Esports conference ESI Digital is back with its 2021 summer edition

ESI Digital Summer 2021 will be held on September 8 and 9. The event will bring together industry experts in esports, sports and global brands to discuss and debate investment, esports ecosystems, education, and more. Gulf Business is once again a media partner for the event.

Over 400 participants, including major esports stakeholders, game developers, sport organisations, investors, and brands, will attend the two-day event, which will include over 60 speakers from the esports ecosystem, representing over 100 nations.

The fourth edition of The Clutch, a pitch investment competition that gives potential esports-focused companies the opportunity to present to a panel of investors and judges, will take place during the event.

The first day of the ESI Digital Summer will focus on commercialisation before moving on to education and community, with talks of how traditional higher education and emerging certification boards may best interact with the industry in a way that benefits people and employers. They will explore how the influencer market may help esports companies diversify their revenue streams.

The second day will offer analysis and debate on some current issues that may spark discussion when the pandemic continues to recede. There will be further talk about commercialisation later on, before the Clutch Digital returns.

Sam Cooke, managing director and co-founder at Esports Insider believes that their choice of event platform (Brella) has made a difference as well as our attentiveness and focus on a high-level production (High Viz Media) and music via Game Ready Music.

“The quality of the content is naturally vital too, and we spend a lot of time making sure we get the agendas right and have the most interesting sessions and speakers possible. Our ESI brand showcases continue to be a popular element; these are case studies of successful brand and rights holder activations in the esports space quite broadly. In the last twelve months, Pringles, Orange, DHL, Mastercard, and KitKat have all been engaged on our platform. We have also previously featured The Clutch and ESI Hall of Fame 2020, which garnered a lot of positive feedback,” he commented.

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ESI Digital Summer 2021 focuses on four key areas – commercialisation, investment, education and community, and influencer crossover.

“The Clutch, our pitch investment competition, will take place as a part of ESI Digital Summer this September. For the sole 2021 edition it’s in partnership with Level256, backed by the City of Paris, meaning the winning startup will receive a package worth €5,000.”

The previous two ESI Digitals have seen over 3,000 direct messages sent on the platform between close to 700 attendees. “This time we have more brand showcases, sessions from the likes of Apex Legends on its competitive scene, data company Grid Esports, the potential and value of academies for esports teams, a look at talent management agencies, monetisation routes and more.

This year, the event will also include digital tote bags, which will provide all participants with curated and selected free items as well as specialised discounts from partners and merchants.