IN THE GAME Vibrant Downtown Event
25th ANNUAL
APRIL 1-4, 2025 | GREELEY
Join DCI for the 25th Annual IN THE GAME Vibrant Downtown Event—this four-day interactive experience will be held April 1 to 4 in Greeley. The first half will explore community problem-solving, and the second half will feature cutting-edge ideas about what is next for downtowns and our state. This unique event will get participants out of their seats and into the host community, where they will explore the places and projects that vibrant downtowns love to see.
IN THE GAME provides valuable educational opportunities and peer-to-peer exchange for the leaders of Colorado's communities who are responsible for economic and community development. The event annually features nationally recognized keynote and Colorado-based speakers with the shared goal of inspiring participants to action.
DCI’s highly successful Dine-Around Sessions, which get participants out of their seats and showcase Greeley, and Challenge Workshops, which allow community champions to share insights and solve challenges together, will again be part of the program. IN THE GAME, Greeley will also feature some cutting-edge ideas around what is coming next for downtowns.
Stay tuned to DCI’s website and newsletters for details on speakers, lunches, tours, Challenge Studio topics, and everything IN THE GAME!
BECOME A SPONSOR
2025 ITG MEMBER DISCOUNTS
Become a DCI Member Today!
REGULAR PRICING
January 1 to March 25, 2025
Full Conference: $495
First Half (Tues 4/1 - Wed 4/2): $300
Second Half (Thurs 4/3 - Fri 4/4): $300
GROUP PRICING
VIP MEMBERS
VIP members receive 1 complimentary registration AND
Full Conference: Buy 1 @ $495, get 1 free
(Early-bird pricing does not apply.)
QUASI-GOV MEMBERS (URAs, BIDs, DDAs)
Full Conference: Buy 3 @ $495, get 1 free, total $1,485
(Early-bird pricing does not apply.)
2025 ITG NON-MEMBER PRICING
January 1 to March 25, 2025
Full Conference: $695
First Half (Tues 4/1 - Wed 4/2): $425
Second Half (Thurs 4/3 - Fri 4/4): $425
Join Today!
BOOK YOUR HOTEL NOW
DoubleTree by Hilton Greeley at Lincoln Park
919 7th St., Greeley, Colorado, 80631, USA
Group Code: DCI
SCHOLARSHIPS
DCI Sponsors often help fund Sponsorships for members in need. Please fill out our application form if you would like to volunteer at the event or are a DCI member AND:
- Student with proof of enrollment.
- Community scholarships may be available for small, rural communities under 5,000 population or experiencing significant financial challenges.
IN THE GAME SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
IN THE GAME will be an experience like no other! We will have a uniquely choreographed series of interactions to establish a dialogue, network, and solution-oriented approach to challenges and action. IN THE GAME platform keeps our guests talking and learning together! We have various opportunities for sponsors to shine through dine-around lunches, tours, plenary speakers, and receptions to show off solutions + share great ideas. We also will host a Community Challenge Workshop to focus on projects that communities want to move forward by turning challenges into opportunities.
If you'd like to partner with us and help make IN THE GAME the most amazing, vibrant downtown event, check out the 2025 IN THE GAME Sponsorship Opportunities. Call us today to discuss which level is right for you!
Members receive great discounts!
Not a member? No problem! Click the link below to register.
EXPLORE PAST IN THE GAME
CONFERENCES!
2024 IN THE GAME Vibrant Downtown Event was Dynomite in Durango!
Here are a few highlights:
- 300+ registered attendees
- 18 Community and Downtowner of the Year Governor’s Award Winners
- 80 Different Speakers and Facilitators
- 57 Sponsors and Community Partners
- 20 Dine-Around Lunch Sessions
- 12 Community Tours
- 7 Colorado Challenge Program communities
To learn more about the content covered at IN THE GAME, check out our 2024 SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE.
2023 IN THE GAME Vibrant Downtown Event was LOVEly in Loveland
IN THE GAME 2023’s structure was uniquely choreographed to establish a dialogue, network, and solution-oriented approach to challenges and action. IN THE GAME platforms kept our guests talking and learning together! We had a variety of dine-around lunches, tours, plenary speakers, and receptions to show off our community and share great ideas. We also held Community Challenge Studios to workshop plans for communities looking to turn challenges into opportunities.
