IBEC

Marcus Fong

The LA Clippers have hired Alex Diaz as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and promoted VP Jason Green to Chief Ticket Officer. Reporting to Green will be Joel Adams, as Vice President Premium Sales for Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center (IBEC), and Krystle Hogan as Clippers Vice President Sales and Service. The staff changes were announced today by President of Business Operations, Gillian Zucker.

“We are fortunate that all four of these exceptional talents have been involved with developing and executing our organization’s vision for several years,” said Zucker. “They live our culture of relentless dedication to continuous improvement, and are dedicated to reimagining the live event experience for guests of the Clippers and Forum, and soon, at the Inglewood Basketball &amp; Entertainment Center, the future home of the Clippers.”

As COO, Diaz will primarily oversee the operations planning of IBEC, and additionally provide operational council for the Clippers, Honey Training Center and the LA Forum, which was acquired earlier this year by Clippers Chairman Steve Ballmer. Diaz brings more than two decades of facility operations experience to the organization, managing some of the most prestigious and frequented venues in the country, including American Airlines Arena, Barclays Center, and Madison Square Garden. Diaz has spent the past four years with Venues Solutions Group, providing design and operational consulting services to sports franchises, leagues, venues, architects, and other related businesses in the field of sports and entertainment. Prior to that, Diaz held the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager of Madison Square Garden, where he was responsible for overseeing all facility operations for MSG and the Theater at MSG, and played a key role in the three-year $1.1 billion renovation of the arena.

Jason Green, in his third season with the Clippers, has been promoted to Chief Ticketing Officer overseeing all aspects of ticketing for IBEC, Clippers and the Forum. Green joined the Clippers in 2018 as VP, Ticket Sales &amp; Service. His key accomplishments include restructuring the ticket sales department and launching a business insights team that led the organization to achieve unprecedented ticket sales success and revenue growth. Before joining the Clippers, Green spent four years with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and six years with the MLB’s San Diego Padres.

Joel Adams has been promoted to Vice President of Premium Sales for Inglewood Basketball &amp; Entertainment Center to hire and guide a dedicated suite and premium sales team for the new arena. Adams joined the Clippers in 2018 as Director, Season &amp; Inside Sales, where he transformed the inside sales development program and directed the ticket sales team which then led the NBA in new FSE revenue for the 2019-20 season. Prior to joining the Clippers, Adams held various roles in sales with the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Miami Dolphins where he led the new products sales effort for newly renovated Hard Rock Stadium.

Krystle Hogan has been promoted to Vice President of Ticket Sales &amp; Service, overseeing the day-to-day sales and service efforts for Clippers events held at STAPLES Center. Since joining the Clippers as Director of Membership Services in 2018, Hogan has built a dedicated service model for season ticket members and increased renewals following the 2018-19 season, renewing more than 90% of full-season equivalent. Hogan also serves as Co-Chair of the Clippers’ LACED UP (Leadership &amp; Action for Change, Equality and Diversity) committee, made up of more than 80 employees from the Clippers, Agua Caliente Clippers, and the Forum which is focused on promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion. Before joining the Clippers, Hogan spent seven seasons with the Padres, where she earned four promotions, eventually leaving the team as Senior Manager, Suite &amp; Premium Service.

Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center will be a campus that includes an 18,000-seat arena, the Clippers’ corporate offices, practice facility, sports medicine clinic, and an outdoor plaza with community, retail and restaurant uses. The project will provide 7,500 high-paying construction jobs and an estimated 1,500 permanent jobs once the complex is open and operating, beginning in the fall of 2024. The project will be “net-carbon neutral” and includes a $100 million community benefits package.

la-clippers-announce-business-operations-promotions-and-new-hire

LA Clippers Announce Business Operations Promotions and New Hire

Karen Song

INGLEWOOD – The Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center (IBEC) received final approval today from the Inglewood City Council, fully entitling the world-class campus that will include an 18,000-seat basketball arena, team practice facility and corporate offices for the L.A. Clippers. As a result, the Clippers have opened their waitlist for season tickets and other selected arena experiences. Fans can learn more at www.clippers.com/IBEC.

The City Council’s unanimous approval of the Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) provides the terms for Murphy’s Bowl, the entity developing IBEC, to purchase the publicly-owned property within the arena site for a total purchase price of $66.25 million. The total purchase price will be shared among the City, the FAA, Los Angeles World Airports and other local entities, including the Inglewood Unified School District. The DDA contains long-term commitments from Murphy’s Bowl, following acquisition of the site, to develop and operate the arena and related facilities.

“Today is a new chapter for the Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center, as we move from the land use entitlement process and look toward construction,” said Gillian Zucker, Clippers President of Business Operations. “Every part of IBEC is being designed with purpose – with an unapologetic intensity that will define the experience together for players, musical talent and fans alike. This arena will prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there is no replacement for live basketball and entertainment.”

The privately-financed IBEC project will include a world-class facility that is uniquely designed to prioritize fan comfort and ease, player experience, home court advantage and community. IBEC will reimagine live entertainment, creating a new standard for live experiences all on its own. The one-of-a-kind facility will be set within an open, indoor-outdoor atmosphere that showcases what the world loves best about Southern California. The campus in Inglewood will serve as a hub that brings the Clippers organization together, with a new team practice facility and corporate offices. The project, expected to break ground in summer of 2021, will open for the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.

In August, the Clippers announced a global partnership with CAA Sports, a division of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), to bring to market the naming rights for the arena. CAA Sports’ industry-leading Property Sales division has completed more than $4 billion in new sponsorship business on behalf of its clients.

IBEC will create more than 7,000 full and part-time construction jobs and up to 1,500 permanent full and part-time jobs when the complex opens. Local hire goals are in place to help fill 30 percent of the construction jobs and 35 percent of arena operation jobs with local area residents.

IBEC will generate an estimated $260 million in annual economic activity for Inglewood and approximately $100 million in tax revenue over the first 15 years of operation. That money will help support vital city services such as parks, libraries and police and fire stations. The Clippers’ one-of-a-kind basketball arena reflects the team’s commitment to being environmentally-friendly and energy efficient, while providing the City of Inglewood with the largest community benefits package ever connected to a sports venue at $100 million.

IBEC

LA Clippers Announce Business Operations Promotions and New Hire

L.A. Clippers’ Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center Receives Final Approval from City of Inglewood