2025 EsportsTravel Summit Provides Updates on Industry

The 2025 EsportsTravel Summit in Bloomington, Minnesota, provided educational programming that gave insight into the health and trajectory of the esports industry.

The event, hosted by Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism, took place at the JW Marriott at Mall of America. The opening session titled “The State of In-Person Esports Events” discussed how esports events are evolving from the professional ranks to the grassroots.

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, the panelists included Jaycee Dubyuh, founder of The Telligent Agency; Jake Utities, head of esports at Fenworks; and Matt Basta, director of DKC Esports.

Basta said the main word he would use to describe the current state of the esports industry is recalibration.

“We were at the peak of excitement during the pandemic, but then we had some esports teams that didn’t deliver what they were supposed to. So now, we are recalibrating as an industry,” Basta said. “There’s a lot of positive, forward progress in the industry. It’s a young sport that’s still becoming a business, and we have to build it carefully and strategically. The NFL was founded in 1920 and the NBA was founded in 1949. So our industry is still very young.”

Utities works predominately in the high school esports space and points out that the benefits of academic esports are the same as any after school program. Collegiate esports are experiencing a period of explosive growth, which has led to colleges and universities offering scholarships, giving students new pathways to college that they’ve never had before.

“Overwatch is just like hockey — you have your team and you have your friends, and you see the ways that students can grow through esports,” Utities said. “They’re learning things like marketing and social media. It’s not just about economic impact, but also social impact in your community when you host an esports event.”

“A lot of colleges and universities are looking at esports as not only a recruiting tool, but a retention tool on their campuses,” Basta added. “They can develop a community on campus and invite high school players to come to campus as well and get them interested in attending that college.”

Dubyuh brings esports events to many destinations and says the key to hosting a successful event is to make sure participants leave with a smile.

“You want everybody involved in your event to leave with a positive experience. These events have now become mainstream and can take us from playing in our basement to the consumer market,” Dubyuh said. “You don’t have to restrict it to a ballroom — you can have players experience a destination overall and not just be gaming the entire time. And once players enjoy your event, they put it into their budget and want to attend every year. Organizers need to think of what’s uncommon and work with a destination to put on an event that’s an outlier.”

All three panelists agreed the future of esports is in a strong position, but there’s room for improvement.

“We need to figure out a new revenue structure for esports, but the future is very bright,” Utities said.

“Organizers need to do a better job of getting out there and promoting their event. And be willing to go to different cities. But overall, the industry is growing,” Basta added.

“Esports is in a place of transition, but we’re starting to see which parts of the industry are strongest,” Dubyuh said. “There are a lot of amazing organizers in this room today, and we can approach this with a vision and structure. Playing and winning isn’t the end of the road for esports players. They learn so many lessons as they play that set them up for life.”

Education Sessions

Attendees were able to experience a variety of educational programming throughout the two days at the Mall of America. Members of the esports community and the destinations that host their events were able to give updates on the industry.

• The session “E-chat: The Latest Research in Esports-Related Travel” featured Tyler Othen, project manager at Conventions, Sports and Leisure International giving insight into what esports fans want. CSL has been surveying esports fans on their preferences and their willingness to travel for years, and this session dove into those insights.
• “Professional Case Study: Fortnite and Rocket League” provided an inside look at a wild two weeks in Fort Worth in 2024. James Woollard, director of market development and consumer revenue at Blast, was joined by Cassie Poss, interim executive director at the Fort Worth Sports Commission, to discuss two consecutive weekends that the city’s Dickies Arena hosted the Fortnite World Championships followed by the Rocket League World Championships.
• The session “E-Chat: What Your Events Can Learn from the Mayo Clinic” featured Jane Konidis, founder of the Gaming & Esports Medicine Clinic at the Mayo Clinic. Konidis discussed how the most prestigious medical organization in the world is investing in the industry to help esports organizations train their players and ensure that their health and wellness needs are met.
• The session “Case Study: Positioning Your Region to Host Multiple World Championships” included Todd Harris, CEO of Resurgens Gaming, and Timothy Ray, sports sales manager at Cobb Travel & Tourism and Cobb Sports Alliance. The duo explained how their partnership in Georgia has been beneficial for both the esports brands and the destination that hosts major events.
• The panel for “Collegiate Case Study: Midwest Battleground” included Igor Bakovic, director of sports at the DuPage Sports Commission; Joey Gawrysiak, executive director of esports at Syracuse University; and David White, project manager at LANFest. Earlier this year, the second Midwest Battleground was held in DuPage, attracting more than 40 college teams in an event that also included a high school and grassroots component. This session provided a road map of how the destination launched the event, lessons learned, challenges faced and what a destination needs to know about launching an esports event.
• The closing luncheon “Merging Esports and Traditional Sports” featured Adam Mierzejewski, head of operations at Rally Cry, talking about the Championship Tour, which saw the company activate a mobile gaming truck and travel to high-profile college football games last season. Mierzejewski discussed how a destination can think about activating esports at sporting events that are already being hosted.