The First Day of GEES20 Brings the Esports World Together - Virtually!

The Global Esports Executive Summit’s online/offline format ushers GEES into the future.

The first day of GEES20 had a new flavor today as the event kicked off at the brand new Busan Esports Arena in Busan, South Korea. But it wasn’t just the new venue— this year’s hybrid online/offline event also offered a new set of challenges to IESF participants as the format was adapted to the restrictions and challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. An old proverb states that "necessity is the mother of invention," and after the first day of GEES20, it became clear that many of today’s GEES20 innovations have the potential to remain valuable additions for the future of GEES and other IESF events.

As in previous years, the venue was bright and full of activity as IESF staff and production team members rushed here and there. However, while domestic delegates like K-League’s Byoungho Kang and the Korean Anti-doping Agency’s Lisa Gihl were there in the venue, this year’s hybrid online/offline format meant that most presentations and speeches were given via pre-recorded message, and panelists participated in discussions from around the world via Zoom. The lessons learned today will be valuable into the future when VIPs wish to participate in GEES but are unable to attend in person.

Questions for the Q&A periods and panels were harvested from the IESF Youtube channel, and while some of the questions were pretty tough, we are grateful to all of the viewers for making such a valuable contribution to GEES20. THANK YOU! Today’s sessions on "Esports and Traditional Esports Convergence" and "Diversity Marketing and Esports" provided meaningful discussion on two important esports issues. If you missed it, be sure to check out IESF’s Youtube channel for videos of the event in the coming days!

Tomorrow’s sessions are titled "Esports in the Time of COVID-19" and "New Frontiers in Esports Technology." Tune in to IESF’s Youtube channel for live coverage and to participate by submitting your questions, which you can ask beforehand through the website of GEES20 or in real time on YouTube, to be delivered to our GEES20 speakers.

There will be two special announcements at the beginning of GEES20 tomorrow, which will bring the Esports communities together for the betterment of Esports!

Stay tuned and see you tomorrow!

GEES

Since 2015, GEES has gathered key esports stakeholders from around the globe to create an environment for discussion, education, and action towards esports development through conferences, exhibitions, academic lectures, and networking events.

If you would like to hear more of GEES20, either live or as an online delegate, you can register for free here.

GEES20 is supported by the City of Busan and the Busan IT Promotion Agency.

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