Mayor Wants $1M to Market Albuquerque as a Business Destination

Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry is seeking $1 million of Economic Development Action Account (EDAct) funding for a marketing campaign that will promote the city as a desirable place to start a business.
The mayor made the announcement in front of a ballroom of real estate professionals during a NAIOP-New Mexico luncheon event at the Albuquerque Marriott Monday. NAIOP is the commercial real estate development association.
Albuquerque’s EDAct fund comes from a one-time, $5 million account that was created through Schott Solar clawback incentives.
Berry said he decided to ask for the money after seeing the results of a survey that showed while business people don’t necessarily have a negative view of Albuquerque — many don’t have an opinion at all. “We’re not seen in anything close to a bad light, but there’s just too many people that don’t know,” Berry said. The national perception study was conducted by Albuquerque’s Research & Polling Inc. It was originally based around tourism questions, but business-specific questions were later added to the lineup.
The survey polled 1,000 business people, but only a quarter had ever visited the city. Of the 1,000 people surveyed, 45 percent didn’t know or was undecided on whether Albuquerque was a good place to start a business; and when asked whether the city had a high quality workforce — 47 percent said they neither agreed nor disagreed. About 42 percent didn’t know if the city was a good place to build a career.
The mayor told Business First after the event that it was important he share the message with the commercial real estate industry. He said if Albuquerque does a better job promoting itself, more companies would move here and therefore, more buildings would be built and more office spaces leased.
“It’s great that people like us, but not great that we’re underrated,” Berry said. “Imagine if we could tip their perceptions and better educate people?”
As part of marketing effort, Berry said the strategy and branding would target markets with a high concentration of entrepreneurs, like the San Francisco Bay Area. The effort would also utilize electronic media and social media to share the message with young people and those who may have moved to a different city because they thought Albuquerque had few opportunities.
By: Stephanie Guzman (Albuquerque Business First)
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