It’s game on for the first edition of Esports BAR Miami, scheduled to take place from 18 to 20 September, 2017. Following the success of February’s Esports BAR in Cannes, the Miami event is already attracting major esports companies and global brands that are looking to enter or develop their presence in the fast-growing esports ecosystem.
Joining the list of senior brand executives heading to Esports BAR Miami are Visa LAC head of sponsorships Yuri Morales and The Coca-Cola Company’s senior entertainment marketing manager Alban Dechelotte.
Esports observers (Source: Newzoo 2017 Global Esports Market Report) are predicting that the esports economy will grow to $696 million in 2017 (+42 per cent) with brands spending $516 million ($266 million in sponsorship, $155 million in advertising and $95 million in media rights). Revenues are expected to reach $1.5 billion by 2020, mainly driven by brand investment.
“Esports is developing at a phenomenal speed. Revenues are surging, with media rights tipped to show particularly strong growth this year having started from virtually nowhere two or three years ago,” notes Esports BAR development director Stephane Gambetta.
In the face of strong demand from brands to navigate the world of esports, Esports BAR Miami will host a session focusing on brand integration. Hosted by Activision Blizzard Senior VP and MLG co-founder Mike Sepso, the session will feature a discussion with a brand partner and focus on new ways brands can get involved in professional leagues for Call of Duty and Overwatch, as well as a look back at some of the early successes and pitfalls from the early days of competitive gaming. The session will be a part of the gold-standard Industry Insight Program which takes place on 18 September, 2017 before Esports BAR Miami’s one-to-one summit meetings begin.
“We’re seeing game publishers looking to develop their franchises, advertisers learning what fans will and will not enthuse about and broadcasters entering the sector. In terms of fans, Asia Pacific represents just over 50 per cent of esports enthusiasts while North America is leading the way in terms of revenue generation. In this rapidly evolving market, Esports BAR Miami will offer delegates a unique opportunity to discuss the developments, listen to forward-thinkers and meet 1-to-1 with potential business partners,” adds Gambetta.
Esports BAR Miami is supported by an Advisory Board of industry leaders who have now been joined by EA SVP and competitive gaming general manager Todd Sitrin.
“The United States is a big growth market for competitive gaming, so it makes perfect sense to bring Esports BAR to Miami. As an interactive entertainment leader, EA must keep abreast of developments in Esports, meet new business partners and help frame discussions about where this industry is heading. Based on our experience from Cannes, we’re confident that the Esports BAR format and those that attend will help us meet our objectives.” comments Sitrin.
The EA executive has joined an Esports BAR Advisory Board that now includes France esport strategy director, webedia and president Matthieu Dallon; Rox Tigers CEO and Rox Orcas Overwatch team Sidney Kim; ESL CEO Ralf Reichert; Activision Blizzard senior VP Mike Sepso; Twitch’s esports strategy director Stuart Saw; Fnatic CEO, Arnd Benninghoff EVPand MTG, MTGx Ventures CEO Wouter Sleijffers.
Esports BAR Miami is a ‘by invitation only’ event designed to bring together some 100 leaders from esports teams, leagues and tournaments, game publishers, brands, advertising agencies and related television and online platforms. In addition to the business insight conference sessions and networking events, the heart of Esports BAR Miami is its unique one-to-one summit which guarantees delegates a full schedule of pre-selected meetings with the fellow delegates they most want to see.
Companies that have already signed up for Esports BAR Miami include Activision Blizzard, Critical Force, DreamHack, Electronic Arts, ESL, ESWC, Fnatic, France Esports, Gameloft, IBM, MEDIAPRO, MLG, MTG/MTGx Ventures, Panda Global,Rox Tigers & Rox Orcas, SK Gaming GMBH, Super Channel, Super Evil Megacorp, The Coca-Cola Company, Turtle Entertainment GMBH, Twitch, VISAand Webedia among others.
The Esports BAR Miami edition will be in partnership with Dot Esports, DTVE, Esports Insider, Hurrah, MediaTainment Finance, Newzoo, TBI and Techmutiny.
Esports BAR provides the community of esports professionals with white papers and content featuring a combination of original research, interviews with industry experts and case studies designed to inform about the trends and strategic development of the esports rapidly evolving.