rail Yards and during acoustic sessions at various locations around the city. The performances will air during 10 half-hour episodes on PBS beginning in late January 2023. Spots that promote travel to Albuquerque will appear throughout the series, which will reach an audience of nearly 33 million on PBS and another 270 million on streaming services.

Netflix Highlights New Mexico Productions with “Netflix in Your Neighborhood”

Netflix recently launched Netflix in Your Neighborhood: New Mexico, a website to make it easier to explore locations where Netflix productions were filmed around the Land of Enchantment. This is the first U.S. site of its kind. Netflix in Your Neighborhood lets you search for filming locations by film or series title, or by searching the area of the state. Some popular Netflix titles filmed around Albuquerque include “Army of the Dead” and season four of “Stranger Things.” Visit Albuquerque collaborated with Netflix and the New Mexico Tourism Department on this initiative.

Photo Credit: Netflix

EVENTS

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:

Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022
Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Albuquerque, Coral Room III
201 Marquette Ave. NE

Each class begins promptly at 9 a.m. and ends at 12:30 p.m. The cost is $25 per person for Partner businesses and $40 per person for non-Partners. A continental breakfast 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 pass is more than $500!

Seating for upcoming classes is limited, so register your employees now!

MARKETING TIPS AND TRICKS

Learn How to Write for Social Media

Because writing for social media is very different from other types of writing, it can be difficult to master. Hootsuite has some tips on making your social media posts more engaging to build your audience and achieve your business goals.

Partner Opportunities

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.

Visit Albuquerque Staff Spotlight

Alanna Allen, Partner Services Manager

Previously Visit Albuquerque's Administrative Coordinator, Alanna Allen is now stepping into the role of Partner Services Manager. Alanna's favorite part of working at Visit Albuquerque is being able to share her favorite things about the city. In her previous role, Alanna learned what both Visit Albuquerque and the city as a whole has to offer, and pushed her to become the best ambassador possible for Albuquerque. She is most excited about the film industry when it comes to the future of Albuquerque. "When popular shows like Netflix’s “Stranger Things” are filmed here, fans travel to Albuquerque because they want to visit the shooting locations," Alanna said. "It’s fun to be able to tell visitors that they can actually go roller skating at the skating rink featured in an episode of that show. Film tourism is an increasingly important niche for Albuquerque, and it’s going to continue to grow."

Promote & Share

ABQ in the News

Local

Visit Albuquerque launches chile themed balloon - KRQE
Netflix launches site to find New Mexico film locations - KOB
Albuquerque tourism is bouncing back - KRQE
Visit Albuquerque - KKOB/The Bob Clark Podcast

National

The Best Things to Do in Albuquerque, the Hot Air Balloon Capital of the U.S. - Condé Nast Traveler
Travel: Albuquerque, New Mexico - San Diego Beer News
Celebrating 50 years of the International Balloon Fiesta - Good Morning Arizona
A Definitive Guide to the 13 Most Haunted Hotels in the U.S. - InsideHook
10 of the Best Places in North America for a Hot Air Balloon Ride - The List
The 20 Best Cities for Foodies in the U.S. - Landing
Cheers to 50 Years - AAA Explorer
8 Things to Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico - AFAR
It Started with 13 Hot-Air Balloons — Now New Mexico Fiesta is the Biggest in the World - The Sacramento Bee

Partner Kudos

Los Poblanos Launches Spirits Line, New Tasting and Farm Shop

Los Poblanos has expanded into gin distillation with Los Poblanos Botanical Spirits. Town and Ranch, located near 4th Street and Mountain Road, is home to Los Poblanos’ distillery and a new tasting room with signature cocktails and retail space. Los Poblanos also opened Farm Shop Norte in Santa Fe.

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Breaks Ground on Makerspace Facility

On Sept. 21, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center held a groundbreaking ceremony for a makerspace facility on its campus. The 7,500-square-foot building will provide a place for culinary entrepreneurs to launch their businesses. The facility will include a commercial kitchen for food preparation and a processing line where local farmers can wash and package their produce for distribution. Development and construction of the building are expected to be completed within two years.

Rainbow Ryders Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary

Congratulations to Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride Co., which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Established in Albuquerque in 1982, Rainbow Ryders helped contribute to our city’s reputation as the Hot Air Ballooning Capital of the World. The company now has more than 100 employees and operates 46 ride balloons in Albuquerque, Phoenix and Colorado Springs, carrying more than 45,000 passengers annually. Founder and President/CEO Scott Appelman is a former chair of Visit Albuquerque’s Board of Directors and served on the Board for many years.

Hotel Chaco Named a Top Hotel in the Southwest and West

Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards named Hotel Chaco one of the top hotels in the Southwest and West. Congratulations!

Featured Partners

Winston Foto

Winston Foto is a full-service, mobile photography studio serving Albuquerque and Santa Fe. We provide a range of photography services including portraits, events, pet photography, product images, real estate, fashion, environmental, commercial, and copy art.

Consider us for your next project!

African American Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce

Help the African American Chamber make an even stronger economic impact within New Mexico by joining us on Nov. 5 for our jazz/blues concert (fundraiser) with The Baylor Project (4X Grammy nominated), presented in partnership with the Outpost Performance Space.

To learn more about the Chamber and to purchase tickets visit aagacc.org.

Unbelievable Pass

Calling local breweries, 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.

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

Flyby Provisions
High Country Air Service
Winston Foto

Renewing Partners

Resources

September's President Report

September Leisure eNewsletter

September ABQ365 eNewsletter

October-November Conventions with 500+ Attendees