Festival Operations Manager Jobs in Colorado (NOW HIRING)

The National Western Center is a 250-acre, year-round campus in North Denver that connects the region's agricultural heritage with world-class live entertainment, sports, and civic programming. The Center is anchored by the Livestock Center's CoBank Arena - a 25,284-square-foot arena floor configurable from 3,000 fixed seats up to 6,100 for concerts, up to 5,200 for end-stage productions, with 12 premium suites and 65'6" of rigging clearance - alongside the Stockyards Event Center, the Equestrian Center, and the Festival Grounds, a 20-acre outdoor plaza built for concerts, festivals, large-scale trade shows, and community events. Home to the 120-year-old National Western Stock Show and a growing slate of concerts, family shows, and cultural festivals, the Campus represents one of the most ambitious venue campuses under development in the country, with more than 2.2 million square feet of indoor and outdoor event space at build-out.
The opportunity:
NWC is in search of a talented Director of Booking. The Director of Booking will lead booking strategy, promoter and agency relationships, and calendar optimization across the CoBank Arena, the Plaza/Festival Grounds, and the broader National Western Center campus. This is a senior, revenue-driving leadership role responsible for building a diverse year-round programming mix - concerts, festivals, family shows, sports, and other ticketed events - that complements the campus's anchor tenant, the National Western Stock Show, while maximizing venue utilization and profitability across indoor and outdoor spaces. The Director will manage relationships with national promoters and agencies (Live Nation, AEG, Outback, Feld and comparable partners), develop the campus's identity as an emerging Denver-market destination, and work closely with sales, operations, marketing, finance and the leadership team at the National Western Center Authority to align booking strategy with long-term brand positioning. This role is ideal for a seasoned booking professional or promoter-side operator who understands venue economics, deal structures, and the Denver/Front Range market, who wants to help shape programming strategy for a campus still in its early, high-growth years.
This is a multifaceted job with a broad spectrum of opportunities for professional development. You'll join a small, nimble, collaborative, creative, and entrepreneurial team as we accelerate growth of a new events hub and innovation campus in Denver, Colorado. Help us make the reimagined National Western Center campus among the most desirable event spaces in the Denver market!
What you will do:

• Build and maintain relationships with promoters, agencies, and tour producers to develop diverse, high-quality programming across the National Western Center with a heavy focus on CoBank Arena and the Festival Grounds/Plaza.
• Own the campus's multi-year event pipeline, balancing the Stock Show's seasonal footprint with concerts, festivals, sporting events, and other bookings the rest of the year.
• Negotiate license agreements and contracts with promoters, agents, and producers in the best interest of the campus, and lead settlements for assigned events.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the National Western Center Authority's, tenants, government partners, and the broader Denver entertainment and civic community to encourage regular use of the facility.
• Analyze sell-through, margins, and repeat-partnership data to continually refine the programming mix and maximize venue utilization.
• Collaborate with marketing on on-sale strategy, audience development, and show positioning for each event.
• Partner with operations and production teams to scale events appropriately across indoor arena and outdoor event space configurations, and manage operational feasibility.
• Develop the booking department's annual operating calendar and activity schedule, and contribute attendance and revenue projections.
• Support the Chief Executive Officer in developing and administering the booking department's operating budget; maintain accurate, current revenue forecasts.
• Identify and pursue new event opportunities, including underserved genres, cultural communities, and emerging event formats suited to a 250-acre agricultural and civic campus.
• Develop and lead a small team of booking staff as the department scales with the campus.
• Represent the NWCA at industry conferences (IEBA, Pollstar Live, and similar) and build the venue's reputation among agents, promoters, and artists.
• Serve as manager on duty for select events as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements
What you will bring along:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, Sport Management, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in venue booking, talent buying, promoter relations, or booking management, with a track record spanning arena and outdoor/festival-scale events.
• 3+ years supervising staff or leading a booking function.
• Experience overseeing multi-venue or multi-space programming calendars - indoor arena and outdoor festival grounds a strong plus.
• Established relationships with national promoters (Live Nation, AEG, Feld, etc) and major talent agencies (CAA, WME, UTA) or comparable regional networks.
• Ability to cultivate relationships with local independent promoters.
• Fluency in event P&L, deal structures, on-sale strategy, and revenue forecasting.
• Strategic mindset paired with hands-on operational capability; comfortable building programming in a fast-growing, entrepreneurial venue environment.
• Experience working alongside civic authorities, agricultural or livestock organizations, or convention and visitors bureaus is a plus given the campus's Stock Show anchor tenancy.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, as the event calendar requires.

Benefits
This job may be a great fit if:

• You embrace the startup nature of the organization, and no job is below you.

• You are detail and results oriented.
• You are an entrepreneurial self-starter.
• You are a skilled problem solver who takes initiative and can communicate clearly with internal and external stakeholders.
• You act with respect, competency, and integrity.
• You work well as part of a team.
• You excel at functioning in high pressure situations while maintaining a calm, professional manner.
• You are a collaborator by nature and seek to find ways to compromise.
• You demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• You have great time management and prioritization skills.
• You are results oriented and exercise sound judgment in your work.
• You have a track record of being dependable.
• You are excited about the opportunity to grow with the organization.
• You are all-in on the mission of the National Western Center.

Work location and hours:

• This position can be performed through a mix of on-site and remote work in Denver, Colorado.

Compensation range:

• The starting salary is $$110,000-$130,000 with bonus, commensurate with experience.

What we can offer you:
We offer family-friendly benefits and flexible work hours to all our employees.

• Medical, dental and vision coverage
• Paid time off
• Paid parental leave
• 401k plan with a 4.00% company match
• Support for community involvement
• Relocation assistance where applicable

Get to know us:
National Western Center is a reimagined 250-acre campus with new indoor and outdoor event venues, and more on the way! The brand-new Stockyards Event Center is a multipurpose space with two arenas, ample parking and views of the Rocky Mountains and the Denver skyline. An outdoor plaza connects it to 20 acres of hardscaped yards for outdoor concerts, festivals, large equipment trade shows, sporting events, drive-in movies and more. The center is just two miles from downtown Denver and adjacent to the RiNo Art District, with easy access from Denver International Airport via I-70. Home to CSU Spur and the National Western Stock Show, the National Western Center is an emerging urban hub for food and agriculture discovery.
In 2018, the campus partners created the National Western Center Authority, a nonprofit organization responsible for operating, maintaining, programming, and promoting the National Western Center. The Authority is the primary entity responsible for ensuring the National Western Center achieves its mission. It is also responsible for developing a community investment fund benefiting the residents of the Globeville, Elyria and Swansea neighborhoods in which the campus is located. The Authority's work is well underway in preparation for buildings being completed and the larger campus opening to the public. The Authority is guided by a 13-member board of directors. The Authority is doing business as (DBA) the National Western Center.
Our mission is to convene the world at the National Western Center to lead, inspire, create, educate, and entertain in pursuit of global food solutions. Join us!
We are dedicated to building a diverse community, one where employees feel a sense of belonging, and are valued for their contributions and the perspectives they bring. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.
How to apply:
Please submit your resume and cover letter online at:
https://nationalwesterncenter.com/careers/