Oak View Group (OVG), the global venue development, advisory and investment firm for the sports and live entertainment industries, recently announced that Kenneth Gaber has joined the company to lead its hospitality division, as President , food services, OVG Facilities. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Gaber takes up his new role effective immediately and will report to Chris Granger, CEO, Oak View Group Facilities.
With over 20 years of experience, Gaber will lead the food and beverage sector within OVG Facilities, setting and overseeing the division’s culinary, technology and operational strategy. Gaber’s appointment follows Oak View Group’s acquisition of Spectra, one of the industry’s leading catering and hospitality providers, to create a leading full-service live event company.
Granger commented: “Since the completion of the acquisition of Spectra, the recruitment of talented, innovative and values-driven individuals to grow the OVG Facilities team is of the utmost importance. Ken brings decades of valuable industry experience, creativity and a fresh approach, and we are delighted to welcome him on board.
“With so many different arena projects underway, as well as the expansion of OVG’s new food and beverage division, it’s an exciting time to join OVG’s world-class team,” Gaber said. “I look forward to working with OVG and our customers to reinvent the hospitality space.”
Prior to joining OVG, Gaber served as Vice President of Operational Excellence/Strategic Operations since 2019 at Delaware North Sportservice. While there, he was responsible for business growth strategies, site openings, menu planning, technology deployments and operational strategies for current and new accounts. In this capacity, he was also responsible for all aspects of procurement, staffing, strategic planning and financial operations for OVG’s Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, the widely acclaimed new home of the Seattle Kraken. , and was involved in many of these aspects for UBS Arena. at Belmont Park, the exciting new home of the New York Islanders.
Gaber previously served as general manager of Delaware North from 2016 to 2019 at American Family Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers, where Delaware North provides food, beverage and retail services. During his tenure, he was instrumental in the 2017 multimillion-dollar upgrade to the concessions program, part of the largest and most comprehensive renovation in baseball stadium history. . He worked with the Brewers to bring the culinary concession vision to life, including 11 new concession stands and two new ground-level bars. The redevelopment earned an impressive honor from one of baseball’s most respected publications – Ballpark Digest recognized Miller Park with its 2017 honors for Best New Dealership Experience.
Gaber began his career at Levy in 2006 as general manager of suites at Philips Arena in Atlanta, then served as director of operations at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Maryland, and director of premium services for the company. at the Boston Convention Center in Massachusetts. . From 2012 to 2015, he served as Director of Operations at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, managing Levy’s restaurant operations which included 150 suites and concessions for up to 165,000 fans. From 2015 to 2016, Gaber served as director of operations at FedEx Forum, home of the Memphis Grizzles. Gaber earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI
Oak View Group (OVG) is a global sports and entertainment company founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015. OVG is focused on positively disrupting the status quo in the live sports and entertainment industry and currently has eight divisions spread over four global markets. offices (Los Angeles, New York, London and Philadelphia). OVG leads operations for Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center and UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY as well as arena development projects for Moody Center in Austin, TX; Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, MD; Coachella Valley Arena in Palm Springs, California; Co-op Live in Manchester, UK; Arena Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo, BZ; and OVG’s first project north of the border, the redevelopment of the arts and entertainment district in Hamilton, Ontario, which includes the FirstOntario Center Arena. OVG Global Partnerships, a division of OVG, is the sales and marketing arm responsible for the sale of all OVG arena development projects. OVG Facilities, a division of OVG, is the facilities management, reservations, security and sanitization services arm that provides services for OVG’s arena development projects and customers on a a third. OVG Media & Conferences, a division of OVG, publishes Pollstar and VenuesNow, in addition to hosting live entertainment-centric conferences around the world. OVG’s Arena Alliance, a division of OVG, is a collection of the top 32 venues in North America that provides a platform for booking, content and sponsorship sales opportunities. In August 2021, OVG announced its acquisition of Spectra, one of the industry’s leading venue management and hospitality providers, to create a world-class, full-service live events company. Learn more on their website.
