Albuquerque at a Glance
Location: Central New Mexico
Access: Albuquerque International Sunport, interstates 40 and 25
Hotel Rooms: 17,000
Contact Info:
Visit Albuquerque
800-733-9918
visitabq.org
Albuquerque Convention Center
Built: 1972, renovated 2014
Exhibit Space: 167,562 square feet
Other Meeting Spaces: 31 meeting rooms
Meeting Hotels
The Clyde
Guest rooms: 382
Meeting Space: 30,000 square feet
Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town
Guest rooms: 188
Meeting Space: 62,000 square feet
Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown
Guest Rooms: 295
Meeting Space: 17,000 square feet
Who’s Meeting in Albuquerque
American Association for Aerosol Research
Attendees: 750
American Public Human Services Association
Attendees: 400
New Mexico Higher Education Department
Attendees: 500
Authentic and distinctive, Albuquerque exudes vibrant Southwest culture and tradition. One-of-a-kind experiences include centuries of culture and history, the planet’s largest balloon festival, fascinating museums and renowned cuisine. With more than 310 days of sunshine a year and four distinct seasons, the city’s mild high-desert climate welcomes visitors year-round.
Destination Highlights
Albuquerque has many notable features. It boasts a renowned culinary scene rooted in red chili peppers. It is known as the “hot air ballooning capital of the world.” And it has a strong flamenco culture, with June’s Festival Flamenco Albuquerque, the largest flamenco event outside of Spain.
Founded in 1706, Old Town Historic District beckons with more than 150 boutiques and restaurants anchored by the San Felipe de Neri Church. Sawmill Market’s artisanal food hall touts cuisine from pho to gourmet waffles. An outdoor courtyard offers plentiful seating, yard games, yoga and live music. Across the street, Hotel Chaco’s rooftop bar affords panoramic sunsets.
Tour ABQ hosts a fully narrated introduction on open-air trolleys. Riders learn the lore of red and green chile, pass by movie and television series locations, and see iconic Route 66 sites. The informative Turquoise Museum, quirky Rattlesnake Museum and New Mexican artwork at Albuquerque Museum are just a few of city’s cultural highlights.
“Albuquerque is home to the longest urban stretch of Route 66 in the nation, known as Central Avenue,” said Brenna Moore, director of communications and public relations for Visit Albuquerque. “Beginning in May, we’ll host Route 66-related events that will continue throughout the 2026 centennial.”
On the eastern edge of Albuquerque, the Sandia Mountains soar more than 10,000 feet high, while ancient volcanos rim the city’s west side. Sandia Peak Tramway ranks as the longest aerial tram in the Americas, whisking passengers to Sandia Mountain’s 10,378-foot crest. Once they arrive at the top, visitors can dine at TEN 3 restaurant or hike down trails that weave through fir and aspen trees.
Distinctive Venues
Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm has 25 acres of lavender fields and lush gardens in the Rio Grande River Valley. Family-owned and operated, it’s dedicated to historic preservation and regenerative agriculture. Campo restaurant touts one of the Southwest’s purest field-to-fork menus offering indoor/outdoor space for up to 80. Events can incorporate live music, flamenco performances or wine tastings. The Farm Shop, inside the restored dairy barn, sells signature lavender products and artisan wares.
Owned and operated by the 19 pueblos of New Mexico, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center represents the state’s Native American legacy. Traditional dances take place in the courtyard. Pueblo Harvest Café caters plated and buffet events featuring items such as bison short ribs and pueblo oven bread with green chile butter. Add-ons include a Native American flute player, storyteller and fire pit.
Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum will make a lasting impression. Tours trace the history of ballooning from 1783 to balloons that have crossed the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in contemporary times. In October’s early morning hours, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta releases 600 hot air balloons from its massive field.
“A highlight is breakfast or dinner on the museum’s Observation Deck featuring local chefs,” said executive director Laurie Magovern. “In 2025 after the balloons fly, we’ll offer our Lunch Aloft program on the balcony overlooking the campus that includes a docent-led introduction to ballooning.”
Albuquerque’s Electric Playhouse, an immersive and interactive gaming wonderland, can accommodate corporate or team building events. The venue pulses with 360-degree projections, interactive dining experiences and a variety of activities available to groups. The entire space can be rented, and meeting spaces can be digitally branded for an organization.
Major Meeting Spaces
Downtown’s Albuquerque Convention Center lies within walking distance of 900 hotel rooms and is located less than five miles from the airport. Representing regional architecture, it can accommodate more than 9,000 attendees and catered events of up to 6,000 guests. Comprising two complexes with more than 270,000 square feet of flexible event space, it provides 31 meeting rooms, a 31,000-square-foot ballroom, a balcony with 167,562 square feet of exhibit space and a 2,350-seat auditorium. The West Building features a three-story fireplace while outdoor areas can host special event staging.
Recently renovated, downtown’s 382-room Clyde Hotel exudes a modern take on early 20th-century design. Meeting space totals 30,000 square feet. The Pueblo Deco interior showcases a vibrant color palette. Rooms afford city and mountain views, and the rooftop pool with hot tubs ensures relaxation.
Embodying local culture and tradition, Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town is a 188-room New Mexico-owned Heritage Hotel. It features more than 62,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor event space, including the elegant Alvarado Ballroom. Located adjacent to historic Old Town, it is within walking distance of Sawmill Market. The property’s Tablao Flamenco hosts year-round flamenco performances featuring premier artists, as well as four-course, regionally inspired dinners.
Just off historic Route 66 lies the 295-room Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown. It provides over 17,000 square feet of flexible event space, including a 9,000-square-foot ballroom. Contemporary amenities include an indoor saltwater pool and convenient shopping and dining options.
After the Meeting
Outdoor lovers can walk or bike along the Rio Grande’s cottonwood forest. Routes Bicycle Tours and Rentals offers a riverside bike tour, taco tour, urban art tour and “Breaking Bad” tour. Hikes in the Sandia foothills are easily accessed from downtown. On the city’s west side, Petroglyph National Monument protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America and makes a good hike in cooler weather. ABQ BioPark offers outdoor diversions at its aquarium, botanic garden, zoo and Tingley Beach. The zoo closed out an Asian exhibit in late 2023 and will open an Australia exhibit this year.
“Always a draw, the National Hispanic Cultural Center has a variety of unique venues on its campus and is home to the largest concave fresco in North America,” said Moore. “The center is a hub for Hispanic exhibitions, films, music and dance productions.”
Day trips include the fascinating Acoma “Sky City” Pueblo, situated atop a 365-foot sandstone mesa located 45 minutes west of Albuquerque. Guided tours give a fascinating look into this community occupied by 6,000 people from 1100 to 1600 A.D. Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, 40 minutes north of Albuquerque, recently reopened after a four-year closure. Hiking through its surreal, cone-shaped tent rocks formed by volcanic eruptions makes for a memorable afternoon.