Past and future leaders of Great Canadian Beer Fest share insights
For the first time in 20 years, Gerry Hieter will drink a beer at the 2019 Great Canadian Beer Fest.
Effective immediately, the longtime executive director of the Great Canadian Beer Fest and the GCBF board have handed over ownership of the 26-year-old event to the board of Victoria Beer Week.
Under the watch of Hieter and a hard-working board of directors, Beer Fest grew from a single-room event in the Victoria Convention Centre to become a two-day outdoor event at Royal Athletic Park with 8,000 patrons (3,500 on Friday and 4,500 on Saturday) and an annual budget of $500,000.
“I’ll happily share the millions of things about beer fest that live in my brain,” said Hieter, now 65. “We’ll work closely with Beer Week right up until the gate is open [at the 2019 event]. Then I’ll grab my glass.”