Inglewood's Forum officially becomes Kia Forum under new naming-rights deal
The renaming of the venue comes after a recent naming-rights agreement between Kia and Steve Ballmer, the owner of the building.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- For decades The Forum has been an iconic landmark for the Inglewood community, experiencing many changes over time. On Monday, a press conference was held to announce the newest change, a new name - Kia Forum.
"The Kia Forum is not just another event space," said Geni Lincoln, the general manager and senior vice president of the Kia Forum. "We are Southern California's most iconic indoor venue, bringing fans and artists together to enjoy and celebrate live music and entertainment."
The renaming of the venue comes thanks to a recent naming-rights agreement between Kia and Steve Ballmer, the owner of the building.
While Kia representatives declined to give details about the agreement, like the time or cost of the term, they said they are committed to serving the community.
"We have called Southern California our home since Kia arrived in the U.S. 30 years ago and we remain deeply committed to this market, our dealers, our team members and the hundreds of thousands of Kia owners across the southland," said Russell Wager, the vice president of marketing for Kia America.
Ballmer purchased the Forum in 2020 from Madison Square Garden for $400 million, clearing the way to begin building his new Clippers arena, the Intuit Dome, just a few blocks away.
Kia representatives said they're looking to make upgrades at the Kia Forum where they see fit, starting with sustainability.
"I'm also excited to announce that we are working together to install a large bank of EV chargers that will be free for future guests during the Kia Forum events," aid Wager.
The Forum has a long history of both music and sports. Kia representatives said while they occasionally may have some sporting events, since they don't have a resident sports team, the primary focus will be entertainment.
"We primarily are music, but we also do other sporting types of events we just don't have teams that live here normally," said Lincoln. "We're going to continue to do all the different types of events we've been doing."
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