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11.17.22 – Richard MacKeigan
November 17, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm
Richard MacKeigan – ASM Global Regional General Manager – ASM Global Regional Booking Director
Richard MacKeigan joined ASM Global (formerly SMG) as General Manager of the Van Andel Arena, DeVos Performance Hall and Grand Center (now DeVos Place) in September of 1998, a position he still holds today. In this capacity, he has overall financial, marketing, booking and operational responsibility for Van Andel Arena, DeVos Performance Hall and DeVos Place. He oversees a staff of approximately 150 full and part-time employees at the venues. ASM Global began managing the Grand Center and DeVos Performance Hall in 1994, the Arena since it opened in 1996, and now DeVos Place, the state-of-the-art convention complex, which opened in 2005.
In August of 2006, the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority hired Rich as their first Executive Director in addition to his duties as General Manager at Van Andel Arena, DeVos Performance Hall and DeVos Place.
In April of 2007, ASM Global named MacKeigan Regional General Manager. In addition to his duties as General Manager for DeVos Performance Hall, DeVos Place, and Van Andel Arena, he also now oversees the ASM Global managed facilities in Peoria, IL; Rockford, IL; Canton, OH; Saginaw, MI; and Port Huron, MI.
In 2012, ASM Global tapped MacKeigan to be a Regional Booking Director as well. In this capacity, MacKeigan acts as a resource for ASM Global managed venues in Canada and the Upper Midwest for entertainment booking. As one of four Regional Booking Directors, MacKeigan works under ASM Global’s Vice President of Live Entertainment and focuses on relationships with booking agents, promoters, managers, and artists in an effort to increase bookings in ASM Global venues and assure the highest possible quality experiences had by touring personnel while in ASM Global venues.
Prior to coming to Grand Rapids, MacKeigan worked for the Corel Centre (now Canadian Tire Place), the 18,500-seat home to the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. Involved in the opening of the venue in 1996, MacKeigan held capacities as Event Coordinator, Booking Manager, and Director of Marketing while in Ottawa.
Prior to moving back North of the border (MacKeigan is a Canadian), he worked in Miami, Florida as Coordinator of Marketing and Public Relations for Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium), home to the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. The 76,000-seat venue hosted many large events above and beyond home games for its then-two tenants (MLB’s Florida Marlins), including major concerts, College Bowl Games, world-class soccer, and the 1995 Superbowl while he was there. He also worked as an Event Coordinator for the Miami Arena, then home to the Miami Heat of the NBA and Florida Panthers of the NHL. His first position in Miami was in the Community Relations Department of the Miami Dolphins.
MacKeigan holds a graduate degree in Sports Administration from St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida as well as an undergraduate degree in Recreation Administration with a minor in Commerce from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Born in Montreal, Quebec, MacKeigan’s family moved to Ottawa, Ontario when he was 12 where he attended high school.
He is presently on the Executive Board of Directors for Experience Grand Rapids and the Board of Directors for the Economic Club of Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids Downtown Market. He is a member of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) and is involved with Hospice of West Michigan and The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. Rich and Terri, his wife of twenty-four years, live in Caledonia with their 21-year-old daughter, Lauren, 19-year-old son, Wil, and 18-year-old son, Connor. They have continued to enjoy their life in Grand Rapids and consider themselves very lucky to have been exposed to such a wonderful community.