Visit Albuquerque Gave Conference Attendees 42 Reasons To Explore

Visit Albuquerque partnered with Seeker XP as the official scavenger hunt sponsor of the 2026 PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference, sending travel PR professionals across the city on a points-based photo challenge. 335 completed challenges and 359 photos later, Albuquerque had a room full of travel storytellers who’d actually been there.

Overview

For four days in June 2026, Visit Albuquerque ran a points-based photo scavenger hunt on Seeker XP for attendees of the PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference, hosted at Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town. Conference-goers earned points by completing photo challenges at 42 ABQ locations across Old Town, local businesses, and partner venues, competing for prizes across three reward tiers while building a firsthand sense of what makes Albuquerque worth covering.

At a Glance

Activation: PRSA x ABQ Scavenger Hunt
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Timeline: June 7-13, 2026 (2026 PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference)
Audience: Travel PR professionals and destination marketing practitioners
Use Cases: Event Activation, Visitor Experience
Experience Type: Scavenger Hunt, Photo Challenge
Industry: Destination Marketing
Key Features: Photo Check-ins, UGC, Geolocation Check-ins
Platform: Seeker XP
Results: 335 activities completed,
359 photos collected

About Visit Albuquerque

Visit Albuquerque is the accredited destination marketing organization (DMO) for Albuquerque, New Mexico. Its mission is to stimulate economic growth by marketing Albuquerque as a premier destination for leisure travel, meetings, and events. The DMO works across tourism, conventions, and meetings markets to drive visitor spend and foot traffic into the city’s businesses, attractions, and neighborhoods.

Albuquerque sits at the intersection of Native American, Hispanic, and contemporary American Southwest cultures, and Visit Albuquerque’s marketing reflects that distinctiveness. The city is home to Route 66 (celebrating its centennial in 2026), a globally recognized hot air ballooning culture, a vibrant arts scene, and a culinary identity built around New Mexican cuisine. Hosting the 2026 PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference put that story in front of the people who tell destination stories professionally.

To make the most of having hundreds of travel PR professionals in town, Visit Albuquerque used Seeker XP to build a scavenger hunt that gave attendees a structured, gamified reason to explore beyond the conference hotel. The goal was straightforward: let the people who cover destinations actually experience one. Every check-in across the four-day conference added depth to attendees’ firsthand understanding of Albuquerque.

How it Worked

Participants joined the PRSA x ABQ Scavenger Hunt through a QR code or direct link shared during the conference at Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town. One tap was all it took to get started and pull up a map of 42 photo challenge locations spread across the city.

At each stop, participants completed a photo challenge to earn points. Every location carried a set point value, and completing more of the city meant climbing toward higher prize thresholds. Challenge types ranged from capturing Old Town’s historic architecture to photographing the Sandia Mountains at sunset, with stops across local businesses and Albuquerque neighborhoods throughout.

Challenge locations were organized into three categories:

Old Town: Historic sites, architecture, and cultural landmarks in Albuquerque’s oldest neighborhood
Local Business: Participating restaurants, shops, and venues across the city
Discounts: Partner locations offering conference attendees exclusive deals

Point totals accumulated across the conference period unlocked entry into prize drawings at three thresholds, giving attendees a reason to keep exploring the city even between sessions.

“We heard a lot of great feedback, and were happy to see so many attendees out exploring Albuquerque and checking in at locations around town.”
Meg Espie, Travel Trade & Travel Media Manager, Visit Albuquerque

Activities

Photo Challenges

Conference attendees completed photo challenges at signature locations across Albuquerque, capturing everything from Sandia Mountain sunsets to Old Town landmarks and local business stops.

City Exploration

42 locations organized across Old Town, local businesses, and partner venues gave attendees a self-guided tour of ABQ's neighborhoods well beyond the conference hotel.

Points for Prizes

Every completed challenge earned points toward prize drawing entries. The more of the city participants explored, the bigger the prizes they unlocked.

Rewards

PRSA conference-goers earned points at each ABQ location they visited during the conference. Every point threshold unlocked entry into a separate prize drawing, so even early explorers had a shot at something worth winning.

Why We Love It

The City Was the Activation

Instead of a booth or a breakout session, Visit Albuquerque built a reason to walk out the door and explore the city. The photo challenge locations across ABQ meant the city itself was the conference experience, not just the backdrop.
PR Pros as Firsthand Witnesses

The most effective pitch for a destination is direct experience. Routing travel PR professionals through ABQ's Old Town, local businesses, and landmarks generated firsthand impressions in an audience with the reach and credibility to amplify them.
Conference UGC From the Right Crowd

Every completed challenge produced a photo of Albuquerque shot by a travel storyteller, providing real content from professionals who know what makes a destination worth sharing.
Built for a Four-Day Window

The activation was designed to fit inside a conference schedule: easy to join, tiered rewards that gave attendees a reason to keep exploring between sessions, and a city big enough to keep it interesting over four days.

UGC from the PRSA x ABQ Scavenger Hunt

359 photos captured across Albuquerque’s neighborhoods and landmarks during the 2026 PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference, each one a firsthand look at what makes the city worth visiting.