Above: Dr Maria Stukoff, director of the Maker Space at the University of Salford, talking at HOST
The agenda has now been confirmed for the very first HOST Esports Festival at MediaCity in Salford, UK, which will feature a day of panels and talks on the esports industry.
The event, set to take place on Friday March 11th at HOST, a Salford esports studio and training facility which opened a few months ago, is part of the wider Digital City Festival 2022 in Manchester. HOST is short for the Home of Skills & Technology.
The day will feature speakers from Blast, ESL Gaming, Leeds United FC, Gravity Media, WIGI, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Burnley FC, Epic.LAN, Esports Insider (ESI) and more.
Attendees can expect a day of panels that cover a wide variety of topics such as how UK esports can attract triple-A events, why carving out a space for women and non-binary community members is key to making esports more inclusive, the talent pipeline, as well as the benefits and opportunities esports offers to football clubs and players.
“We’re finally able to run an ESI event next to where Coronation Street is filmed – a long time personal ambition of mine.”
Sam Cooke, Esports Insider
The day will also kick off with an edition of the invite-only ESI (Esports Insider) Breakfast Club, which is presented by Gravity Media. There will also be activations and giveaways throughout the breakfast and wider day, with Jimmy’s Iced Coffee on site throughout the esports festival, plus some more surprises in-store.
The HOST Esports Festival is one of three HOST-sponsored events taking place at the Digital City Festival 2022. The events will focus on three key themes – skills, technology and innovation – all of which will be highlighted at the Cyber Summit, the India Pavilion (as part of the Digital City Expo) and its own esports festival.
Mo Isap, CEO of IN4 Group, operator of HOST, said: “We are excited to celebrate and host the esports festival in partnership with Esports Insider as part of the fantastic events happening at the Digital City Festival. The esports market is growing at a global scale and our ambition is for MediaCity to be a beacon for esports talent across the region and to provide the industry with its next generation of pro gaming talent.”
Sam Cooke, Esports Insider MD and co-founder, added: “There’s been an excellent reception to the event so far, and we’re expecting a strong turnout on the day. I’m also pleased that our first event of the year in the UK isn’t in London, but Greater Manchester. We want to ensure we recognise that UK esports isn’t London only, and in turn we want to keep producing events further afield. We’re finally able to run an ESI event next to where Coronation Street is filmed too, a long time personal ambition of mine.”
The full HOST Esports Festival Agenda (March 11th)
- 9:00-13:00 – ESI Breakfast Club presented by Gravity Media – By invitation only – message [email protected] to find out more
- 13:00-18:15 – HOST Esports Festival (sessions and networking)
- 18:15-20:00 – VIP drinks reception at HOST
- 20:00-late – After party
Session Agenda
14:00 – 14:40: How can the UK esports ecosystem create the best conditions for bringing AAA events to the nation?
- Mark Weller – Chief Gaming Officer – Vexed Gaming
- James Dean – Director UK Strategy and Commercial – ESL Gaming
- Andrew Haworth – Commissioner – Blast Premier
- Rob Black – Chief Executive Officer – Promod Esports
- Laura Byrne – Junior Account Manager – Swipe Right PR
14:45 – 15:25: Why carving out a space for women and non-binary community members is key to making esports more inclusive
- Riley Soley – Media & Marketing Executive – Esports Insider
- Anisah Munim – Product Manager – NUEL
- Joanie Kraut – CEO – WIGI
- Kendryx Linscott – Chief Marketing Officer – WIGI
- Ruby Dawn – COO – Dota Valkyries
15:30 – 16:15: Networking break & careers roundtables
16:30 – 17:10: Talent Pipeline – how to create healthy pathways into the esports industry
- Heather Dower – Founder & CEO – Hotdrop
- Nathan Edmonds – Head of Community & Marketing – Hitmarker
- Becky Wright – Senior Partnerships Manager – NSE
- Jon Winkle – Managing Director – Epic.LAN
17:15 – 18:00 – What benefits does the esports space hold for football clubs and players?
- Steve Hawthorn – Head of Digital, Data & Esports – Burnley FC
- Aaron Duckmanton – Head of Global Digital and Content Strategy – Leeds United FC
- Jonas Gundersen – COO – Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Suzie Dickinson – Head of Talent – Epic Global
Attendees can partake in networking sessions throughout the day too, with lunch included.
Attendance is free – you can register to attend the HOST Esports Festival here.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
