If you run a business in the Estes Valley, you already know this truth: The old patterns don’t hold anymore.
What used to be a dependable arc of busy → quiet → rebuild has been replaced by a new reality: The shoulder season is no longer predictable.
The summer crush, the fall leaf-peeping boom, and the holiday surge all still arrive to some degree. But what happens after? It’s different every year. Some winters are surprisingly strong. Others fall off a cliff. Federal tariffs, federal worker uncertainty, supply chain delays, election-year volatility, gas prices, and even weather — any one of them can reshape a season overnight.
The question isn’t if things will shift. The question is, will you be ready when they do?
On Nov. 18, Estes Valley Voice is hosting the kind of conversations business owners here rarely get access to, because most of them simply don’t happen anywhere else.
Conversations you can’t have anywhere else
At the Beyond the Busy Season: A Business Resilience Summit, we’re bringing in some of the most forward-looking voices in Colorado’s small business, economic, and marketing landscape:
- Laura Rodriguez, Chief Strategy Officer & Director of Innovation Ecosystems, OEDIT
- Bryan Welker, President, CRO & Co-Founder, WDR Aspen — a thinker who has mastered how mountain towns actually market through shoulder season
- Local panelists Scott Applegate (Bank of Estes Park), Maureen McCann (Mad Moose), Jeff Abel (Signature Home Team), and others who know what Estes businesses face on the ground
- Adam Crowe (emcee), Larimer County Economic & Workforce Development
These are leaders who understand the unpredictable currents shaping 2025 and what business owners must do to weather what’s coming next.
This isn’t a lecture. This is a live, candid, practical conversation about what’s happening in the economy, how it directly affects businesses in the valley, and what smart operators are doing now — not six months from now — to stay resilient.
Why this summit matters (especially this year)
The next few years will bring both volatility and opportunity:
- Estes Park is one of seven new Creative Districts designated by the State of Colorado.
- Major cultural and economic anchors are on the horizon with The Stanley Film Center, the arrival of Sundance, expanded arts programming, new visitor flows, and more.
- Estes is heading into its third year of 6E funds, accelerating housing and childcare support for the workforce.
- Workforce availability is shifting. Consumer expectations are shifting.
Small businesses that prepare — those who watch the signals and invest in resilience — will strengthen now and scale later.
Those who don’t? They’ll feel it sooner than they think.
The Nov. 18 business summit is free, but missing it is expensive
This event costs you nothing to attend. But missing it could cost you clarity, confidence, and opportunities that directly shape your bottom line.
You’ll walk away with:
- Actionable insights on the 2025–2026 economic landscape
- Tools for shoulder-season marketing that actually work in mountain towns
- Fresh perspectives on staffing, operations, and customer experience
- Connections with local leaders, partners, and peers
- A clearer path forward during a period when many small businesses feel stuck
- A chance to win a two-night staycation at the Holiday Inn, dinner at Latitude 105 Alehouse, and a 13-week advertising package from the Estes Valley Voice
Plus: free appetizers, a cash bar, and the rare chance to gather as a business community without the noise of peak season.
If you’re a business owner, manager, or future entrepreneur in the Estes Valley, this is your moment to double down on resilience, strategy, and connection.
Click here to RSVP for the Nov. 18 Beyond the Busy Season: A Business Resilience Summit — and show up ready to take your business into 2026 with confidence.
We’ll see you from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn of Estes Park.
Because in a time when everything feels unpredictable, the smartest thing you can do is prepare.