By R.V. Baugus

Rick Nafe, a veteran of nearly 40 years in the public assembly world and one of Tampa’s most prominent leaders, passed away on May 26 at the age of 70 at St. Joseph’s Hospital North in Lutz, FL. No immediate cause was given for his death.

Sharing through Facebook, Rick’s wife, Dana, posted, “My amazing, loving husband, Rick Nafe, left us too soon last night to be with the Lord. He is the greatest gift God ever shared and if there is a stadium in the other side, he is there planning a party so all his friends can celebrate. Please pray for the joy and love that we shared and the love he showed to all to be what we celebrate in the life of my sweetest boy ever! He is, was and forever will be my everything. He loved his children, friends and family and always made us laugh and feel so special. There are no words.”

Rob Higgins, Tampa Bay Sports Commission executive director, echoed with the following: “He was instrumental in so much of what has happened here in the local sports scene. “Also made a tremendous impact nationally with his work. May he rest in peace.”

Nafe retired three years ago after a decorated career. Long-time IAVM member Mickey Farrell, senior vice president of stadium operations for the Tampa Sports Authority, was hired by Nafe 35 years ago and told the Tampa Bay Times, “All the (sports) buildings here in this community, whether it be here on this side of the bay or the other side, his fingerprints are on them. Being around Rick was nothing like being around any other human being. He left you happier than he found you through his humorous musings on situations around him and his take on life.”

The newspaper also pointed out that Nafe was one of only two venue managers to have hosted a Super Bowl, a World Series, and the NCAA Final Four.

Nafe, a Florida State alumnus, joined the Tampa Sports Authority in 1980 as director of operations and stadium director for Tampa Stadium — the Bucs’ home before Raymond James Stadium opened in 1998 — then was promoted to executive director of the TSA in 1992.

The Tampa Sports Authority tweeted: It is a sad day in Tampa, as we lost a true sports legend in Rick Nafe. Rick was a friend to so many, especially here at the TSA where he served as Executive Director for before joining the Rays. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. RIP, Rick.

Nafe is survived by his wife and three children, Travis, Parker and Katie.

By R.V. Baugus

Disclaimer: It was during a Zoom meeting with fellow IAVM staffers Amy Fitzpatrick and Greg Wolfe that I met IAVM VenueConnect Keynote Speaker Ann Meyers Drysdale. When it came my turn to do a brief intro so the legendary UCLA, WBL, and broadcasting star could better understand who we are and our roles, the conversation immediately turned to hoops — one of my very true loves for anyone who knows me.

It was difficult to get on to the task at hand, but I was able to (perhaps noting the looks that Amy and Greg were giving me!). Nonetheless, it was a pleasure to “meet” someone I knew very well in following her career. We caught up with each other later by phone for Ann to talk more about her background and what she is looking forward to when she sees IAVM members in Phoenix to hear her presentation.

RV: How about some background, although knowing yours as I do it might be difficult to boil it to a brief sentence or two?

AMD: My dad was captain at Marquette University of the 1945 team and when my parents got married, they moved to San Diego. Basketball was a part of our life, but it wasn’t the only thing. I played seven sports in high school. I saw women playing way before Title IX. It’s interesting watching the NBA and WNBA … the WNBA is the longest professional league in this country for women but to know there are other sports going on out there. I’ve just been in the right place at the right time, certainly being the first woman to get a full athletic scholarship at UCLA.

RV: So, what has changed the most over the years regarding the game and how it has grown?

AMD: Obviously, social media has changed a lot. ESPN didn’t exist until 1979. Even in life if you look at growing up, we had three television channels. The newsmen were very reputable. Now there are so many different stations and so many different attitudes about life and so forth. I think what I also want to get across … I know Greg was calling the session title Empowering Success. I’m a little uncomfortable with that to tell you the truth because what is success? I’m from the John Wooden school of success. It’s in life knowing you did your best to become the person you’re capable of becoming. Whether it’s working at IAVM or whether it’s working in flowers or airlines or cars or standing on a factory line or whatever, you do your best. The success that other people rate you on is finance and also in championships or what you did.

