Rosalyn Maclean
Director – Ticket Operations
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment
Among other things, Rosalyn MacLean, director of ticketing operations for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, is honest about herself.
“I am in ticketing because I’m a bit of a nerd,” she says.
MacLean oversees ticketing for three major venues in Canada’s largest city, including Scotiabank Arena, Toronto’s showpiece venue, home of the NBA’s Raptors and — oh yeah — the Maple Leafs, Canada’s most beloved team. It’s a heavy lift that requires hard work, knowledge and, yeah, someone who is a bit of a nerd.
It was a real journey for MacLean from Dubai to 40 Bay Street.
Born and raised in Dubai, she moved to British Columbia at 16 to finish high school and then matriculated at Kwantlen Polytechnic to study education.
“But the ticketing gremlins got me,” she says.
She worked at Ticketmaster Canada starting in 2001. She worked as a seller and box office supervisor at BC Place in Vancouver. She worked her way up and moved to Ticketmaster’s Toronto office in 2008 to be closer to family.
“It is a puzzle you are always putting together and I was intrigued by that,” MacLean says, explaining her ticket nerdery. “I always was in a challenge against myself with how to build an event faster and better, always in search for the shortcuts that would make it seem like I pulled off magic. I think I have pulled a lot of magic in my time in ticketing because I continue to look for ways to work smarter, not harder. Back in 2006, when I moved into the Event Programming department, it all seemed so overwhelming — and this was back when ticketing was not as complicated — as you literally felt you had to hold things up at the right angle and blink twice so nothing would go wrong with an on-sale. I honestly don’t even remember the show or tour, but when I didn’t feel like I had to hold my breath at an onsale, I knew I had it.”
One of her favorite moments came while handling a series of Garth Brooks shows.
“We all know how intentional he and his team are with their shows. We had planned a series of show dates that we had built, ready to announce and go onsale with. In the thick of the onsale, I clearly remember Ben Farrell asking if we could do an additional date, one that was not built,” she says. “While other folks in the boardroom looked at each other trying to figure out how to respond with how long it would take, I tapped the keyboard a few times and in less than five minutes we had an event to go on sale with. While ticketing is not just pushing a button, on that day it was for me, and I remember Ben on the call even relaying how impressed Garth was to get things up so fast. I was a little starstruck at that moment.”
She left Ticketmaster in 2018 to join MLSE, which had been a client for a decade.
She’s excelled in the role, even with the challenges the industry has faced in that time.
“Overseeing ticket operations for three venues isn’t for the faint of heart and you make it look easy,” Hayley Chapman, MLSE’s senior director of ticket operations, administration and reporting, wrote in MacLean’s nomination. “You are so deserving of this award; I know you will continue to thrive, elevate your people, and ensure our fans get in our venues seamlessly.”
