Leanne Persad Wins Customer Service Award

By Hannah Jarvis

This past month, Leanne Persad, Director of Guest Experience at the Winspear Centre, was named the recipient of Edmonton Tourism Customer Service Award. 

 

Over her 15 years working with us, Leanne has led with humility, consistency, and care, bringing her personal best to every interaction and inspiring her team to do the same. 

 

Her leadership, compassion, and commitment to accessibility have made a lasting impact on guests and staff, and have made sure that the Winspear's hospitality reflects the very best of what Edmonton has to offer. 

 

The Winspear welcomes 250,000 guests annually—Leanne shapes the experience of each one, ensuring they feel welcomed, supported, and genuinely cared for. She has said that hospitality is her passion and calling in life, and has used that calling to create a culture of customer service excellence within her team, with exceptional experiences as the north star. 

 

She oversees a team of 17 full-time and 87 part-time staff across the Box Office, Front-of-House, and Maintenance teams. Under Leanne’s direction, the Winspear & ESO were recognized with Best in Class Customer Service at the Edmonton Tourism Awards in 2023. While she led the team to this achievement, Leanne chose to spotlight her team members by sending them to accept the award.  

 

Focusing on how guests feel at the Winspear, not only on logistics, helps Leanne consistently exceeds expectations. She brings extraordinary care to the details that shape a guest’s experience, creating immersive event atmospheres through themed lobby décor, photobooths, signature cocktails, table styling, and seasonal decorations. She also annually leads the Winspear’s holiday decorating, rallying staff across the organization to create the holiday magic that has become a beloved tradition for both guests and employees. 

 

Leanne believes that accessibility and inclusion are not one-size-fits-all. She wants everyone to feel welcome and at home at the Winspear Centre and will do whatever she can to remove barriers. In particular, she has helped preserve positive experiences for Edmontonians coming downtown in the difficult years since the pandemic, taking personal responsibility to address complaints and acting as a liaison between guests and city partners. 

 

“The musical performance was amazing… What made it particularly enjoyable for myself and the elderly woman I accompanied was the young man who scanned our tickets noticed that we were not seated together. He approached us after we started to walk and asked if we would prefer to sit together. He brought Leanne to us, who quickly arranged for alternate seating on the terrace level that we were thrilled with. It made for a much more enjoyable evening for us both.”  

• Audience member at Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, February 2026 

 

“Outstanding staff - my son commented that every Winspear employee acted like a host, and we felt like we were at someone’s home!"  

• Audience member at Classic Albums Live: Led Zeppelin, Jan 2026 

 

"FIRST TIME AT THE VENUE... Experience was exceptional, my wife's in a wheelchair so everything from parking at Canada Place to the Staff at the Venue was spectacular. Very attentive to our needs and made the experience smooth and easy. Tip of the hat to your staff." 

• Audience member at The Music of Star Wars, October 2025 

 

Congratulations Leanne!