RV: What are you doing these days in Phoenix?

AMD: I joined the Phoenix Mercury and Suns in 2007. I was broadcasting for ESPN and then broadcasting almost 45 years now. I started right when I came out of UCLA. I took some classes at UCLA. Not a lot of women were broadcasting back in the 70s. But in 2007 I was hired to be the GM for the Mercury. We won two WNBA titles and then they asked me to step aside and do broadcasting for the Suns and the Mercury.

RV: Share some thoughts on leadership. You have learned from the best and you are obviously a tremendous leader in your own right.

AMD: When you’re out there doing the best you can and supporting your teammates, it’s amazing what can be accomplished. It’s the same thing with the venues. Everybody is working hard. Like Coach (John) Wooden said, great leaders are listeners. They listen to what is going on. Obviously, they have got to make the decisions whether it’s good or bad and certainly as a leader you try and make the decisions that are good for the whole group even if that does not always work. Once decisions are made you’ve got to go with it.

RV: How about some life lessons that have stuck with you?

AMD: The family I grew up in and my parents and their work ethic sticks with me. How hard my mother raised children being in the house and the things she did for all of us and certainly my father going out and working and so forth. You do your best. You go out and you work hard. You’ve got to love what you do. Sports is certainly something I’ve been able to have a career of and something that I love. Not everybody gets to do that. Sometimes when you’re not having fun and you’re not loving what you’re doing you don’t work as hard. Then you find things that are wrong and so forth.

RV: What was it like to be part of the Women’s Basketball League era in the 1970’s?

AMD: It’s funny because when they call us trailblazers it’s only because that was the beginning of Title IX and some TV. So, we did get some exposure TV-wise. To me, trailblazers are women that came way before me. People talk about Carol Blazejowski, Nancy Lieberman, Cheryl Miller, Annette Woodard, myself, because we were on TV a little bit.

RV: It is preview time to share some about what you plan to share with the audience at VenueConnect.

AMD: Being in a team sport, adversity, being able to adapt to things that happen in our life and how you respond to it. Are you positive or are you negative? Does it take you awhile to adjust to change? My days at UCLA and the influence of John Wooden and Billie Moore. My brother David. And then my next family. Meeting Don and starting a family with him and the broadcasting career. You can’t control what others are going to decide that are in a position of decision making. You can only control what you can control. It’s about relationships.

RV: Any takeaways for the audience that they can take back to their venue and implement?

AMD: I think you have got to believe in your team. Certainly, you’re dealing with different cultures and with different beliefs and religions and so forth. That all plays in to whether it’s gender, religion, race, age, and I think support is huge. That’s also very difficult when people are having a tough time changing. Women need to support women. I think diversity is huge, but I also know in different cultures that women still are behind the scenes and that’s not in essence about the venue but in life. You’re dealing with a worldwide culture whether it’s in this country or any other country about women. I think you have to have diversity in any kind of business because men do think differently than women. When you have the support of where a woman is coming from on how something has to be done or accomplished maybe it can be done easier … you think, oh yea, they’re coming at it from a different point of view. You have to be compassionate about that point of view.

The Broadmoor World Arena Board of Directors announced that Dave Namesnik has been selected as the new General Manager of the Broadmoor World Arena, Ice Hall, and the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts, effective May 23, 2022. He will be responsible for the day-to-day management of all three venues and continue to bring world class entertainment to Southern Colorado. He will also maintain an active role in the community as a collaborator, resource and contributor.

Dave most recently served as Assistant General Manager of the Budweiser Event Center in Loveland, Colorado and brings over fourteen years of experience in the entertainment and facility management industry.

He replaces Dot Lischick, who completed her 24-year tenure as General Manager on May 20, 2022. For more on the industry icon’s retirement, click here.

