Entertainment vet garners top honors

Entertainment vet garners top honors

Richard MacKeigan.

A Grand Rapids entertainment venue’s manager is one of the industry’s “elite.”

SMG Regional General Manager Rich MacKeigan has been named one of Billboard magazine’s “Top Arena Managers” for his work overseeing Van Andel Arena.

MacKeigan was among the magazine’s top 10 managers for arenas with capacities between 10,001 and 15,000 people and for his “leadership of the venues that dominate Boxscore rankings.”

“We have consistently fought above our weight class when it comes to concerts and their success,” MacKeigan said in a release, which also mentioned Billboard’s comments on Van Andel Arena’s recent shows including Paul McCartney, Kanye West, Elton John and Garth Brooks.

DeVos Place and DeVos Performance Hall also are managed by SMG, which MacKeigan has been regional manager of since 1998. Van Andel is the top-ranking arena in North America in its capacity range with $13.4 million in gross ticket sales from Nov. 10, 2015 to July 18, 2016.

“This is a reflection of everyone in Grand Rapids,” MacKeigan said. “The community has supported us for 20 years and allowed us to continue to grow and bring in some of the biggest shows touring today.”