What do you think some of your keys to success have been?
others. To be successful in this industry you have to put in the work, - es and knowing that you may miss special family moments because your job is to create memories for others and ensure their special One of our previous leaders, Richard Andersen, also used to say, “Luck favours the prepared.” That’s always stuck with me and has been something I’ve integrated into my leadership approach. In fact, throughout my career I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by some very talented and smart people. I’ve always tried to see what they did it into my own.
The Edmonton EXPO Centre recently served as a shelter in place for one of the costliest disasters in Canadian history. Tell us about that experience?
It’s obviously something I hope we never have to go through again,
but I’m grateful that we were able to act as a shelter in place when our province needed us. In a moment’s notice, we became a hub for thousands of evacuees from Fort McMurray, Alberta, who had been Our emergency plan as well as previous experience prepared us to act immediately. Events were cancelled or relocated and thousands - nitely a challenge and we did not get much sleep, but we knew that -
ence. Our team served 75,000 meals over this period and worked day and night to ensure we were able to meet their basic needs. Experiences like this really show the importance of public assem- bly venues and the role they play in the community.
What are some of the experiences that stand out for you over the last 25 years?
We hosted a royal visit to celebrate Alberta’s centennial year in 2005, and serving the Queen of England was one of the highlights. She was accompanied by the Prime Minister of Canada, and all our I was also lucky to be a part of the inaugural NHL outdoor game,
the Winter Classic, held at Commonwealth Stadium in 2003. We were charged with serving all the VIPs, media, and sponsors. Oper- ationally it was a huge challenge due to the weather being minus 30 degrees Celsius. I remember showing up, and everything was freez- ing or exploding due to the temperature. My most recent highlight has been the newcomers to Canada pro-
gram we`ve entered in partnership with the Government of Alberta. and then spend a few months with us in banquet training. After the training, many are hired. As an immigrant whose family moved to Canada from South Africa in 1982, this program really pulls at my heartstrings. We`re themselves in our country. FM
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