“Dot has set a very high-performance bar and leaves the Broadmoor World Arena Sports and Entertainment Venues on very firm footing as we emerge from COVID restrictions,” said World Arena Chairman Pete Susemihl. “We are convinced that Dave is the person to pick up the leadership reins of southern Colorado’s go to place for live entertainment and take us to even greater heights.”

By Stacie Bauer

Ungerboeck announced that it has acquired the products developed by risk management agency Reliance Risk and will be debuting an industry-first application for mitigating risk to events and venues.

Risk management is an essential part of venue management and event planning. As the industry continues to be impacted by major shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorism, accidents, and severe weather incidents, Ungerboeck is committed to helping its customers better manage risks of all kinds.  

The acquisition of both Reliance Risk products, RiskSense101 and VRM360, gives Ungerboeck the power to offer a valuable new solution: Risk Manager by Ungerboeck. The new application is specifically designed to give venue and event organizers a better understanding of threats and help them be proactive instead of reactive in the face of potential issues.

“The unique nature of events dictates the need for a customized, simple, but powerful technology solution to help mitigate and monitor risk,” said Wayne Middleton, founder of Risk Sense Technologies and co-developer of the new application. “We have built this into Risk Manager by Ungerboeck and are grateful for the shared vision, passion, and global reach that Ungerboeck brings to help our industry manage risk.”

Steve Mackenzie, Executive Vice President of Ungerboeck, said the new application fills a void in the market.

“Over the past few years, several events have become major headlines for all the wrong reasons,” he said. “Think of the Manchester Arena bombing, the shooting in Las Vegas, or the Astroworld crowd incident. By offering this tool, we are ensuring venue and event operators are equipped to identify potential risks and produce the necessary tasks and reports to back up the process.”

Before joining the Ungerboeck family, Middleton’s risk management software was already used in venues across the Asia Pacific Region. Now thanks to Ungerboeck’s global reach, thousands of additional organizations will benefit.

“Qudos Bank Arena, along with the larger ASM Global operated venues throughout Australia, have held a license to the software for over seven years. It has been an important tool in helping us understand the risks that our venues encounter and ensure that we have taken appropriate measures to mitigate them,” said Steve Hevern CVE, General Manager of Qudos Band Arena. “We congratulate Wayne and Ungerboeck on this global partnership and look forward to more innovative technology that will help us continue to host safe and successful events.”

Middleton will continue in his role as Managing Director of Reliance Risk, and as a risk management consultant, setting the benchmark for best practices across the industry.

“We’ll build on the unique system that Wayne, a world-renowned risk management expert, has developed over the past decade,” Mackenzie said. “This is incredibly exciting for the market to finally have access to a dedicated risk management software.”

Stacie Bauer is Event & Sponsorship Coordinator, Marketing, at Ungerboeck.

Pictured: Steve Mackenzie and Wayne Middleton

Jolene Herz has been named vice-president of booking for the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.

Her role has been expanded to overseeing all live events at the venue and she will continue to report to Geni Lincoln, general manager and senior vice-president of live events. Herz has worked at the Kia Forum since 2016, when she was named booking manager, and was promoted to booking director in 2018.

“I’m honored to be recognized by my colleagues at the Kia Forum and couldn’t ask for a better team to work with,” Herz said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to expand the impressive list of artists and events we’ve brought to the venue and build upon the strong community we’ve created thus far.”

Herz started her live entertainment career as a booking assistant in the Los Angeles Live Nation office in 2000 before moving to Nederlander Concerts. She worked at the Kia Forum from 2007 to 2010, then returned to Live Nation before rejoining the Kia Forum in 2016.

“We are thrilled to announce this well-deserved promotion for Jolene as Vice President of Booking for the Kia Forum,” venue GM and SVP/Live Events Geni Lincoln said in a statement. “We are grateful for her many years of hard work and dedication to this iconic venue and are confident that she will bring her continued enthusiasm and diligence to the new role.”