Visit Albuquerque has appointed Scott Craighead as vice president of sales, services and sports, a role effective Aug. 22.
Sales, services and sports is a division responsible for producing 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 this position, Craighead will be responsible for leading the destination team to turn those leads into definite business for Albuquerque to ensure groups have successful and unforgettable meetings in the city.
“Scott’s extensive association leadership experience and focus on strategic partnerships make him an ideal fit for our team,” said Visit Albuquerque president and CEO Tania Armenta. “With nearly 20 years of industry experience, Scott will bring new ideas and a fresh perspective on the destination, along with unmatched knowledge of and love for the industry. I could not be more excited to partner with him as we at Visit Albuquerque continue honing our approach to market Albuquerque as one of the Southwest’s premier meeting, event and sports destinations.”
Prior to his role with Visit Albuquerque, Craighead served at International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) as president of exhibitions and events as well as vice president for the Center for Exhibition Research (CEIR). In this role, Craighead was responsible for budgeting, show development and design, technology solutions, personnel, contracts and overall logistics for IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition Expo! Expo! and other IAEE-produced events. He previously handled logistics and exhibit sales for Global Semiconductor Alliance events and exhibitions held in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Craighead received a Bachelor of Arts in marketing from Texas Tech University’s Rawls College of Business and is Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM). Additionally, he received the Planner of the Year award, and began his career managing a wide array of student, university and external events for Associated Students at UCLA. He has extensive experience working with destination marketing organizations such as Visit Albuquerque and has implemented many event- and marketplace-related initiatives.
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to serve Visit Albuquerque and its member community,” said Craighead. “I am equally thrilled to be returning to the greater region where I was raised. Throughout my formative years growing up along the state border, I would often visit New Mexico for its natural beauty, culture and rich history. There is no better place I can envision to apply my 20 years of service experience and leadership to the events, tourism and hospitality industry. This is an exciting time to join the Visit Albuquerque team, with abundant short- and long-term opportunities for convention and visitor growth to this unique and dynamic city.”
This article is based off a press release from Visit Albuquerque.
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