BC PLACE STADIUM WELCOMES NEW GENERAL MANAGER
April 6th, 2018
B.C. Pavilion Corporation (PavCo) is pleased to announce the appointment of Patricia Jelinski as the new General Manager of BC Place Stadium.
Effective May 22nd, Ms. Jelinski will be responsible for the operational and financial success of the stadium, ensuring BC Place continues to operate as a best in class facility while maximizing the stadium’s economic and community benefits to the province of British Columbia.
Jelinski, a 30-year veteran of the live sports and entertainment industry, was selected for the role of General Manager following an extensive recruitment campaign that presented candidates from across North America.
“We are very pleased to have Patricia join our leadership team at this important time for BC Place Stadium,” said Ken Cretney, President & CEO, PavCo. “Her extensive experience in the fields of live entertainment, sports and venue management will be a major influence on the ongoing success of B.C.’s iconic stadium.”
For the past 4 years Jelinski has been the President & CEO of United Way Greater Victoria - the largest non-government funder of social services and a recognized community leader on Vancouver Island.
During her time with United Way, Jelinski was responsible for developing a new strategic direction for the organization and delivering on the vision through an operational plan including diversification of revenue streams, business development, and building a culture of philanthropy internally and with the business and stakeholder community.
“I am delighted to join the PavCo Executive as General Manager of BC Place and I look forward to working with the excellent team at the stadium to build upon the strong reputation and success of BC Place” said Patricia Jelinski.
Previous to her role with the United Way, Jelinski held senior positions within some of the most recognizable organizations across North America, including: the Edmonton Oilers, Northlands of Alberta, the New York Rangers, Madison Square Garden, and Lincoln Hockey.
The appointment of Jelinski as General Manager of BC Place fills a position that was previously vacant.
ABOUT PATRICIA JELINSKI
Patricia began her career over 30 years ago with the Edmonton Oilers as the Director of Marketing, Community Relations & Special Events until her promotion to Vice President, Corporate Communications & Marketing. She was then recruited to Washington, DC to become the Vice President, Marketing for Lincoln Hockey, a sports and entertainment entity, which included ownership of the Washington Capitals, and a share in the MCI Centre and Washington’s NBA and WNBA teams. There she successfully led as part of a senior leadership team on venue operations and sales and specifically directed community relations and marketing, for the Washington Capitals. Patricia next moved to New York to become the Vice President, Business and Community Development for the New York Rangers at the iconic Madison Square Garden where she was a member of the senior leadership team responsible for venue operations with game day delivery and led on business and community development, and alumni relations and related foundation initiatives.
Patricia then returned to Edmonton to assume the role of Senior Account Director, Brand Integrity Group with DDB Canada, recognized as one of Canada’s most awarded, results-driven agencies. At DDB she was involved in business development as well as government and consumer accounts such as lotteries, banking, post-secondary, and Northlands. In 2005, Patricia joined Northlands, the organization that owned and operated several large facilities and business lines including an arena, trade and consumer show facility, conference centre and racetrack and gaming operation. There she held the role of Vice President, Business & Community Development until 2010 when she was appointed to Vice President, Venues & Business Development. In these roles, Patricia’s portfolio included: venue operations and management, business and partnership development, event production, food services, guest experience, tourism and hospitality, government and stakeholder relations, community investment, marketing, communications, and volunteer engagement. She was also instrumental in the 2007 re-development of the 138-year-old legacy site to drive economic development for the region.
With a desire to move to the West Coast, for the past 4 years Patricia has been the President & CEO of United Way Greater Victoria, the largest non-government funder of social services in the region and recognized community leader on Vancouver Island. During her tenure she was responsible for developing a new strategic direction for the organization and delivering on the vision through an operational plan including diversification of revenue streams, business development, and building a culture of philanthropy internally and with the business and stakeholder community.
Patricia is a graduate of the communications department from Mount Royal University in Calgary. She also has undertaken extensive executive leadership development at Queen’s University School of Business, Kingston; Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, Ithaca New York; and through the United Way Worldwide Executive Leadership Development Program in partnership with Harvard, the Centre for Creative Leadership, and Deloitte University. Finally, in 2012 Patricia earned the Certified Facility Executive designation (CFE) through the International Association of Venue Management.
ABOUT BC PLACE STADIUM
BC Place is the largest multipurpose venue of its kind in the province of British Columbia, hosting sport, exhibitions and live entertainment, in the heart of Downtown Vancouver. BC Place is the home of the BC Lions Football Club, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the Canada Sevens and the BC Sports Hall of Fame. Each year, BC Place welcomes more than one million guests to events ranging from professional football, soccer, and rugby, to amateur and high school sports, consumer shows, cultural gatherings, carnivals, film shoots, special events, and world-class concerts. Events hosted at BC Place generate more than $120 Million per year in economic benefit within the province of British Columbia, while also generating significant cultural and community benefit for the people of B.C.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Duncan Blomfield
Marketing & Communications Manager, BC Place
P: 604 661 7360 E:dblomfield@bcpavco.com