April 07, 2022
ESPORTS INDUSTRY GATHERS FOR INAUGURAL ESIC GLOBAL ESPORTS SUMMIT IN LONDON NEXT WEEK
OVERVIEW:
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) in collaboration with key stakeholders from the global esports industry, is launching the inaugural ESIC Global Esports Summit (EGES) 2022.
The conference was established by ESIC to become the meeting place and knowledge share hub for the global esports industry. The event is taking place at the ExCeL, London over 2 days on the 13-14 of April 2022, bringing together peers from across the esports industry.
EVENT STRUCTURE
The EGES will feature subject matter expert speakers delivering specialised insights across two content streams, as well as host a collection of closed-door industry meetings designed to achieve tangible progress towards several key challenges to integrity in esports.
Day 1 of the EGES will begin with an invitation only ESIC Masterclass on Crime, Fraud and Esports. Featuring guests from law enforcement, governmental bodies and ESIC Anti-Corruption Supporters, the masterclass will delve into the successes and challenges the industry has experienced, particularly in the wake of COVID-19.
Day 2 is EGES’ main conference day, featuring two specialised content streams: Main Stage keynote sessions and the EGES Think Tank, where dialogue between experts across the industry aims to foster new insights. The day will also include many closed door meetings to channel the event’s collaboration into future action.
Publisher Riot Games and tournament organisers ESL, BLAST and FACEIT bring their expertise as central entities in esports’ competitive structure. Fnatic and Entropiq offer insight into commercialisation and operating teams in the context of competitive integrity.
PandaScore addresses data integrity and combatting match-fixing from the data supplier perspective. Prominent investors, agencies, non-endemic organisations and media outlets will also provide their knowledge and expertise on regarding the many business and economic facets that plug into the competitive space.
KEY SPEAKERS ON THE MAIN STAGE
The EGES will be a landmark esports industry event, giving attendees an opportunity to hear from the industry’s top thought leaders. The Main Stage will be the centrepiece of the conference with over 15 high profile esports thought leaders from around the world coming together to present meaningful keynote presentations on critical esports topics, sharing the depth of their background and personal experiences.
A must-see session on the agenda is that of Michał Blicharz, the VP Pro Gaming at ESL. He will be recounting his experiences in managing and developing the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) tournament, the world’s oldest and most prestigious pro gaming tour, watched by 55 million people across 180 countries each year.
Michał will be sharing his personal journey with IEM and how it survived the COVID-19 pandemic in the session ‘Katowice: The Making of an Event’.
Commenting on what you can look forward to at his session, Michał said:
“In 2013 the prospect of a stadium event hardly looked like a guaranteed slam dunk. Today, you could say that the history of ESL is divided into two distinct eras: what came before Intel Extreme Masters Katowice and what came after. Join me at the ESIC Global Esports Summit as I talk about the lessons we’ve learned between founding the event, transitioning the main tournament from League of Legends to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and navigating it through the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Another notable speaker presenting to EGES attendees will be David Harris, the Managing Director of Guinevere Capital. David will be sharing his personal experiences on the Main Stage with his session on ‘Investing in Esports’.
Speaking on his session and attendance at the conference, David commented:
“After 2 years of disruption with the pandemic, I’m really looking forward to joining an in-person event focused on the esports sector. There will be much to discuss with investment and consolidation in the esports and gaming sector reaching new heights over recent months, along with the increased focus on the metaverse and web 3.0. It’s an exciting time for the industry with both new challenges and opportunities arriving”.
For more information about the Main Stage content at the EGES, visit:
KEY SPEAKERS ON THE THINK TANK
The EGES will also feature a highly insightful ESIC Think Tank content track. The ESIC Think Tank is a debate style panel session where subject matter experts discuss a topical issue relevant to their area of expertise, aiming to progress the industry’s understanding of the issue. One of these topics includes ‘Tournaments in a Post COVID-19 World’, where leading esports tournament operators discuss how COVID-19 has affected their tournaments as well as exploring the ongoing ramifications of the pandemic on the future of esports.
The all-star cast joining this Think Tank discussion include: Michele Attisani, Co-Founder and CEO of FACEIT, James Dean, Director UK Strategy at ESL Gaming and Andrew Haworth, Commissioner of BLAST Premier.
Andrew Haworth shared his thoughts about what attendees can look forward to at the conference:
‘Firstly I’m excited to be getting back to in-person conferences and being able to hear from colleagues across the industry on the challenges, success stories and learnings from the Covid era. Secondly I’m looking forward to sharing our experiences of delivering a range of tournaments during that era, what we’ll take from this going forward and what mistakes we’ve made and hopefully what we learnt from those mistakes.’
The Think Tank will also bring other interesting topics to the EGES such as the ‘Trends in Commercialising Esports: A Team’s Perspective’ session. In this session, top esports teams such as Fnatic discuss the importance of developing strong brands to create sustainable businesses. Edward Gregory, Senior Partnership Manager at Fnatic will share how he authentically connects brands to fans, through innovative content and activations to leave a lasting impression. Edward adds:
“I am incredibly excited to be speaking at the ESIC Global Esports Summit this year, the work they are doing in the space to bring legitimacy to all aspects of the industry is brilliant. Having worked in traditional sports as well as esports I look forward to sharing some of the insights I have gained as well as showcase the significant positive trajectory the industry is on, leaning on experiences I have gained from our industry leading partnership at Fnatic”
For more information about the Think Tank content at the EGES, visit:
https://www.eges.gg/think-tank
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