The Global Esports Executive Summit 21 (GEES 21) will be organized by the International Esports Federation (IESF) and will showcase a stellar lineup that will be discussing everything important in esports today as well as future trends.
Information about the GEES
Hosted annually by IESF since 2016, GEES welcomes attendees from the 104 member federations as well as hosting esports industry leaders, government officials, key decision-makers, and academic experts from all over the world. By gathering key esports and sports stakeholders from around the globe, GEES seeks to create an environment for discussion, education, and action towards esports development. Networking is one of the cornerstones of the event, with attendees participating in interactive and engaging experiences. Some of these experiences include conferences, exhibitions, academic lectures, and networking events.
What to expect from GEES 21
GEES 21 will be taking place live and in-person on August 31st and September 1st at the Busan Esports Area in Busan, South Korea. Supported by the Korean Ministry of Sports and Tourism, Busan Metropolitan City, and the Busan IT Promotion Agency, the event will be hybrid – it will take place online and will be streamed live around the world. This year, five core areas have been identified for the event, with influential speakers that include athletes and high-level executives from esports and traditional sports presenting the theme of “Evolving and Adapting”. The five core areas will be:
- Fostering growing relationships: how to bring communities together as well as encouraging crossovers between esports and traditional sports
- The next level of esports: leveraging the advantages esports have and understanding how COVID-19 has changed the industry.
- Diversity and inclusion in esports: empowering women in esports while expanding market and brand partners.
- Integrating esports into education: looking at esports research and talking about good practices in educational esports programs.
- Understanding the esports technological landscape: what new technologies are being used in esports, and how far can the industry grow with them.
Apart from the opening and closing speeches, a special session will be dedicated on the first day to the importance of esports associations and federations.
“We are looking forward to the largest edition of the Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES21) this year. The summit provides a platform for international Esports and sports leaders and stakeholders from IESF’s 104 member federations to openly discuss the positive synergies between traditional sports and Esports. This year’s theme of ‘Evolving and Adapting’ resonates across the entire sports industry given the changes we’ve all had to make throughout the pandemic.”
Boban Totovski, IESF Secretary-General
In addition to the keynote speeches and panel discussions, this year’s event will include a brand new addition: the World Esports Awards. This new inclusion will present on the second day of the event awards for categories like Game of the Year, Team of the Year, Athlete of the Year, and Organizer of the Year. The inaugural awards will highlight and celebrate the best international esports have to offer.
Editor’s Note: Our very own Saygın Kolaşinli will be leading the Day 2 panel discussion on Good Practices in Educational Esports Programs for this event, so be sure to check it out.
