LEVEL UP! Creative Sector Summit

“The Level Up! Summit is where the region’s creative and cultural professionals come together to do serious business,” said Angela Seals, Executive Director of the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region. “We’ve built a half-day experience centered on strategy, connection, and creativity—uniting sectors in ways that fuel both economic growth and community impact. From placemaking and arts entrepreneurship to experience design and destination stewardship, this is where innovation meets action.”

At a time when Colorado’s creative economy is rebounding and redefining itself, this event offers an essential opportunity to connect, skill-build and problem-solve. Participants will walk away with concrete strategies for growth, revenue generation, and community impact—all while connecting with peers who share their creative spirit.

The event features business-focused breakout sessions, expert-led workshops, keynote speakers, a curated resource fair, and a professional headshot station. Networking opportunities are built in throughout the day.

Speakers include:

Opening Plenary: Dr. Tatiana Bailey
Executive Director, Data-Driven Economic Strategies
Topic: Creative Capital: How the Arts Drive Regional Prosperity

Dr. Tatiana Bailey will open the summit with a keynote on the creative economy’s impact on regional prosperity. Her data-driven presentation will demonstrate how the arts fuel tourism, attract talent, and serve as strategic assets for long-term economic growth. A nationally recognized economist and founder of Data-Driven Economic Strategies, Dr. Bailey is a frequent presenter on local and national economic trends and serves on the Colorado Governor’s Council of Economists. A Q&A session will follow her talk.

Breakout Sessions

Tourism, Placemaking & Destination Stewardship
Explore how arts and culture shape tourism, economic vitality and placemaking across the region. This session will spotlight how strategic partnerships between municipalities, tourism entities, and creatives are redefining the Pikes Peak region as a vibrant destination. Panelists include:

• Jonathan Toman, Program Manager of Cultural Promotion and Tourism, COPPR
• Alexea Veneracion, Director of Communications, Visit COS
• Michelle Rozell, Director of Heritage Tourism, City of Cripple Creek
• Niko Huebler, Community Revitalization Program Manager, Colorado Creative Industries

Experience Economy & Creative Enterprise
Dive into the business of creative entrepreneurship and experience design. This session offers insights into capital strategies, ethical business models and inclusive economic development through the lens of the creative economy. Panelists include: 

• Brian Corrigan, Founder, Farm-to-Spaceship
• Emily and Clay Ross, Owners and Founders, Yobel Marketplace and the Lookup Gallery
• Shakanah Tedder, Small Business Development Administrator, City of Colorado Springs
• Bernardo Bermudez, Community Loan Officer, Colorado Enterprise Fund

Closing Plenary: Rick Griffith
Designer, Former Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, Public Art Policy Chair, Creative Sector Entrepreneur
Topic: Foundational Strategies for Working with and for The Creative Sector

In this closing plenary Rick Griffith who has been a fixture in the front range creative sector for three decades, gives a glimpse into the strategies he provides for communities all over the United States, including colleges and universities, museums and cultural institutions. Regarding the creative sector and the value(s) they possess. Non-creatives, administrators, non-profit leadership AND creatives will gain insight from this powerful closing to our proceedings.

Tickets are $85.50 for the full event (two tracks) or $45.50 for the evening session only. Registration is available through the Ent Center for the Arts at https://tickets.entcenterforthearts.org/5523. Space is limited; early registration is encouraged.

For full event details, visit www.culturaloffice.org.

For a full overview of the LEVEL UP! Creative Sector Summit visit https://www.culturaloffice.org/level-up-creative-sector-summit-register-today/