Over the last few years we have seen not only the rise of esports into the mainstream but the very blurring of the lines between esports and sports have become harder to diserne.

Previously we’ve spoken on here about releasing the potential for sponsorship in esports, but that can be easier said than done with so many variations in titles from first-person shooters (CS:GO, Fortnite, etc) to the more sports related F1 esports, FIFA and even the skillful Rocket League. It can be tough for brands to work out if and how they can become involved.

At our 18th birthday event in December we were lucky to hear from three panelists heavily involved in the industry;

• Heather Dowes, then Marketing Director at ESL UK – the world’s largest esports events company who run ESL One in Birmingham, the largest esports event in the country, and many others across the world.
• James Forster, Partnerships Manager for Fnatic – UK’s longest running and most successful esports team, based in London.
• Guillaume Vergnas, Partnerships Manager at Renault F1 and Renault F1 Esports.

In Part One of our two-part look at esports, we started off by asking how they would sell esports to someone who was not very aware of the industry, and whether anyone actually cares if esports is a sport or not. There was so much to cover in this lightening fast tour that included;

• Why fans at ESL One started chanting “DHL, DHL!”
• Renault’s integration with Team Vitality and how it works
• The issues surrounding finding sponsors for big titles that may not be ethically right
• How Fnatic successfully integrated a beef jerky brand into their storytelling … and more.

Make sure you don’t miss out on our weekly episodes of Something Quite New by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your platform of choice. It’s a podcast where we look at the latest sports tech news and interview people who are disrupting the sports industry through the use of technology.

IF YOU ARE uncertain how to approach esports or need guidance IN working out how to BECOME involved, GET IN TOUCH WITH US AT HELLO@SQN.AGENCY OR VIA OUR CONTACT PAGE.