This Thursday, 26th October 2017 will mark the grand finale for the Esports Insider Forum Series for this year.
Don’t worry, they’ll be back next year, bigger and better with another batch of relevant topics as the esports industry continues to develop at alarming pace.
It’s an absolute howitzer to end on, too. Whilst previous Forums have covered: football clubs entering esports; the opportunities at the intersection of gambling and esports as well as merchandise and apparel, the final #ESIForum of the year will focus on sponsorship more broadly.
Sam Cooke, Editor at Esports Insider, said: “We couldn’t have hoped for a better turnout or reception for our initial ESI Forum Series in London. We’d like to thank all of our partners for being involved and making them the place to be in UK esports each month, as well as the Fnatic team for being excellent hosts time and again.
“We’ve a number of plans to step it up a gear with the Forum series next year and we look forward to revealing these soon. First off though, we’ll be making sure the final event of 2017 goes off with a bang. It’s set to be a top evening, and we’re particularly pleased to be supporting Movember as the charity looks to make some moves in the esports space.”
It’s no secret that the esports industry is growing fast, and naturally with growth comes opportunity. With initiatives such as the franchising of the North American League of Legends Championship Series and the Overwatch League attracting millions of dollars from the “outside world”, there’s clearly movement and money flooding into the space.
Cast back a few years ago and sponsorships were limited completely to endemic brands. Now there’s non-endemic activations aplenty, including JACK & JONES sponsoring Astralis, Pringles and Mercedez-Benz getting involved with ESL One Hamburg and Deezer partnering with Fnatic, to name just a few. Then again, who would have thought last year that HyperX would be named the official headset partner of a NBA team in the Philadelphia 76ers?
With big-hitting data companies such as Nielsen launching into esports as well, the opportunity will continue to exist and arguably grow. But what’s the right way to do it, and what are the benefits?
As always, ESI has readied a panel of experts to dissect an extremely relevant issue on Thursday evening. The panel will be moderated by Joe Hills, Founder of LFG and host of the Esports Roundtable who will welcome:
- Róisín O’Shea, Head of Partnerships, Fnatic;
- Duncan McMonagle; SVP Strategy & Partnerships, DBLTAP (Minute Media);
- Shane Herrington; Brand Marketing Manager EMEA, HyperX.
Esports Insider is delighted to welcome Movember Foundation who we’ve selected as our the charity partner for the final Forum of the year. The biggest men’s health focused charity in the world is making moves in esports, and they’ll be on hand on Thursday to explain their plans in the space.
After the formalities are done and dusted, the chairs shall be whisked away and Rocket League projected onto the screen where attendees have the chance to be crowned the best duo of the ESI Forum and win the final tournament of the year. Prizes have thus far included a signed Tottenham Hotspur shirt, a signed Manchester United shirt, a copy of Pro Evolution Soccer and plenty of FNATIC swag.
As always, those at the Bunkr will be treated to some of London’s finest pizza from Homeslice and plenty of beer and wine to keep the conversation flowing throughout the evening. Tickets are selling fast, but there’s still limited availability here, where tickets can be snagged for as little as £15 (excl VAT).
Keep an eye out for future plans for the ESI Forum. It might be done for 2017, but rest assured there are grand plans for the next twelve months.
Secure your place at the final #ESIForum of 2017 here
Thursday 26th October (6-10:30pm), Fnatc Bunkr, London