2024 Impact 50 Honoree: Becky Colwell

GENERAL MANAGER
Kia Forum
VP OF MUSIC AND EVENTS
Intuit Dome

FAVORITE MEETING SPOT: My favorite place for a business meeting is the Forum Club at Kia Forum.
FAVORITE SHOW: The next one I’m going to see.

Becky Colwell is busy — and that’s a vast understatement. Somehow, she is keeping the balls spinning and the show calendars full at, not one, but two full-size arenas: the Kia Forum and its neighbor the Intuit Dome, the soon-to-open and permanent home of the NBA Los Angeles Clippers, both located in Inglewood, California.

Colwell credits her team for managing the day-to-day at one of the most iconic venues in the country while preparing for the Aug. 15-16 opening at the thoroughly modern Intuit Dome which debuts with back-to-back Bruno Mars shows.

“Managing the traffic between the two has been essential,” said Colwell who joined the organization in 2022 from L.A.’s Greek Theater. “Having amazing teams, first and foremost. A very strong experienced team at the Forum that can keep the ship sailing — honestly with or without me – and we’ve built a really good team with Intuit Dome.”

Close in proximity (roughly a mile apart) and size — Kia Forum has a cap of 17,500 and the Intuit Dome 18,000 — the venues have different brands.

“With the new venue coming online, it’s the newest of its kind,” explained Colwell. “It’s going to be so spectacular with a new vision, high tech and it’s going to introduce a lot of new customer service perks. And then I have the Kia Forum, which is classic, around for decades, and a treasure in Los Angeles. They are completely different from one another.”

Putting a plan together to manage events at both venues included comparable pricing. “At the end of the day, it’s where the artist wants to go and making sure that they know that’s their choice,” said Colwell.

Industry stakeholders, including agents and managers, have been touring the Intuit Dome as part of an ongoing outreach and education campaign. Colwell oversees a combination booking team that handles content in both venues. “The way we are viewing it is, ‘Your choice.’ We’d love to have you at either one, as long as it’s at either,” Colwell said with a laugh. “We are putting a big emphasis on ensuring that the experience in either building – although different – is positive for the artists and ultimately for the fans.”

Selling a space that hasn’t officially opened to a risk-averse industry can be challenging.

“You’re buying a car as it’s being built,” explained Colwell. “It’s nerve-wracking, but we are trying to think ahead, what are all the possible scenarios? What are the things that people might be concerned about? And then have answers for them. It does help that we all associated with such a legendary, successful building with the Forum.”

A 25-year industry veteran, Colwell has been named a Pollstar Woman of Live and VenuesNow All Star. Prior to joining the LA Clippers, she spent seven years as GM of the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles while also serving as the regional director of booking for ASM Global’s western region. Prior to stints on the West Coast, Colwell served as director of sales for Walnut Creek Amphitheatre and GM of Koka Booth Amphitheatre in North Carolina, where she met her mentor Dolly Vogt, now ASM regional general manager.

“She was my first female boss, and she was coming up at a time in the industry when there were very few women in leadership positions,” offered Colwell. “She approached me about becoming a GM and I never thought in a million years that I had those skills. She thought I could do it. And she was right, but I don’t think I would have done it if she hadn’t pushed me.”

Colwell is equally invested in people. She researches bands to better understand their needs. She tracks social media and delves into surveys to gauge the audience’s experience. She provides training programs to develop the next generation of venue professionals. “My philosophy is that we should always be thinking about the fan,” explained Colwell. “If we put ourselves in their shoes­ how we would want to experience a show — then, we can’t go wrong.”