ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
Visit Albuquerque announced Kristin McGrath as the organization’s new vice president of sales, services & sports. McGrath comes to Albuquerque most recently from Richmond Region Tourism in Virginia, where she served as the vice president of sales & services for the past 3 years.
“Kristin’s impressive and varied hospitality and sales background—along with being a goal-oriented and partner-focused leader—make her an ideal fit for our team,” said Visit Albuquerque President & CEO Tania Armenta. “With over 20 years of industry experience, Kristin will bring new ideas and a fresh perspective on the destination, along with her infectious love for the industry. I could not be more excited to partner with her as we at Visit Albuquerque continue honing our approach to market Albuquerque as the Southwest’s premier destination to meeting and event professionals.”
McGrath will oversee the Sales, Services and Sports divisions, which are responsible for generating qualified meeting, convention, sports and group tour leads that are distributed to Albuquerque’s hotels, the Albuquerque Convention Center and area event and sports facilities. In her role, she will guide the collective destination team to turn those leads into definite business for Albuquerque and ensure the groups have successful and unforgettable meetings and events in the city.
“Albuquerque is a beautiful destination with tremendous positive momentum,” said McGrath. “The infrastructure improvements—beginning with the recent and continued investments in the Albuquerque Convention Center, the ongoing improvements to the Albuquerque International Sunport, and the construction of Innovate ABQ—have demonstrated the city's commitment to meeting the needs of professional convention and event planners. I am thrilled to be joining the Visit Albuquerque team at such an exciting time for the city.”
Before joining Richmond Region Tourism, McGrath held several positions at the Providence Warwick CVB, including vice president of sales & services. She has also served as the director of association sales at the Westin Copley Place, Boston, worked with the Greater Boston CVB as a national sales manager, and Hard Rock Café International in a variety of sales positions.
McGrath is a graduate of Emmanuel College in Boston and is a Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME). Additionally, she served on the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) Board of Directors from 2012 to 2017, acted as co-chair of the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) Education Committee from 2011 to 2013 and she is currently actively involved with the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA).
More than 6.2 million people visit the Albuquerque Metro Area annually, contributing more than $2 billion to the local economy. As one of the largest employers in the city, tourism supports approximately 40,000 jobs in Bernalillo County alone.
