Gavin Berger
President & CEO
Spektrix USA
CURRENT CITY: New York
UNIVERSITY: University of Vermont and grad school at Columbia University
FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY: My first big job was working for a recording studio called Power Station. I started out on the tour management side, then went into the venue management side and ended up running venues. And now I’m on the vendor side. I started out on the artistic, venue, touring side of the music industry, then moved into nonprofit venue management with producing and presenting artists at Lincoln Center where I was director of Concert Halls for 10 years.
FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB: It’s helping other nonprofit theaters survive in this new economic environment. I would never have done this if I didn’t really think it is a really useful tool. It makes a difference.
FREE TIME: I go to a lot of theater.
MOST MEMORABLE LIVE SHOW: Most recently, it was seeing the revival of Hedwig and the Angry Itch with Neil Patrick Harris.
GUILTY PLEASURE: Socks. Crazy socks. The three things I spend the most money on are socks, bow ties and books.
(646) 712-9372
Virginia Ludy
General Manager
Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto
UNIVERSITY: Ryerson University, Toronto
FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY: Working for the CNE in their market research department. I kind of just worked my way up from there.
FIRST FEMALE GM: I’m really hoping that it’s not just because I’m a female that they hired me. We have had a female president of the CNE before but I am, indeed, the first female GM.
FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB: It’s probably just meeting all the different people. And I love that things are always changing. It’s exciting in that sense. The event business is a business that I like.
IF YOU COULD ESCAPE FOR THE DAY: I think I would go to a cottage in the Muskokas with a good book and a good glass of wine.
FAVORITE FAIR FOOD: Ice cream waffles. I give everything a try once, but ice cream waffles are a bit of a traditional food here at the CNE. They get the hot waffle and then cut off a slice of ice cream from an ice cream brick. They don’t scoop it, they slice it and then put that between the waffles. It’s delicious.
SOMETHING PEOPLE MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO LEARN: I’m a pretty down to earth person. I’ll talk to anybody; I’m not pretentious in any way. People say to me, wow you’re the general manager of the CNE, and I say, yes but when I go home, they look at me and say, what’s for dinner? They keep me humble.
BEST ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED: Keep it simple. Don’t fret over the little stuff. In this business, we’re not splitting the atom and we’re not saving lives.
(416) 263-3824
Rich MacKeigan
General Manager
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich.
HOMETOWN: Ottawa
FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY: I was an intern for the Miami Dolphins when the Robbie family owned the team. It was a very small staff, so everybody had to do everything. It gave me an opportunity to see the building side of things and not just the National Football League side, and that’s when I got turned on to the building side. I moved back to Ottawa and opened up what is now the Canadian Tire Center, NHL home to the Ottawa Senators, and was there for three years. I moved to Grand Rapids in 1998.
FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB: Probably the diversity. One day you’re dealing with the circus, the next day you’re dealing with the hockey team and the next day you’re dealing with a concert. That works very well for me.
SPORTS TEAMS: I worked for the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa, and it’s amazing when you’re paycheck is directly influenced by the success of the team how quickly you become a fan. I’m also a Montreal and Detroit hockey fan and Miami Dolphins fan.
UNDERCOVER CHEF: My wife and I enjoy going out and trying something, and then I try to replicate and improve upon it at home.
FATHERLY DUTIES: I love to sing to my/about my kids in front of them and their friends. I am lucky to have three great, smart kids, but embarrassing them is as good as it gets.
(616) 742-6535