What an event at Floor and Decor of Albuquerque, New Mexico! It seems people did not believe them when they said they really were giving away a brand new 2018 Chevy pickup truck! Well, with sales tax even paid too, they gave it away and Wizard won! I was talking with him just minutes before his raffle ticket number was called to be one of the five finalists for a chance to win the truck. He is a very nice guy and his motorcycle club advocates for children so he is a very deserving winner! This also made it seem more exciting to me having just met him a few minutes prior so it was not a completely anonymous winner to me. There were lots of other prizes, and I even won a Yeti cooler! Amazing job by Floor and Decor. This was one of the top events of the year in Albuquerque!
I have had the opportunity to photograph Albuquerque, New Mexico Mayor Tim Keller many times, including making his official portrait for when he played arena football! The latest time to photograph the mayor was at the 4th anniversary 1 Million Cups ABQ event at Fat Pipe. 1 Million Cups ABQ is a fantastic weekly event every Wednesday morning at 9am where an entrepreneur speaks about her/his business and asks the audience for input. This Wednesday was extra special as not only did we get to hear from Kerry Brennan Bertram of Stride Inc., and not only did we have great cake, but also we got to hear Mayor Tim Keller's plans for increasing volunteerism in the city and more about the One Albuquerque concept. Even though there will not be cake nor the mayor next week, I hope you still join us for the next 1 Million Cups!
I heard about SOMOS ABQ directly from the head organizer of the event himself at a board meeting I was invited to. His passion for bringing affordable entertainment on a large scale to all of Albuquerque was inspiring. At the time I noted this is an event I should attend, and last Saturday I did! The variety on display ranged from flamenco dancers to lace acrobatics to environmental art to music concerts across genres. Right on the streets of downtown ABQ were erected stages and the acts playing really brought it. The EDM stage in particular had the energy of a full on music festival finale! In the photo gallery below you can see a cross section of what was on display at SOMOS ABQ 2018.
The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce knows how to put on events, and the Hispano Chamber Golf Classic 2018 is the biggest event of the year where 100% of the profits go to educational scholarships. With some 36 foursomes out on the greens, a lot of local students will be benefiting from participants' generosity. My contribution was to go out and make as many photos as I could in the short time I had available to be on the golf course! What did I learn? A lot of dancing goes on at a AHCC golf event!
I have known Aleitress Owens from many networking events in the past year and a half in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When she asked me to sponsor her event, Women's Summit 2018, I said I would be glad to and donated a headshot session. She also asked if I would attend and take a few photos, which I also gladly did. The venue, called The View, had great natural light and very stylish decor with a fantastic layout. This, combined with the women and men in attendance, made for very easy candidevent photography!
Yelp ABQ along with the Hispano Chamber of Commerce have been putting on a series of events this summer called Go Behind the Dream featuring immigrant owned businesses from around Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was somewhat familiar with the story of Tahir Gauba and how he built up Donut Mart in ABQ, but through this event I really learned his family's story of moving from Pakistan and becoming a strong member of the community halfway across the world. I lived abroad for 9 years in Asia, but always knew some day I would return to the U.S. When you find some place that feels right, you can call it home permanently though!
I have hyped Biz Gratis as the single best monthly networking event in Albuquerque, New Mexico before, but after tonight, I think that needs to possibly be expanded to the world! If you attended, you know what I mean. I think this was actually just a party with people in business clothes!! Check out the extended candids photo gallery below. If you like these photos, and want this kind of candid photo story telling at your next event, use the buttons below to get professional candid event photography in Albuquerque and surrounding areas! And if you are not already a member of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, then join asap to attend events like this for free!
