The Global Esports Executive Summit 2021 (GEES21), coordinated by the International Esports Federation (IESF), came to a close at the Busan Esports Arena (Busan, South Korea), after two days of engaging discussion with some of the biggest names in the world’s Esports community. This year marked the Summit’s 6th year, and the 2nd year using an online/offline hybrid format.
The first day of GEES21 kicked off with a keynote speech from Vlad Marinescu, President, IESF, under the title “Bringing our Communities Together,” which recognized the world Esports’ community as the “largest and freshest community on planet Earth.” Day two of GEES21 included a brand new addition to the Summit: the World Esports Awards, with recognitions for ‘Game of the Year’, ‘Team of the Year’, ‘Athlete of the Year’ and ‘Organizer of the Year.’
Given the growth of the World Esports Family, and IESF being composed of a record 107 Member Federations, this was the biggest edition of the summit to date. From the stage, to the cameras, to the music, everything was bigger and better. Many of the innovative details that brought GEES21 to life will remain valuable additions for future GEES and IESF events. Technology advances allowed for amazing presentations and speeches that were streamed both live and pre-recorded, while panelists participated in discussions from around the world both online and offline.
There were five core areas addressed in the different conferences, each with a high-profile line-up of 38 speakers and panelists: 1) Fostering Growing Relationships; 2) The Next Level of Esports; 3) Diversity and Inclusion in Esports; 4) Integrating Esports into Education, and 5) Understanding the Esports Landscape.
Boban Totovski, General Secretary, IESF, expressed: “IESF extends our sincerest gratitude to our esteemed delegates, and we look forward to working with you all again soon. We are very proud that GEES21 provided international Esports leaders a platform to openly discuss the positive synergies in Esports, and are confident the Summit will inspire a better world for the future of the industry. We want to thank everyone who participated, from the production team to our viewers online. We can’t wait to do it again next year, welcoming delegates in real life in Busan, Korea.”
Since 2016, GEES has gathered key Esports and sports stakeholders from around the globe to create an environment for discussion, education, and action towards Esports development through conferences, exhibitions, academic lectures, and networking events. GEES21 has been supported by the Korean Ministry of Sports and Tourism, Busan Metropolitan City, and the Busan IT Promotion Agency.
IESF is the unifying body for world Esports. Founded in 2008 by nine-member nations, is currently composed of over 100 Member Federations across five continents. IESF brings together all Esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide.