The EsportsTravel Summit is the world’s largest gathering of esports tournament and video-game event organizers and the only event focused on the travel side of the esports industry. Presented by SportsTravel and hosted by Destination Toronto, the 2023 EsportsTravel Summit was held July 12–14, 2023, in Toronto.

One of the major programming sessions at the event was on grassroots esports. Recognizing the important work being done at the grassroots may be even more crucial to a destination’s success in building an esports ecosystem of its own. In this session, attendees were able to hear the experiences and advice from a panel of experts that included KatieBriggs, president at LanFest; MelissaBurns, founder and chair of Esports Canada and GeraldSolomon, executive director of the NASEF. 

2:15: What is the big-picture state of grassroots esports?

5:45: The differences between grassroots esports and the other disciplines of the industry

9:25: The value that grassroots esports brings to destinations around North America

14:50: Esports parents and the role they have with encouraging grassroots esports involvement

21:32: Sustainability in grassroots esports and having educational facilities encourage its involvement

27:37: The authenticity of grassroots esports and keeping that feel to encourage attendance and family involvement

32:57: How grassroots esports can serve as a model for the rest of the industry on various levels

The EsportsTravel Summit is the world’s largest gathering of esports tournament and video-game event organizers and the only event focused on the travel side of the esports industry. Presented by SportsTravel and hosted by Destination Toronto, the 2023 EsportsTravel Summit was held July 12–14, 2023, in Toronto.
One of the major programming sessions at the event was on grassroots esports. Recognizing the important work being done at the grassroots may be even more crucial to a destination’s success in building an esports ecosystem of its own. In this session, attendees were able to hear the experiences and advice from a panel of experts that included Katie Briggs, president at LanFest; Melissa Burns, founder and chair of Esports Canada and Gerald Solomon, executive director of the NASEF. 
2:15: What is the big-picture state of grassroots esports?
5:45: The differences between grassroots esports and the other disciplines of the industry
9:25: The value that grassroots esports brings to destinations around North America
14:50: Esports parents and the role they have with encouraging grassroots esports involvement
21:32: Sustainability in grassroots esports and having educational facilities encourage its involvement
27:37: The authenticity of grassroots esports and keeping that feel to encourage attendance and family involvement
32:57: How grassroots esports can serve as a model for the rest of the industry on various levels

In-depth discussions with leaders in the sports-event industry.

SportsTravel Podcast

EsportsTravel Summit: Why Grassroots Esports Efforts Are Essential

After serving as chief executive officer of USA Weightlifting for nearly 10 years, Phil Andrews was appointed USA Fencing CEO in August 2022 to oversee the national governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of fencing in the United States. This past summer, USA Fencing won four medals overall at the Olympic Summer Games in Paris, including its first ever team Olympic gold in women’s foil and Lee Kiefer repeating as women’s foil gold medalist in an all-American gold medal match against Lauren Scruggs. With the LA28 Games four years away, it’s a big time in the U.S. Olympic sports movement and Phil discusses what USA Fencing has planned to capitalize on its Paris success, how it puts together an events calendar and what it looks for in partners and much more.

After serving as chief executive officer of USA Weightlifting for nearly 10 years, Phil Andrews was appointed USA Fencing CEO in August 2022 to oversee the national governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of fencing in the United States. This past summer, USA Fencing won four medals overall at the Olympic Summer Games in Paris, including its first ever team Olympic gold in women’s foil and Lee Kiefer repeating as women’s foil gold medalist in an all-American gold medal match against Lauren Scruggs. With the LA28 Games four years away, it’s a big time in the U.S. Olympic sports movement and Phil discusses what USA Fencing has planned to capitalize on its Paris success, how it puts together an events calendar and what it looks for in partners and much more.

