Meeting Planners Need to Get Game for Esports
Skift Take
Nearly a billion people around the world will tune in to watch someone else play a video game this year. Digital events have become ingrained into the culture of millennials and Gen Z, and the sector is rapidly learning how to combine virtual entertainment with engaging real-life experiences. Event professionals need to pay attention to this evolution.
The popularity of electronic sports, or esports, may seem like a strange phenomenon at first glance.
Why do hundreds of thousands of people routinely watch live video of someone else playing a video game? Who would pay to watch people play a video game at all? How could something so absurd at first glance be anything besides a fad?
Consumer behavior has shifted in a big way for many who consume content and attend events. The entertainment and hospitality industries are taking notice, even as the esports sector remains in its infancy.
U.S. cities like San Francisco, Oakland, Las Vegas, and Washington, D.C. are looking to capitalize on the craze with venues that replicate the traditional sports arena format.
Professionals in the meetings and events sector should see a much bigger opportunity. The popularity of esports represents only the beginning of a wider acceptance of virtual events and the integration of physical events into digital content. Consumer trends always defin
