The Memphis Grizzlies NBA basketball team has announced upgrades at the FedExForum, including a newly renovated space on the terrace level of the arena.

The space, known as Big River Steel Edge, is designed to provide an enhanced fan experience. The terrace level of the arena has also been renamed Big River Steel Terrace as part of the revamp.

The Big River Steel Edge space is located between sections 201 and 232 of FedEx Forum and features 34 TVs as well as a refreshed bar and grill with an updated menu. The space overlooks both the court from the west end of the arena bowl and the grand lobby of the venue, while fans will also have access to an outdoor area overlooking the city skyline.

Technology company Big River Steel has agreed a deal to sponsor the space and the terrace level of the arena. The company will use its partnership with the Grizzlies to expand its reach into Memphis and the surrounding areas.

The new space has opened on the back of increased ticket demand following a successful season for the Grizzlies in 2021-22. The team won 56 games and claimed the Southwest divisional title for the first time.

Grizzlies president Jason Wexler said: “We are truly excited to enhance the fan experience through the creation of this innovative terrace level destination and our partnership with Big River Steel.

“We wanted to create a place where fans can gather to absorb the atmosphere of the game as a social experience while sharing in Big River Steel’s commitment to the local community and region. We know our fans will embrace this as a premier destination within FedEx Forum and are pleased to be able launch the Big River Steel Edge.”

Dan Brown, chief operating officer at Big River Steel Works, said: “We are thrilled to partner with the Memphis Grizzlies to highlight the innovation of Big River Steel. Through this dynamic and multi-faceted partnership, we look forward to the great work we will do together to engage with the communities we call home.”

Please welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in September 2022. Thank you for being a part of the association! Also, let us get to know you better by participating in the I Am Venue Management series. Please visit http://www.iavm.org/i-am-venue-management-share-your-story to share your story and photo.

Gabe Alamillo, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Kevin Anderson Jr, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville, TN
Alton Bell, Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Jared Berlin, Missouri State University, Shawnee, KS
Rachel Blasengame, Belmont University, Strategic Venues and Event Services, Nashville, TN
Jason Burnett, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Weill Casey, Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, FL
Veronica Casillas, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Amanda Cloyd, Kentucky Venues, Louisville, KY
Katie Cocca, Venue Management/UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
Sharon Condit, Oklahoma State Fair Park, Oklahoma City, OK
Caroline Cooper, AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas, TX
Chaz Corzine, Belmont University, Strategic Venues and Event Services, Nashville, TN
Ryan Curd, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville, TN
Michael Delay, H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, Cedar Park, TX
Megan Ebeck, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Gabriel Farrand, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Tim Fischer, Tampa Sports Authority, Tampa, FL
Menika Fowler, The Fox Theatre – Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Chris French, Tampa Sports Authority, Tampa, FL
Paul Graning, Missouri State University, Park Hills, MO
Ashley Greenfeld, Tampa Sports Authority, Tampa, FL
Diane Hager, Tacoma Venues & Events, Tacoma, WA
Jennifer Hedgepeth, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ
Veronica Hernandez, T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
Joel Hobson, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Kaitlyn Jones, Legacy Arena, Douglasville, GA
Kenneth Jones, FTX Arena, Miami, FL
Matthew Jones, Tuscaloosa Amphitheater – City of Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, AL
Greg Kaul, The BCJ Group, St Petersburg, FL
Allison Keaney, Cow Palace, Daly City, CA
Michael Kersteff, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Evelyn Lee, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Quinn Mackin, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Anthony Marino, Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Brent Mater, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Emma McKenzie, Coppell Arts Center, Coppell, TX
Maggie Miner, ASM Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
Erika Muir, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Jocelyn Murchison, Lansing Entertainment & Public Facilities Authority (LEPFA), Lansing, MI
McKenna Myers, MGM Resorts, Las Vegas, NV
Tracy Neff, Allied Universal Event Services (AUES), Fullerton, CA
Mark Neumann, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Rick Noonan, Allied Universal Event Services (AUES), Fullerton, CA
Katie Pedersen, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Carlos Perez, Allied Universal Event Services (AUES), Fullerton, CA
Shelly Richison, Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Ty Richmond, Allied Universal Event Services (AUES), Fullerton, CA
Evan Ruiz, University of Texas at El Paso – UTEP, El Paso, TX
Eli Schellinger, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ
Zachary Schloemer, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Ross Schwartz, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Tish Scoby, The Fox Theatre – Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Josh Scurlock, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Khadijah Segura, FTX Arena, Miami, FL
Kellie Senatore, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Columbia, SC
Makenna Song, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Bryn Strawbridge, Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Travis Strawbridge, Allied Universal Event Services (AUES), Fullerton, CA
April Sutton, The Fox Theatre – Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Brent Swanson, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville, TN
Jazzy Tagaloa, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Chad Thomas, Hattiesburg Convention Commission, Hattiesburg, MS
Kirsten Trossen, Tampa Sports Authority, Tampa, FL
Matt Trout, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Jalen Turpen, CSA360 Software, Carmel, IN
Joetta Velasquez Bessenhoffer, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), Seattle, WA
Camille Warren, The Fox Theatre – Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Jake Webster, T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
Samantha Weisenberger, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
Sarah West, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA
Shelly Westfall, Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex, Raleigh, NC
Dan Wilm, Edmonton Convention Centre, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Treavor Wrucke, Ceridian, Birmingham, AL
Brandon Younger, Honda Center/ocV!BE, Anaheim, CA

