More than 100 event organizers attended the 2023 Special Events Forum on Friday, January 20 at the Tivoli Student Union on the Auraria Campus.
Attendees enjoyed coffee and networking with each other and with more than 50 City and partner representatives, and then listened to a presentation that covered the following topics. (View the 2023 Forum presentation(PDF, 13MB).)
WASTE NO MORE TASK FORCE
On November 8, 2022, 70% of Denver voters approved the Waste No More ballot initiative which has significant impacts on event organizers, including requiring three-stream waste management at public events.
Event Organizer Input Needed: The city needs event industry professionals to participate in a task force that will evaluate and recommend revisions to clarify the requirements, define the city’s enforcement process, and adjust the implementation timeline.
NOISE ORDINANCE REVISION
The City and County of Denver is reviewing and revising its local ordinance that governs noise, including construction, deliveries, music festivals, and other noise sources. It is critical that the event industry’s needs and preferences are included in this effort and there are a couple ways event organizers can weigh in.
If you would like to provide additional feedback or request information related to the ordinance stakeholder process, email phicomments@denvergov.org.
PARKS CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
Stay up to date on construction projects at Civic Center Park and Skyline Park. Visit The Outdoor Downtown project website and sign up to receive email updates.
OSE ONLINE APPLICATION CHANGES
Review the presentation(PDF, 13MB) to see what’s changing with Office of Special Event Permit (OSEP) online application processes, including:
- Billing and invoicing processes
- NEW read requirements and acknowledgement steps
- Requesting OSEP application processing fee waivers
- Community notification distribution requirements
NEW EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN TEMPLATE
OSE Staff walked Forum attendees through the new Emergency Action Plan (EAP) template(PDF, 379KB) that is available for smaller and simpler events without pre-existing plans. Take a look at the presentation and the template and reach out to us with questions.
SPECIAL EVENT EVACUATION AND PROTECTIVE ACTIONS WORKSHOP
Denver is offering a FREE event safety training opportunity on special event evacuation and protective actions on Wed and Thursday, March 1 and 2, 8 am – 5 pm, in person at the Nicoletti Auditorium at the Denver Police Department Crime Laboratory (1371 Cherokee St).
The MGT-412 Sport and Special Event Evacuation and Protective Actions course will assist event organizers identify actionable decision criteria for almost any type of event as well as prepare and enhance their event action plan.
Notes about registration:
The course registration is managed by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). You will need a myTEEX account as well as a Federal Emergency Management Agency Student Identification Number (FEMA SID) prior to registering for the course – to request an SID or if you have forgotten your SID, please visit https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid/.
AURARIA CAMPUS EVENT VENUE OPTIONS
Representatives from the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC) were excited to host the 2023 Forum and presented information about indoor and outdoor event spaces available on the Auraria Campus and provided a tour. You can find details about AHEC's event venue options and pricing online and can contact Savanna McKinney for more information or a private tour.