Connect
To Top

Meet Meg Denbow of Boulder Creek Events in Boulder County

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meg Denbow.

Meg, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I graduated from Michigan State University in 1999 with a degree in English and moved to Washington, DC to become an editor. My childhood best friend was living in San Francisco and she convinced me to move there with her, and so I did. I look back on that time now and wonder how we did it, but it was one of those “you can only do this in your early 20s” kinds of things – we had a fantastic time even though we were poor and fairly unambitious career-wise.

During this same time period, another friend of mine was getting his Master’s Degree at the University of Colorado, and I ended up moving to Boulder in hopes of finding a job and settling down a bit. Within a few weeks, I got an interview with Boulder Creek Events, and I have been here since February 2002. My sister was visiting me at the time and remembered how excited I was at the prospect of working at this company; it just seemed like such a fun environment, and I could definitely see myself there. A lot has changed with BCE and my position within the company over the last 18 years, but many things are the same: the commitment to our community, our long-standing relationships with our vendors and clients, and the fact that I laugh and have fun every single day I come into work.

Has it been a smooth road?
Almost every event we’ve ever produced has been outside, and so we are at the mercy of the elements (rain, wind, snow, you name it). We’ve had three-day events where it rained the entire time; we’ve had 50 mph wind gusts to contend with; two feet of snow on our ice skating rinks that we needed to shovel in order to open for ice skaters.

We are a small non-profit organization; right now, there are only three of us working full-time. Chris, Mike and I have been working together for 15 years and we’ve been through a lot together. We are more of a family than co-workers; we even go on vacations together. Being in such close proximity to two other people, we definitely bicker at times as families often do, but despite this, I know that no one really understands the inner workings of our organization the way the three of us do, and we are always there for each other.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Boulder Creek Events story. Tell us more about your organization.
Boulder Creek Events is an award-winning organization providing full-service event planning and production, which includes everything from permit acquisition, marketing services, and volunteer recruitment to on-site logistics and risk managment — and everything in between! My personal role within the company largely involves community relations as well as a lot of writing, two of my favorite aspects of the job.

How are we different? We are hands-on. You will never come to one of our events and not see the three of us working hard. We care about our “product”, so to speak, and care about attention to detail, and our ongoing relationships with our community. Having been the producers of some of the largest and most diverse events in Boulder County history, we have a great understanding of our community — not only because we have the experience, but because it’s important to us that we listen and accept feedback. I think our patrons really appreciate this aspect of our business model. Simply put: we love what we do, and we care about what we do.

I am most proud of the relationships I’ve made with people I’ve met through my work at BCE. Some of the volunteers at our events are second – or third-generation (I worked with their parents and grandparents when I first started). Several of our staffers at our ice-skating rinks started out as small children visiting the rink with their parents and now they’re in high school or college, working alongside us. I have made friends with many of our vendors over the years, and spending time with them during event weekends is another one of my favorite parts.

One of the artists in the Art Show at our Hometown Festival is a Native American who grew up in a pueblo settlement in New Mexico. Her art is a sacred tradition that has been passed down for generations, and last year she made me a necklace with a beaded bear on it; she told me that the bear is an important symbol in her culture as it represents strength and protection. She gave it to me so that I would always feel protected and loved, and I absolutely do.

I also love helping to foster an environment where our volunteers and staff can truly be themselves and feel welcome and appreciated. It sounds cliché, but it’s the truth: we actually really like each other! And I’ve been a part of this company for so long that each event feels like the professional equivalent of a family reunion, getting to see so many returning vendors, performers, volunteers, patrons, and friends.

So yes, my job is a lot of fun! But my absolute favorite part is the fact that through my work, I get to make a difference in people’s lives. We have the most amazing opportunity to help hundreds of people and literally dozens of groups and causes in so many different ways, and the beauty is that I don’t have to pick just one that I feel passionate about. Whether it’s having a free skate day for the Children’s Hospital at WinterSkate, donating gift certificates to silent auctions, selecting a beneficiary for one of beer festivals, or any of the many fundraising opportunities we have at each of our events – it’s absolutely the most fulfilling thing that we do.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
2020 marks our 22nd year in the business, which is a remarkable milestone for us. As our community has grown and changed, BCE has worked hard to adjust details in our events to maintain their consistency while still being progressive. Our vision for the future is to continue to produce safe, fun, community-minded events, to always provide donations and fundraising opportunities to other local non-profit organizations, and to continue our dedication to serving generations of families through our events.

Contact Info:

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in