By R.V. Baugus

Tom Lorenz, general manager of Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, died October 1 at a local hospital. He was 65.

Lorenz had recently been diagnosed with cancer and was hospitalized due to pain issues earlier in the week before his sudden death early Saturday, according to his son, Kyle. Lorenz is survived by his wife, Teri, son Marc, his wife Erin and their children, Eva and Emmett, Kyle and his wife Brooke Stevens and daughter Amy and her wife Lindsey Wyatt.

Lorenz was instrumental in shepherding the arena into existence, from the May 2010 authorization vote through its two years of construction and its 2013 opening. He was also responsible, in large part, for the booking of shows at the arena that has, for years, been one of the top venues in the country, with attendance far eclipsing its market size.

Pinnacle Bank Arena invites the community to celebrate the life of General Tom Lorenz, on Friday, October 14, 2022, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The service will begin at 2 pm, and doors will open at 1 pm.

Leave your sadness at the door and join us as we celebrate the life of Tom Lorenz, said Charles Schilling, CVE, Director of Booking at the venue. “Tom was a beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, boss, and so much more. Tom loved to support all of his teams who were near and dear to his heart — the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks, University of Nebraska, and his alma mater Iowa State. While we are grieving Tom, we know the last thing he would want is for us to dress in black. We invite you to dress in your favorite sports team gear as a celebration of life for Tom.”

As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be made in Tom’s loving memory to:
Trinity Hope Haitian Feeding Program, https://www.trinityhope.org/
Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry, https://christlincoln.org/comfortdog/

Any flowers or gifts for the family, may be directed to Pinnacle Bank Arena, 400 Pinnacle Arena Drive, Gate 4 Marshaling Entrance, Lincoln, NE 68508.

Any cards for the family may be mailed to Pinnacle Bank Arena, ATTN: Family of Tom Lorenz, 400 Pinnacle Arena Drive, Lincoln, NE 68508.

By David Ireland

It is with mixed emotions and heartfelt appreciation that the American Airlines Center is announcing the retirement of Senior Vice President Arena Programming, Ken Kuhl, after twenty-one years at the Dallas arena and nearly forty years in the industry. His duties included oversight of all event operational matters for the venue’s major tenants (Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars), legendary special events, and the overall management of the facility.

Dave Brown, COO of American Airlines Center, said: “Ken’s contributions to the success of the American Airlines Center have been enormous and invaluable. His determination to position Dallas as a must play destination for major touring entertainment has far exceeded expectations and his facility management acumen is second to none. We cannot thank Ken enough for his leadership over the past 21 years. He will be dearly missed.”

