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420 minsStop by the Registration Center to obtain your EsportsTravel Summit badge, which you will need for all on-site and off-site functions at the EsportsTravel Summit. Please plan to collect your badge before the Opening Celebration.
Sponsored by: Drink Station Sponsored by: Arrivals Lounge Sponsored by:
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North Carolina State University210 mins
Come in early to the EsportsTravel Summit and see firsthand what makes Raleigh such a dynamic esports destination. Attendees will be able to tour the esports program at North Carolina State University. Tours will depart the Raleigh Convention Center and will return in time for the Event Organizer Reverse Marketplace.
Space is limited and will require an RSVP through the registration system.
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60 mins
During this fast-paced reverse trade show, meet with esports event organizers to fill available slots on your appointment schedule or discuss other times to meet during the EsportsTravel Summit. The marketplace is designed for quick check-ins so make sure you are not depriving others of their time to meet with event organizers, who will be stationed at designated tables.
The Event Organizer Reverse Marketplace is open only to event organizers, sponsors and suppliers with marketplace tables.
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30 minsShuttles to the Opening Celebration will load and depart from the Raleigh Convention Center at 6:30 p.m. and will continue on a loop.
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The Pit Authentic Barbecue120 mins
We’ll take the EsportsTravel Summit to the street at our Opening Celebration where you can experience some of the best food and entertainment that Raleigh has to offer. We’ll close off part of downtown’s Warehouse District where you can enjoy some of North Carolina’s legendary barbecue at a true institution, The Pit, which proudly continues the tradition with authentic whole-hog, pit-cooked barbecue. After that, stroll next door to the BoxCar Bar and Arcade where you can get in the true gaming spirit with some spirits and high-spirited competition. And when you’re done, head across the street to Videri Chocolate Factory, where some of the nation’s best hand-crafted, artisan chocolate is made on site. It will be an opening feast for the senses!
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90 minsShuttles from the Opening Celebration will return to the Raleigh Convention Center starting at 8:00 p.m. and will continue on a loop until 9:30 p.m.
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615 minsStop by the Registration Center to obtain your EsportsTravel Summit badge, which you will need for all on-site and off-site functions at the EsportsTravel Summit.
Sponsored by:
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Breakfast60 mins
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15 minsKick off the EsportsTravel Summit with a welcome from Jason Gewirtz, the vice president of Northstar’s Sports Division, and dignitaries from Raleigh.
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45 mins
From the professional ranks to the grassroots, esports events are still evolving. Economic pressures have posed recent challenges for parts of the esports events industry but also provided new opportunities, as growth remains steady at the collegiate and amateur levels. In this opening discussion, hear from experts across the industry on how they view the in-person events landscape, the challenges and opportunities ahead for event organizers and destinations wanting to host events, and what the future holds for an industry that remains filled with potential.
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30 mins
In this rapid-fire session, hear firsthand from several esports event organizers on events for which they are seeking hosts, what direction their organizations are taking in the immediate future and what their vision of in-person events looks like in the years to come.
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Networking Break15 mins
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75 minsThe marketplace is open only to industry suppliers with marketplace tables and event organizers.
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Networking Break15 mins
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60 mins
Raleigh is a hotbed for esports and that’s not by accident. Leaders in Raleigh have not only organized their community locally, they’ve helped mobilize a regional and statewide model that other areas will look to replicate. And they’ve done it while hosting in-person esports events of all shapes and sizes. In this session, hear from the key people involved in growing an esports strategy in the destination, lessons they’ve learned that could apply to your destination, and best practices from a recent collegiate esports event in the destination that underscores Raleigh’s esports strategy.
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Networking Break15 mins
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135 minsFor the first time, the EsportsTravel Summit will offer two tracks of afternoon programming, one designed for esports event organizers, and another designed for destinations, venues and industry suppliers. Topics for event organizers will include background on how destination marketing organizations are funded and how to work with them to enhance your events, a workshop to enhance your collaboration techniques, and best practices from event organizers who have formed long-term relationships with cities and venues. For destinations, venues and industry suppliers, sessions will focus on statewide strategies to attract esports events as economic development, how to work with your local university esports programs, and a session to get your AV and staging questions answered when it comes to in-person esports events. More information to come.
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Networking Break15 mins
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60 minsThe marketplace is open only to industry suppliers with marketplace tables and event organizers.
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60 mins
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Open Evening165 minsEnjoy the restaurants and nightlife of Raleigh on our open evening.
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Club 402, Raleigh Convention Center120 mins
After an open evening to explore everything that Raleigh has to offer, continue your experience at the EsportsTravel Summit during our Late-Night Lounge. Network with your fellow attendees, meet people you haven't yet met and make the most of this open networking opportunity.
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315 mins
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Breakfast60 mins
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45 mins
Several destinations have launched into esports by creating their own events or working with partners to bring creative events into their destinations. And they’ve done so by thinking in innovative fashion. In this session, hear directly from two areas — DuPage County, Illinois, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina — to learn how their events were created and launched, how they have worked with event organizers and how their destination marketing organizations have enhanced the experience for attendees and participants.
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120 minsThe marketplace is open only to industry suppliers with marketplace tables and event organizers.
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90 mins
In our closing session, receive a warm welcome to Bloomington, Minnesota, host of the 2025 EsportsTravel Summit! And be on hand as we reveal even more future host cities of the Summit.
After that, settle in for our final forward-looking discussion on the metaverse and travel. Consumers are spending record time with gaming metaverse environments. These virtual destinations are home to over 70 million daily players worldwide. Learn how major travel brands such as Carnival, Marriott and Hilton — among others — are using these environments to educate, attract and deliver new generations of customers through unique marketing tactics.
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