Here are a few highlights:
- 300+ registered attendees
- 18 Community and Downtowner of the Year Governor’s Award Winners
- 80 Different Speakers and Facilitators
- 57 Sponsors and Community Partners
- 20 Dine-Around Lunch Sessions
- 12 Community Tours highlighting Colorado Springs, CO
- 3 Colorado Challenge Program communities
To learn more about the content covered at IN THE GAME, check out our 2023 SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE.
2022 IN THE GAME Vibrant Downtown Event was super FUN!
HIGHLIGHTS | IN THE GAME 2022’S structure was uniquely choreographed to establish a dialogue, network, and solution-oriented approach to challenges and action. IN THE GAME platforms kept our guests talking and learning together! We had a variety of dine around lunches, tours, plenary speakers, and receptions to show off our the community + share great ideas. We also held Community Challenge Studios to workshop plans for communities looking to turn challenges into opportunities.
To learn more about the content covered at IN THE GAME, check out our 2022 SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE.
GOVERNOR'S AWARD FOR DOWNTOWN EXCELLENCE AWARDS DINNER | Highlight the people, partnerships, and projects making a difference in Colorado communities. Downtown Colorado, Inc. was honored to celebrate a series of projects nominated by our members in several categories: Partnership, Person, Place, Plan, Project, and Pandemic Response. The Governor's Awards dinner was hosted at IN THE GAME where we announced and celebrated our winners! Read this press release to learn more about 2022's Governor's Awards for Downtown Excellence winners.
DCI’s highly successful Challenge Studio Workshops were the centerpiece of the 2022 IN THE GAME Vibrant Downtown Event. The Studios identified a challenge that each community is facing and were designed to transform a community’s difficult roadblocks into promising opportunities.
2022 Full Challenge Community Studios included:
- Minturn | Engagement + Exploration of a Sustainable Downtown Model
- San Luis | Financing Tiny Town Historic Preservation + Development
2022 Mini One-Day Challenge Commumity Studios included:
- Cañon City | Synchronizing Public- Private Initiatives
- Center | Financing Attainable Housing
- Leadville | Managing Capacity in a Small City + County
- Old Colorado City | Formalizing a Sustainable Organizational Model
2022 IN THE GAME | Keynote Speakers
Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI) was honored to showcase a series of dynamic and though provoking leaders bringing energy, ideas, and creativity to build stronger community.
Building Community Wealth | Yessica Holguin
TUESDAY, APRIL 12
Yessica works with immigrant groups and low-income communities across the Denver Metro area since 2000. She has dedicated her life to empowering disenfranchised communities to break the cycle of poverty through education and entrepreneurship. Yessica is responsible for leading Community Wealth Bullders and carrying out the vision of a people-owned, inclusive, and sustainable metro Denver economy that catalyzes prosperous and resilient communities free from racism and injustice.
Revitalizing Downtown with Light Manufacturing | Ilana Preuss, Recast City
Becoming a Community Champion | Zoila Gomez
What a Private Investor Looks for in Community Partners | Kayvan Khalatbari
The Fabulous Intellects of Facts + Figures
Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI) was pleased to present a dynamic discussion the morning of Thursday, April 14, 2022 that dove into Colorado’s Colorado’s State of the People, Industry Opportunity, and the New Norms for Downtowns.
Colorado’s State of the People | Elizabeth Garner, Colorado State Demographer
Fresh from the Census Update, catch up on the people of Colorado, the trends, and how your community can plan better for the future.