Kuhl has been instrumental in the management of many high-profile events at the American Airlines Center including opening the venue with the Eagles (who have grossed over $21,000,00 in revenue at the AAC and have their own banner hung from the rafters), three Big 12 Basketball Championships, 2002 & 2006 NCAA Men’s Basketball, 2007 NHL All-Star Game, 1999 Stanley Cup, 2003 USFSA National Figure Skating Championships, 2017 NCAA Basketball Women’s Final Four, and the 2006 and 2011 NBA Finals in addition to the 2011 NBA Championship Celebration and Parade. In his 39 years in facility management, Kuhl has been involved with other large events such as the 1986 Super Bowl, 1987 NCAA Men’s Final Four, and the 1988 Republican National Convention. In 2007, he created and managed Big D NYE, a major New Year’s Eve celebration for the City of Dallas which acquired more than 35,000 attendees per year and brought families, friends, and loved ones together for eight years. He’s most recently been an intricate part of bringing the NCAA Women’s Final Four to Dallas in 2023, where he will remain on the management team as a consultant.

American Airlines Center has consistently been ranked as one of the top ten arenas in the world for tickets sold in live entertainment thanks to Ken’s persistence of bringing quality entertainment for the DFW metroplex. Since the opening of the American Airlines Center in 2001, Kuhl has facilitated and booked over 4,000 events that have touched over 40 million people.

Ken’s impact will continue through all of us that have had the honor to work with him. Although the industry is losing a legend, there’s comfort knowing that he has earned the right to turn in his badge and enjoy his time with his wife Becky, two daughters Brittany and Kortney, and his buddy Ruger. Congratulations Ken Kuhl on the unprecedented journey in the industry and hope your retirement brings you the joy you have brought all of us for 39 years!

David Ireland is Director of Marketing for American Airlines Center.

By Stacie Bauer

Ungerboeck, the global leader in event and venue management software, announced the appointment of Steve Mackenzie, CVE, as Chief Innovation Officer. In this newly created role, Mackenzie will advance Ungerboeck’s innovation pipeline and build on the company’s rich history of developing the world’s best and most versatile event management solutions. Mackenzie will also lead Ungerboeck’s newly launched Worldwide Innovation Lab which focuses on designing next generation event management capabilities.

Mackenzie brings decades of industry expertise to this role; he most recently served as executive vice president at Ungerboeck following its recently announced merger with EventBooking, where he served as President. Prior to this, Mackenzie has held leadership roles in event tech companies such as Oracle (Micros-Fidelio) and Aventri (etouches). Mackenzie is a Certified Venue Executive, serves as Adjunct Professor for Event Technology Management at Florida International University, and in 2022 was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award at Event Tech Live Awards and inducted to their Hall of Fame. Over the past 20+ years, Mackenzie has spoken in over 25 countries on topics related to the industry, with a focus on technology.

“We strive to make events easier, safer, and more profitable, and innovation plays a fundamental role in how we deliver that value on a global scale,” Mackenzie said. “I am thrilled to assume this new role and to formalize the launch of the Worldwide Innovation Lab as we write the next chapter of event management.”

Under Mackenzie’s stewardship, the Worldwide Innovation Lab will be Ungerboeck’s testbed for innovation to remain at the forefront of the event management industry by exploring, testing, and scaling future-ready products and technology for the event management market. Marquee venues around the globe trust Ungerboeck to deliver the world’s most reliable and advanced solutions; Mackenzie’s mandate will serve to strengthen, coordinate and accelerate this brand promise.

“At Ungerboeck, we believe the best way to lead an industry is not only to set the bar but to relentlessly raise it,” said Vic Chynoweth, interim CEO at Ungerboeck. “As venues and in-person events evolve and continue to transform digitally, our investment in innovation will open a new realm of possibilities fueling the next wave of growth. With the combination of Steve’s industry leadership position and the Ungerboeck product engine, we are in the best possible hands to push the edges of innovation and architect the future of our industry.”

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