Gena Buhler

With over 20 years’ experience in event production, venue management, operational logistics, festival and program development, and relationship-building for critical partnerships, Gena knows what it takes to transform neighborhoods into vibrant creative communities. Drawing on her own experience of managing capital projects, she also understands the challenges of keeping a project moving while continuing to engage with audiences. She leads our business development team in North America, identifying projects that have the potential to enrich their communities, and works with clients to match our services with their needs. She’s also part of our strategic planning team, offering advice on early project visioning, planning, and feasibility.

Gena joined us from the City of Aspen, where she worked as the executive and artistic director for the Wheeler Opera House. She was responsible for producing and growing the Aspen Laugh Festival and the Aspen Mountain Film Festival, launching several community-based programming efforts, and managing Phase III and Phase IV of Wheeler’s historic renovation projects. She’s also worked as the theatre director at Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek (Vail, Colorado), worked in New York as an agent for The Road Company and  IMG Artists, and started her career in festival management as an associate with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival. 

Equally as passionate about thought leadership and convening events that inspire dialogue, Gena co-founded and continues to act as director of operations for the Colorado Energy & Water Institute and spent five years as project director and producer for the Vail Global Energy Forum.