For conference planners, Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta can compete head-to-head with Orlando's Disney World.

Albuquerque tied for seventh (with Orlando) in SmartAsset's ranking of the best cities for conferences for 2016.

The Duke City got high marks for inexpensive hotel prices, with the average night costing $91 and the short commute from the Albuquerque International Sunport to the Albuquerque Convention Center (about nine minutes).

The financial advice site also recommended taking a balloon ride while in Albuquerque. San Antonio, Texas, was ranked No. 1, followed by El Paso, Texas, and San Diego.

To determine its ranking, SmartAsset looked at nine factors, including availability of hotels, hotel room rates, the average cost of a restaurant meal and the proximity of each city to a major airport. The site also looked at the city's violent crime rate and the concentration of bars, restaurants and other entertainment establishments.

Speaking of the Albuquerque Convention Center, the city is planning to spend $1 million to modernize the existing exhibit hall in the East Convention Center with new air, walls and sound panels.

In Business First's Meeting and Convention Facilities List, Expo New Mexico had the largest seating capacity with 25,000, followed by WisePies Arena, aka The Pit with 15,411. The Albuquerque Convention Center has a seating capacity of 9,000. Click here to read the full article.