Industry Opportunity | Dawn Thilmany, CSU Extension
What Does The New Workplace Normal Mean | Michelle Kobayashi, Polco
2022 DINE AROUND LUNCHES
Showcase solutions based on projects and services to help Downtowners get things done. Highlight exciting restaurant and project concepts and include informal discussion. IN THE GAME Dine Around Lunches open to all registrants will be on Wednesday, April 13th + Thursday, April 14th and include the following topics:
TRENDS 
What New Normals Are Here to Stay in the Work World? | Polco
Fostering a Climate for Social Enterprise | Colorado Institute for Social Impact | Sponsored by Norwood
Prove your Commitment to Local: Leveraging Tech in the Experience Economy | Downtown Colorado Springs
Job Quality as a Tool for Business Retention, Expansion and Attraction | Colorado Workforce Development Council
Cooperative Ownership to Build Power, Wealth, + Leadership | Paul Bindel
PROGRAMS + TOOLS
The ABCs of BIDs, DDAs, + More | Progressive Urban Management Associates
Thriving Retail for the Next Generation | Downtown Colorado Springs
Reclaiming the Horizontal Space: Using On-Street Parking for Downtown + Neighborhood Resiliency | Downtown Colorado Springs
Take Control of Downtown Curbs | Walker Consultants
Dine Around the Four Point Approach | Department of Local Affairs
Building an Effective Economic Development Leadership Team in your Community | Economic Development Council of Colorado
Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Brownfield? Communication and Engagement Tools for Success | Community Builders
REDEVELOPMENT + HOUSING
Exciting New Housing and Community Resources | Colorado Housing + Finance Authority
Caring Approaches to Chronic Homelessness | Downtown Colorado Springs
From Vision to Reality! Resources for Redevelopment + Revitalization | Colorado Department of Public Health + Environment
Property Activation Process | Downtown Redevelopment Services
Understanding Development: How to Go from Concept to Construction | Ayres + Associates
Facilitating Community Minded-Development: How to Create Successful Public-Private Partnerships | Short Elliot Hendrickson, Inc. (SEH)
2022 WALKING + MOBILE TOURS
MOBILE BUS TOURS
Creative Avenue Circuit Tour of Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City, and Manitou Springs | Bohannan Houston + DHM Design
Building a Smart Community from the Ground Up | Gold Hill Mesa
Urban Renewal Tour featuring IvyWild | City of Durango
Transforming Spaces Through Adaptive Re-Use | Downtown Colorado Springs
WALKING TOURS
Art to the Rescue | Downtown Colorado Springs
Black History Tour | Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum
Building a Festival Street From the Ground Up: Park Union District | Norwood
Downtown Living: From Planning to Action | Downtown Colorado Springs
Form Based Code: Creating a Better Urban Environment | Downtown Colorado Springs
Law & Disorder History Stroll | Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum
Leading With Your Values | Downtown Colorado Springs
Rethinking Retail Square Footage to Optimize Experiences | Downtown Colorado Springs
Thank You 2022 IN THE GAME Sponsors!
2019 IN THE GAME was an inspirational, educational, and fun event. The event was full of changemakers, big thinkers, and downtown champions. We took our conference location back into the mountains in Aspen, and show cased the innovative ideas coming from the community through our speakers, lunches, and tours. As always, our conference differs from most where instead of using the typical formula of session, break, session, etc., we got our participants out of their seats engaging with one another and seeing the City of Aspen first hand. Our theme for the conference was "Stewardship, Equity, and Unintended Consequences" where our discussions investigated ensuring that all members of our communities are heard in the process of building stronger communities. Our Colorado Challenge Program was once again very successful, helping the communities of Aspen, Center, Eagle, the Southwest Corridor, and Trinidad.
Photos above are credited to Caleb Alvarado and Keifer Johnson of the National Research Center
2019 IN THE GAME
Charles Marohn // Strong Towns
Known as "Chuck" to friends and colleagues - is a Professional Engineer (PE) licensed in the State of Minnesota and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Chuck is the founder and president of Strong Towns. He has a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute. He is the author of Thoughts on Building Strong Towns (Volume 1) and A World Class Transportation System as well as the host of the Strong Towns Podcast and a primary writer for Strong Towns’ web content. He has spoken in dozens of towns and cities across North America, and speaks regularly for diverse audiences and venues. Chuck grew up on a small farm in Central Minnesota. The oldest of three sons of two elementary school teachers, he graduated from Brainerd High School in 1991. Chuck joined the Minnesota National Guard on his 17th birthday during his junior year of high school and served for nine years. Besides being passionate about building a stronger America, he loves playing music, is an obsessive reader and religiously follows his favorite team, the Minnesota Twins. Chuck and his wife live with their two daughters and two Samoyeds just north of Baxter, Minnesota. Learn more about the work of Strong Towns at StrongTowns.org
Chris Lane // Aspen Center for Environmental Studies
Chris Lane has 25 years of executive environmental management and corporate sustainability experience across varying sectors. Currently, Lane is CEO of Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, a 48-year old nonprofit environmental organization that tackles regional environmental issues around ecological literacy, forest health, sustainable agriculture, land restoration and climate change. Prior to that Lane was vice president of sustainability for Xanterra Parks & Resorts, the country’s largest national park and resort management company where he pioneered the development of environmental management systems in our country’s national parks. Lane served as director of environmental affairs at Aspen Skiing Company. He has consulted with large corporations throughout his career. He has served as an elected official and on the Colorado Governor’s Pollution Prevention Board. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering and is a LEED Accredited Professional and a Certified Environmental Systems Manager. He lives in Basalt with his wife and two kids.
