Vendor Opportunities
Be part of Scouted Colorado.
January 21 to 31, 2027
Colorado Chautauqua | Boulder, Colorado
This January, The Scout Guide’s Boulder, Denver, Aspen and Fort Collins markets are coming together to present Scouted Colorado, an eleven-day marketplace and gathering place at the historic Colorado Chautauqua during the Sundance Film Festival.
Scouted Colorado will bring together 35+ exceptional Colorado businesses, brands, artists, makers and experiences to create a highly curated showcase of what makes Colorado extraordinary.
This isn’t a traditional vendor market.
It’s a shopping and discovery experience designed to introduce Festival visitors, industry guests, locals and the broader Film Festival community to the people, products and experiences that define the Colorado lifestyle.
Every participant is selected. Space is limited by design.
A Colorado marketplace built around an extraordinary moment.
The Chautauqua Auditorium is one of only eleven official Festival screening venues, and the only one on the campus. The people who come for a film come to us — and at the foot of the Flatirons in January, nobody is in a hurry to leave.
Eleven days, not a weekend
Take the first half, the second half, or the whole Festival.
A curated room, not a booth hall
Thirty-five or so businesses chosen by our four Colorado editorial teams.
Indoors and warm
Everything happens inside the historic Community House.
You keep what you sell
Less a percentage that goes straight to the Colorado Chautauqua Association.
The Festival numbers, the venue and the full case for the address are on the Scouted Colorado home page.
2027 is the Sundance Film Festival’s inaugural year in Boulder and details continue to evolve. Scouted Colorado does not guarantee Festival or marketplace attendance or vendor sales.
The best of Colorado, all in one place.
Scouted Colorado will bring together a thoughtful mix of established Colorado names and businesses worth discovering. The marketplace may include:
- Fashion and Western style
- Alpine and outdoor lifestyle
- Fine jewelry and accessories
- Art
- Home and design
- Colorado craftsmanship
- Independent retail
- Golf, equestrian and sporting lifestyle
- Travel and recreation
- Colorado destinations and experiences
More important than category is fit.
We’re looking for businesses, artists, and experiences that are exceptional at what they do, have a compelling story to tell, and contribute something meaningful to Scouted Colorado.
35+ businesses. One evolving Colorado experience.
Scouted Colorado will take over the historic Community House at Colorado Chautauqua.
Because vendors may participate in the first half, second half or full Festival, the marketplace can evolve throughout the event, giving visitors something new to discover while allowing participating businesses to choose the commitment that works best for them.
Main Marketplace
Grand Assembly + Rocky Mountain Climbers’ Club
The Main Marketplace spans two distinct spaces within Community House, creating the primary shopping experience for Scouted Colorado. Vendor placement within the Main Marketplace will be curated by The Scout Guide based on each business, its display needs and the overall mix of the market.
Gallery Marketplace
The Gallery offers a smaller, more intimate marketplace setting and is well suited to independent businesses, artists, makers and Colorado experiences with a smaller footprint.
- 1Community HouseScouted Colorado — all eleven days
- 2The AuditoriumFilm Festival screenings & programming
Under 500 feet
Community House to Chautauqua Auditorium — a two-minute walk
Placement is curated by The Scout Guide based on business category, display needs, overall market balance and the experience being created throughout the Community House.
What your space includes.
- A dedicated marketplace space for the selected participation window
- Placement within the curated Scouted Colorado marketplace
- Inclusion in Scouted Colorado marketplace promotion
- Visibility across The Scout Guide’s participating Colorado markets
- Inclusion in the Scouted Colorado online vendor directory
- Social media recognition
- Two invitations to the Scouted Colorado Preview Party
- Professional marketplace photography
- The opportunity to connect directly with Festival visitors, locals and guests discovering Colorado during the Film Festival
Space dimensions, furnishings, power and wifi are being finalized with Colorado Chautauqua and will be confirmed with accepted vendors well before load-in. If your display has particular requirements, tell us in your application and we will factor it into placement.
Participation
Choose the commitment that works for your business.
First Half
January 21 to 26
6 days
Second Half
January 27 to 31
5 days
Full Festival
January 21 to 31
11 days
Vendor investment.
