Best In Outdoor Recreation Come Together in Colorado
In Colorado, there’s more to outdoor recreation than knowing where the best place is for backcountry skiing or the best time for mountain biking is right after a light drizzle.
For those in Colorado, it’s more about cultivating an industry that will help provide jobs, protecting an environment for future generations to enjoy and finding innovations to keep this industry viable and competitive.
It was with this thought in mind that the the Colorado Recreation Industry Office (OREC) organized the inaugural COILSummit (Colorado Outdoor Industry Leadership Summit) in late September.
Given that this was the first year, organizers were unsure of the desire for such an event, but they were blown away by the results. More than 150 people attended, maxing out the capacity for the space, and forcing event organizers to put the overflow requests on a waiting list.
“Overall, it was a tremendous success. Key segment leaders in the industry from all over the state were together in the same room discussing the future,” said Luis Benitez, director of OREC. “The conversations were incredibly impactful. The networking was incredibly robust and we really hope to continue this into the future.”
Benitez added that he hopes the energy and engagement from this first COILSummit will inspire attendees to host mini COILx Summits in their own regions. The Mini COILx Summits will be an opportunity for anyone and everyone to attend, understand what was discussed at the COILSummit, and provide input for both their regions and the state.
As for next year’s COILSummit? Benitez’s wheels are already turning on how to take it to the next level.
“We’re going to make it bigger and better every single year,” said Benitez. “We’re trying to continue that focus of the conversation and driving the conversation from across the state.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Colorado’s outdoor recreation industry, check out some of the latest facts and figures or hear directly from some of our companies that are finding success here.
Blog article by: choosecolorado.com