Phil Andrews: USA Fencing’s Post-Paris Plans

The NCAA is in a transformative era and that includes its championship landscape. Acrobatics and tumbling, equestrian, rugby, stunt, triathlon and women's wrestling are working their way through the NCAA’s Emerging Sports for Women program with the hopes of gaining enough university participation to become NCAA championships — with some on the cusp of joining the ranks. In this recording from the TEAMS Conference & Expo held recently in Anaheim, the leaders of these efforts discuss where they are in the process and what destinations can do now to help build out other events leading up to a championship, including camps, clinics and combines.

The NCAA is in a transformative era and that includes its championship landscape. Acrobatics and tumbling, equestrian, rugby, stunt, triathlon and women's wrestling are working their way through the NCAA’s Emerging Sports for Women program with the hopes of gaining enough university participation to become NCAA championships — with some on the cusp of joining the ranks. In this recording from the TEAMS Conference &amp; Expo held recently in Anaheim, the leaders of these efforts discuss where they are in the process and what destinations can do now to help build out other events leading up to a championship, including camps, clinics and combines.

The Emerging NCAA Championships

As president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, Geoff Freeman is the leading advocate for the more than $1 trillion U.S. travel and hospitality industry. In this role, he is charged with positioning the industry to seize emerging opportunities and further establishing travel as a vital economic force in the United States. Before taking over at U.S. Travel, Freeman was president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, the trade association for America’s $2.1 trillion food, beverage and consumer products industry. And before that, he served five years as president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. So his background in lobbying for interests of various industries is substantial, including, of course, the travel industry. He’s also a father of three who has made the circuit of amateur sports travel, so he knows what he speaks when he discusses the sports-related travel market.

Now, with some of the world’s most high-profile events headed to the United States over the next decade, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in Los Angeles, the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup, 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup and 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Utah, the time has arrived where these mega events may lead to policy changes. Chief among those is the issue of visa wait times, which can be hundreds of days for people wanting to enter the United States from certain countries, including several expected to compete less than two years from now in the World Cup. For some of those fans, unless something changes, it may already be too late to get to those matches in 2026. These are important issues, especially for destinations that are investing millions of dollars in hosting matches with the expectation that they will lead to foreign visitation.

These are some of the themes we’ll be discussing with Freeman on stage at the TEAMS Conference and Expo, September 23­–26, in Anaheim, California. But in this episode, we introduce the discussion with Freeman and talk about ways destinations of all sizes can better advocate and lobby for the important work they do day in and day out.

As president and CEO of the <a href="https://www.ustravel.org/">U.S. Travel Association</a>, Geoff Freeman is the leading advocate for the more than $1 trillion U.S. travel and hospitality industry. In this role, he is charged with positioning the industry to seize emerging opportunities and further establishing travel as a vital economic force in the United States. Before taking over at U.S. Travel, Freeman was president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, the trade association for America’s $2.1 trillion food, beverage and consumer products industry. And before that, he served five years as president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. So his background in lobbying for interests of various industries is substantial, including, of course, the travel industry. He’s also a father of three who has made the circuit of amateur sports travel, so he knows what he speaks when he discusses the sports-related travel market.
Now, with some of the world’s most high-profile events headed to the United States over the next decade, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in Los Angeles, the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup, 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup and 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Utah, the time has arrived where these mega events may lead to policy changes. Chief among those is the issue of visa wait times, which can be hundreds of days for people wanting to enter the United States from certain countries, including several expected to compete less than two years from now in the World Cup. For some of those fans, unless something changes, it may already be too late to get to those matches in 2026. These are important issues, especially for destinations that are investing millions of dollars in hosting matches with the expectation that they will lead to foreign visitation.
These are some of the themes we’ll be discussing with Freeman on stage at the <a href="https://www.ustravel.org/">TEAMS Conference and Expo</a>, September 23­–26, in Anaheim, California. But in this episode, we introduce the discussion with Freeman and talk about ways destinations of all sizes can better advocate and lobby for the important work they do day in and day out.

EsportsTravel Summit: Why Grassroots Esports Efforts Are Essential

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