Main Marketplace
First Half
Scout Guide member$1,250Standard$1,750Second Half
Scout Guide member$950Standard$1,325Full Festival
Scout Guide member$1,875Standard$2,625
Gallery Marketplace
First Half
Scout Guide member$800Standard$1,125Second Half
Scout Guide member$600Standard$850Full Festival
Scout Guide member$1,200Standard$1,700
Full Festival participation is priced below the combined cost of reserving both individual Festival halves.
Current Scout Guide members receive preferred vendor pricing.
If the cost of a space is what stands between you and being here, a select number of places are partially supported.
Read about the Maker ScholarshipColorado Chautauqua
Your participation supports Colorado Chautauqua.
In addition to the space fee, participating vendors contribute a percentage of marketplace sales directly to the Colorado Chautauqua Association, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
8%
Scout Guide members — of marketplace sales, capped at $25,000
13%
Non-members — of marketplace sales, capped at $25,000
The percentage only applies to sales made during Scouted Colorado. No sales means no contribution beyond the space fee.
The contribution is capped at $25,000. Above that, everything you sell is yours — have the kind of Festival that gets you there.
Scouted Colorado doesn’t keep any part of it.
Businesses should consult their own tax advisor regarding the potential tax treatment of their contribution.
Think beyond the table.
We want Scouted Colorado to feel like an experience, not a collection of vendor booths.
Participating businesses are encouraged to bring their brand to life through thoughtful merchandising and interactive elements where appropriate.
What could someone experience, discover, try on, watch, customize, learn about or remember after visiting your space?
- A jeweler presenting collectible pieces
- An artist working in the space
- A hatmaker shaping a hat
- A ski company telling the story behind its craftsmanship
- A Colorado destination introducing guests to an experience they may not know exists
- A retailer creating an exceptional styling or shopping moment
- A maker monogramming or personalizing a piece on the spot
- Or simply a beautiful presentation of what your business does best
All displays and activations must be coordinated with Scouted Colorado and remain subject to Colorado Chautauqua requirements.
Food + Beverage Participation
Colorado Chautauqua retains first right of refusal for food and beverage service on the property.
Food and beverage brands may still apply to participate in Scouted Colorado.
Any sampling, pouring, food service, beverage service or related activation must be approved and coordinated through Scouted Colorado and Colorado Chautauqua.
Licensing Requirements
Every business selling at Scouted Colorado must be properly licensed.
All required licensing must be on file with Scouted Colorado by
December 1, 2026
Businesses based in Boulder
You need a City of Boulder business license.
Boulder Special Event Vendor Tax GuideBusinesses based outside Boulder
You need the City of Boulder Special Event License, which is free, obtained through the Boulder Online Tax System.
Boulder Special Event Vendor Tax GuideAll vendors
You also need a Colorado Special Event Sales Tax License from the Department of Revenue.
Colorado Special Event License
Without the required licensing, we can’t seat your business and your space will be released.
Important dates
How it runs.
October 30, 2026
Applications close
Applications must be submitted by October 30. A $50 non-refundable application fee applies to non-members. The application fee is waived for current Scout Guide members.
November 6, 2026
You’ll hear from us
Applications are reviewed for overall fit, quality, category balance, presentation and the experience being created throughout Scouted Colorado. Applicants will be contacted personally either way.
November 13, 2026
Space fee due
Accepted vendors must submit their space fee in full by November 13 to confirm participation. Unpaid spaces may be released.
December 1, 2026
Licensing due
All required licenses must be on file.
January 21 to 31, 2027
Scouted Colorado
Marketplace hours, load-in, load-out and additional event logistics will be shared with participating businesses as details are finalized.
The Scout Guide
Not a member yet?
The Scout Guide is a curated collection of exceptional local businesses, built market by market. Members are featured in the annual print guide, online and across our channels throughout the year.
For the businesses in it, The Scout Guide is a year-round partner in being discovered — a curated network that keeps telling your story to people who care about supporting the best of local.
Members also receive preferred pricing at Scouted Colorado — on marketplace space, and on the Chautauqua contribution.
Membership is handled by the editor of your own market. Reach out and they will walk you through what it involves.
We consider membership and Scouted Colorado separately, so joining The Scout Guide doesn’t guarantee a place in the marketplace.
Your local editor
Kristie Shehan
The Scout Guide Boulder
kshehan@thescoutguide.comLeigh Gordon
The Scout Guide Denver
lgordon@thescoutguide.comShelly Hamill
The Scout Guide Aspen
shamill@thescoutguide.comShani Canillas
The Scout Guide Fort Collins
scanillas@thescoutguide.com
Based outside these four markets? The Scout Guide is in more than 100 cities. Find your market
The Maker Scholarship
A select number of places are partially supported.