Dr. Nita Mosby Tyler // The Equity Project, LLC.
Dr. Nita Mosby Tyler is the Chief Catalyst and Founder of The Equity Project, LLC – an organization designed to support organizations and communities in building diversity, equity and inclusion strategies. She is the former Senior Vice President and Chief Inclusion Officer for Children’s Hospital Colorado and the former Executive Director of the Office of Human Resources for the City and County of Denver – the first African American woman to hold either of those positions. Dr. Mosby Tyler, a consultant accredited by the Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competence, is nationally recognized for her equity work with non-profit, community, government and for-profit organizations. Dr. Mosby Tyler has had a strong academic presence in Colorado as a popular guest lecturer at The University of Denver, University of Colorado, Regis University and many other social, political and community organizations. Dr. Mosby-Tyler has a vast, 32-year background in human resources, diversity & inclusion, training and operations management. She has held leadership roles at AT&T, Kaiser Permanente, the McKesson Corporation and Statline. Dr. Mosby Tyler holds a doctorate in the field of Organizational Leadership, a Master degree in Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Education.
Eric Kornacki // Re:Vision
Eric Kornacki is a food system visionary, community wealth building leader, and racial equity champion. He is a social entreprenuer. A committed to organizing power from the ground up, challenging the status quo, and creating a new economy where people and the planet matter more than profits. I am a husband, father, gardener, chef, brewer, builder and baker. Re:Vision’s mission is to work with people in economically marginalized neighborhoods to develop resident leaders, cultivate community food systems, and create an economy owned by the community.
Michelle Kobayashi // National Research Center
National Research Center Vice President Michelle Kobayashi has helped local governments maximize public opinion for more than twenty years. She is a thought-leader in the field of survey research and evaluation, and has written numerous books and articles on the subject. She travels the country to speak professionally and lead workshops about resident surveys, local government employee surveys, strategic planning and more.
Scott Wasserman // The Bell Policy Center
Scott has served as president of the Bell Policy Center and the Bell Action Network since August 2016. Scott leads a talented staff who plays a major role in fiscal reform, education policy, economic security, and other issues affecting Coloradans. Previously, Scott was deputy chief of staff to Gov. John Hickenlooper and chief of staff to both Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia and Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne. He worked in the governor’s office from 2013 to 2016, advising on health care, education, and workforce development. Before that, Scott spent eight years in leadership positions at SEIU and Colorado WINS. He also has worked as a lobbyist and served four years as director of communications and press secretary for the Colorado House Minority Office. Scott graduated from George Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in Middle East studies.
Dine Around Sessions
Our sponsored Dine Around sessions were a chance for some our participants to dive deeper into subjects such as "Activating Downtown Red Cliff" sponsored by Hunn Planning & Policy, "Turning Brownfields Green: Electric Vehicle Charging Stations" sponsored by the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety, "Opportunity Zones and Colorado Real Estate" sponsored by Development Research Partners, "Loveland Artspace: A Creative Housing Development" sponsored by the City of Loveland, and so much more! The beautiful restaurants in these pictures are some of Aspen's bests including Mezzaluna, The Pyramid, Mi Chola, Hops Culture, The Red Onion, and Su Casa.
IN THE GAME Tours
Our tours showcased many of Aspens's amenities including the American Planning Association (APA) award winning pedestrian mall - designated as one of the "Great Places in America", the Aspen Art Museum designed by internationally renown architect Shigeru Ban, the Wheeler/Stallard Historical Museum, and the pleasant surprise that Aspen hosts beautiful examples of Bauhaus architecture at the Aspen Institute right outside of downtown! Participants also got to learn about Glenwood Springs' monumental achievement, the Grand Avenue Bridge project, through a panel discussion and tour with all the big players that made the project happen - PR Studios, Community Builders, the City of Glenwood Springs, and Bohannan Huston.
