Las Vegas is becoming one of the most important esports hubs in North America, and the Future of Esports in Nevada Summit is returning this October. This time, it will be open to the public.
Exploring esports in Nevada
The Esports Integrity Coalition (ESIC) and the Nevada Esports Alliance will co-host the event. On Oct. 16, the Summit will feature six sessions to be hosted by ESIC Commissioner Ian Smith.
In an interview with Esports Insider, Smith shared insights on how the Summit arrived at its third year:
“Back in November 2016, as the Gambling Policy Committee decided to allow betting in Nevada on esports events, the Governor endorsed the ambition of Las Vegas to become the esports capital of the world.
The original point of the Nevada Summits, going back to February 2017, was to get all the relevant stakeholders talking so that everyone understood where everyone else was coming from, what their agendas were and, most importantly, how they might work together to accelerate the growth of esports in Nevada to everyone’s benefit.”
Planning for the Summit
In February, a press conference revealed the first look at this year’s topics. Beforehand, key esports stakeholders and officials from the area met to discuss strategy, policy, and action initiatives.
This time around, instead of having a discussion behind closed doors, the event will be open to the public. The decision was made, in part, so more eclectic perspectives could be considered and expressed.
“The speakers and delegates come from within and from outside the Nevada esports circle, so what will be discussed will have application across the esports ecosystem in North America,” Smith said in his Esports Insider interview. “I have no doubt everyone who attends will get something useful out of it.”
The agenda
The event will take place at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV.
Katie Simmonds, the director of governance and financial Integrity at ICSS Insight, will give a keynote address focused on what traditional sports can learn from esports and vice versa.
A session on professional esports teams’ relationship with the state of Nevada will follow the keynote. A similar session – seeking to answer what game publishers want from Nevada – will come next. Millennial Esports CEO Alex Igelman will join this discussion. Igelman is a gaming lawyer and consultant with more than 25 years of experience in the gaming sector.
Next, Ronn Nicolli of Wynn Nightlife will talk about what esports can learn from the nightclub industry. Afterward, participants can see Allied Esports CEO Jud Hannigan speak on the landscape of esports venues.
Chris Grove of Eilers & Krejcik Gaming will conclude the event with a talk on how analytics and insights can transform into actionable steps for the industry.
Those interested in the event can find more information and get tickets here.
