Colorado Nonprofit Association

Events Production Assistant

About Denver Botanic Gardens: Green inside and out, Denver Botanic Gardens was founded in 1951 and is considered one of the top botanical gardens in the United States and a pioneer in water conservation. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, The Gardens has a robust living plant collection, natural history collection and art collection along with temporary art exhibitions. The Gardens is a dynamic, 24-acre urban oasis in the heart of the city, offering unforgettable opportunities to flourish with unique garden experiences for the whole family – as well as world-class exhibitions, education, and plant conservation research programs. 

For more information, visit us online at www.botanicgardens.org.

Denver Botanic Gardens is currently seeking a Seasonal Events Production Assistant in our Events Department! Read below to see if the requirements might be a good fit for you:

Position Summary

This position supports the Public Events team at York Street to install and strike lighting, sound, prop, and scenic design elements for our immersive nighttime events Glow at the Gardens and Blossoms of Light. This position also assists with operating, executing, and technical troubleshooting for Glow at the Gardens and Blossoms of Light. This job requires a flexible schedule that includes availability for daytime, evening, weekend, and holiday shifts in various environments including indoors, outdoors, and all-weather conditions. 

Requirements

General Duties and Responsibilities

• Installs and strikes assigned elements of event equipment including lighting and sound equipment, props and scenic décor, signage, barricades, event supplies, and more.  
• Executes nightly event duties for assigned shifts of Glow at the Gardens and Blossoms of Light. Duties will include but are not limited to maintenance and troubleshooting of décor, lighting, and sound elements, signage placement, setting pathway closures, and adapting the events for poor weather conditions in consultation with full-time Events and Security staff. 
• Participates in event safety procedures including but not limited to snow removal, ice mitigation, and guest relations. 
• Leads volunteer pumpkin carvers & manages production of carved jack-o’-lanterns in preparation for Glow at the Gardens. 
• Assists in resolving minor guest issues in a positive, disarming manner. 
• Assists with inventorying, sorting, organizing, and packing event supplies at both onsite and offsite storage facilities.
• Completes assigned production work in preparation for Glow at the Gardens and Blossoms of Light. Duties may include building props/scenic elements, scenic painting, preparing lighting and sound equipment for installation, and more.
• Communicates progress and questions on all projects via Wrike, the team’s cloud-based project management system. 
• Occasionally supports private events team to set up and assist with crowd management for clients hosting weddings, celebrations of life, corporate events, or other. 
• Follows radio communication procedures and policies.
• May assist with basic administrative duties in the events office. 
• Regular attendance at the worksite is required.
• All Gardens employees must be committed to the mission of connecting people with plants, especially plants from the Rocky Mountain region and similar regions around the world, providing delight and enlightenment to everyone.

Position Qualifications: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Must be comfortable operating ladders, electric pallet jacks, golf carts, power tools such as drills, hand tools, handheld saws, etc. 
• Basic skills in electrical systems for lighting and sound installations required. 
• Basic skills in theatrical carpentry, prop-making and scenic painting strongly preferred. 
• Mechanical aptitude preferred. 
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as event instructions, safety rules, operating guidelines, and installation diagrams.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. 
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Must be able to lift and maneuver up to 50 pounds on a regular basis. 
• Must be able to complete highly physical labor multiple days in a row outdoors in a variety of weather conditions. 
• Must be physically able to work on hands and knees, as well as at heights from ladders. 
• May be asked to wear a respirator on painting days.
• Must have proven excellent customer service, interpersonal, and communication skills in dealing with the public. 
• Ability to maintain stability under pressure and able to deal well with stressful situations.
• Ability to be flexible and willing to modify plans when necessary, throughout the day.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends and/or holidays.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Suite products, specifically Word, Excel and Outlook and Teams.  
• Ability to work overtime as necessary.
• Must be a positive representative of the Gardens both internally and externally at all times.
• Must work with respect and cooperation at all times with fellow employees and the public.
• Must be committed to working safely at all times.

Experience/Education:

• High school diploma / GED and/or combination of education and equivalent experience is required. 
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in theatrical production (lighting, sound, carpentry, painting, prop-making, production design) is required.
• Valid driver’s license required.

Travel:

Up to 10% travel required. Requires the ability to travel to offsite warehouse storage unit. 

Come work for a place that offers you SO much more than just a paycheck!