Fnatic’s east London Bunkr will once again bring together an amalgamation of the finest minds in esports this Thursday for the third edition of the Esports Insider Forum. This month, the topic will focus around the merchandising and apparel opportunity within the burgeoning esports industry.
When watching esports, be it live at an event or via a stream it’s not unusual to see the crowd decked out in their favourite teams’ garments. Be it FaZe Clan, Cloud9, Fnatic of Team Liquid; there’s a plethora of different jerseys on display as fans flock in their thousands to cheer on their team and players of choice.
The opportunity in this space, from jerseys to streetwear and beyond, is considerable and it’s a market that holds huge potential for players and brands inside and currently outside the space.
Thus far the ESI Forum has welcomed an array of experts to sit on panels dissecting why football clubs are entering esports and most recently the opportunities and challenges presented to the gambling industry when it comes to esports. ESI has welcomed the likes of Fnatic CEO Wouter Sleijffers, Sky Sports commentator Gary Taphouse as well as Head of Esports at Sportradar James Watson, CEO of Blinkpool Suraj Gosai and Digital Fuel CEO Toby Oddy.
To get a better idea of how these Forum events go, you can watch the below video of the August edition, courtesy of ESL UK’s Luke Baker:
This month, the ESI team has put together another exceptional panel to discuss all things esports, merchandise and apparel. Adam Whyte, Head of Esports at the GOAT Agency will moderate a panel featuring:
- Benoit Pagotto, Marketing Director, Fnatic;
- Toby Evans, Founder and Creative Director, Superimpose Studio;
- Kieran Holmes-Darby, Co-Founder, exceL esports;
- Sam Wells, Founder, Raven.
Sam Wells, Founder of Raven, commented: “Raven has been one of the key players in the esports apparel design and production market since 2013, being one of the first companies in the UK to specialise in esports team-wear. As part of the panel, I hope to provide a unique insight into the processes behind both design and manufacturing as well as experiences of working with individuals, teams and companies of different sizes and stature across the globe.”
He continued: “I have seen first-hand how esports has changed over the past 4 years, yet esports apparel still remains an essential part of forming a team’s brand identity. As the industry continues to develop, so will the apparel and therefore it is important that Raven continues to provide innovation in all departments, from the customer experience to the physical products that we offer, in order to create a sustainable market.”
Once the formalities are done and dusted, the chairs will be whisked away and everyone’s favourite pizza will be served and the bar service will resume as we encourage attendees to try their hand at Street Fighter V to compete for a great prize provided by Fnatic.
There’ll be ample opportunity to network amongst similar minded peers and forge valuable business partnerships for the future. Whether it’s putting faces to familiar names or meeting new people, the Esports Insider Forum remains the best place to network with like-minded esports professionals in London.
There’s still time to grab your ticket for the event, priced at just £15. You can get your ticket here
Any questions reach out to [email protected]