A select number of places in the marketplace are partially supported, funded by Scouted Colorado’s partners. They are for Colorado artists and makers working by hand and in small numbers — potters, weavers, painters, needleworkers, woodworkers — for whom the cost of a space is what stands between them and a room like this.
A scholarship covers a meaningful share of the space fee rather than all of it. Every business in the market makes a commitment of its own, and that is part of what makes the room what it is.
There’s no separate application. Tell us you’d like to be considered when you apply, and answer three short questions.
Questions
Vendor questions.
Do I have to be a Scout Guide member to apply?
No. The market is open to exceptional Colorado businesses whether or not they are members. Members receive preferred space pricing, a lower give-back rate, and the $50 application fee is waived for them.
If you’re not a member and would like to be, your local editor is the person to talk to.
If I’m not a member yet, do I still pay the $50?
Yes. The $50 application fee applies to everyone who isn’t a current Scout Guide member — including applicants who are interested in membership but have not joined, and including those applying for a Maker Scholarship.
It’s non-refundable, and it’s charged when you submit rather than if you’re accepted.
What does my space fee actually include?
A dedicated marketplace space for your chosen window, placement within the curated market, inclusion in Scouted Colorado promotion and the online vendor directory, visibility across the participating Colorado Scout Guide markets, social recognition, professional marketplace photography, and two invitations to the Preview Party.
Do I keep what I sell?
Yes. You keep your sales, and you contribute a percentage of them directly to the Colorado Chautauqua Association — 8% for Scout Guide members, 13% for non-members, capped at $25,000 either way.
It only applies to sales made during Scouted Colorado. No sales means no contribution beyond the space fee. Scouted Colorado retains none of it.
Do I need a licence to sell?
Yes. Colorado sales tax licensing is required, and all required licences must be on file by December 1, 2026. Food and beverage sampling, pouring or service requires prior coordination and approval through Scouted Colorado and Colorado Chautauqua.
Licensing can take time to process, so start it well before the deadline rather than in late November.
What is the Maker Scholarship, and how do I apply?
A select number of places are partially supported, funded by Scouted Colorado’s partners, for Colorado artists and makers working by hand and in small numbers.
There is no separate application. Tick the box when you apply and answer a few short questions. A scholarship covers a meaningful share of the space fee rather than all of it — every business in the market makes a commitment of its own.
What is the difference between the Main and Gallery marketplaces?
Both are inside the Community House and both are part of the same curated market. Main Marketplace spaces sit on the primary floor where the most traffic moves; Gallery Marketplace spaces sit on the level overlooking it and are priced accordingly.
You tell us which you’d prefer when you apply, and we take it seriously. But placement is assigned editorially — based on category, display needs and the balance of the room — so a preference isn’t a reservation.
Can I choose only part of the Festival?
Yes. You can take the First Half (January 21 to 26), the Second Half (January 27 to 31), or the Full Festival. Full Festival participation is priced below the cost of reserving both halves separately.
Anything else before you apply? hello@scoutedcolorado.com
Apply
Apply to Scouted Colorado
Tell us what makes your business worth discovering.
Scouted Colorado is a curated marketplace, so submitting an application doesn’t guarantee a place in it.
Scouted Colorado is a shopping and discovery experience, not an expo. Vendor spaces are intended for businesses offering products, services or experiences guests can actively shop or engage with on-site, rather than traditional promotional booths or information tables.
A service business may be a strong fit where it creates a meaningful, interactive experience for guests. Businesses primarily seeking brand visibility, promotional presence or hospitality opportunities are better served by sponsorship.
Looking for brand visibility rather than a marketplace space? Explore sponsorship opportunities.
Businesses will be selected based on:
- Overall fit with Scouted Colorado
- Quality
- Presentation
- Colorado connection
- Category balance
- Product or experience differentiation
- Space requirements
- The overall marketplace mix
Questions before you apply? Write to us at hello@scoutedcolorado.com
Come show Colorado what you do best.
Scouted Colorado is about more than shopping.
It’s a chance to introduce Festival visitors to the businesses, artists, makers, destinations, and experiences that make Colorado unlike anywhere else.
We’d love for you to be part of it.