Korean esports organisation Gen.G will host a collegiate esports industry conference, in collaboration with the University of Kentucky, called Campus Takeover.
The event will be held on March 30th and April 6th, bringing together esports professionals, students, and administrators from different universities. The aim of the conference is to foster growth for the esports ecosystem in the SEC and Midwest region.
The first event day will be a student-focused event live-streamed on March 30th. It will be then followed by Day 2 where the professional conference will take place at the Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building on the University of Kentucky campus. Last year, the event won the award for the Collegiate Esports Program of the Year at the 2023 Esports & Gaming Business Summit Tempest Awards.
The event will include various panels covering a range of topics, including how to maximize your time when looking for new jobs, a conversation around esports, influencers, business, and video games, a look at intersectionality in games, and more.
Over the past few years, Gen.G has expanded its presence around the collegiate esports and gaming space in the US. Earlier this month, the organisation announced its continued collaboration with McDonald’s through the programme ‘Gaming Leaders of Tomorrow’, giving students hands-on experience on how to host an event.
The University of Kentucky is one of Gen.G’s two partnered educational institutions, with the other being Eastern Michigan University.
From a commercial standpoint, Gen.G also has relationships with clothing brand PUMA, energy drink brand Monster Energy and car maker Hyundai. Gen.G recently renewed its partnership with hardware brand LG UltraGear to support its professional teams as well as the Gen.G Academy programme, further expanding its portfolio.
Martin Kim, Chief Revenue Officer at Gen.G, commented: “The University of Kentucky has been our long-term collegiate partner; their investment in this community allows us to have a small hand in making sure the future of gaming and esports is secure.
“We all want to see this industry thrive, and we hope Campus Takeover is a stepping stone for other schools to form their own ways to develop the collegiate esports ecosystem.”
