As part of its esports initiative, Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, will participate in the London Games Festival, an annual global reaching gaming and entertainment festival that attracts more than 50,000 festivalgoers and thought leaders from across the globe over the span of 15 days. In partnership with the Games Festival, Events DC, along with its partner, NRG Esports will transform the iconic Trafalgar Square in the heartbeat of London with vibrant Washington, DC branding to create an interactive gaming hub for a Rocket League Tournament.
“As the capital of inclusive innovation, we are excited to have Events DC represent Washington, DC’s creative spirit on a global stage. The London Games Festival offers another avenue for us to showcase the vibrant energy in DC that will attract visitors to our communities and ultimately create job opportunities for our residents,” said Washington, DC Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, Brian Kenner.
“Events DC is proud to support the future of esports in Washington, DC. Thanks to DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s foresight, it is our goal as a city, to remain at the forefront of this rapidly growing gaming industry,” said Max Brown, Chairman, Board of Directors at Events DC. “Esports is the next frontier – and it is opportunities like this with the London Games Festival, that allow us to position DC on a global stage to attract new and exciting industries, events and visitors to our city. Our partnership with the London Games Festival represents just another opportunity to showcase our vibrant creative economy and world-class city to a global audience.”
Touted as the main event, the Events DC presented Rocket League Tournament will invite festivalgoers with the opportunity to play against two prominent professional players, from NRG Esports, “Fireburner” and “GarrettG.” The Showcase can be viewed live from leading gaming platform, Twitch. Additional interactive activities within Trafalgar Square will include retro arcade games and augmented and virtual reality experiences. Approximately 10,000 festivalgoers are expected to attend throughout the day.
“As cities compete to get tourists and visitors, our city’s esports initiative will help to position Washington, DC with a pathway to attract not only new events – but the opportunity to generate heightened tourism and economic activity. It is innovative collaborations with our partner NRG Esports and the London Games Festival that make DC a future destination for esports,“ said Greg O’Dell, president and chief executive officer of Events DC. “Through the opening of the new Entertainment and Sports Arena in Congress Heights, and our recent announcement with NRG of DC’s first Overwatch Team House, we are ready to help drive and propel an esports ecosystem in the District.”
Events DC will also participate in the London ames Festival HUB, panels and keynote remarks full of gaming and entertainment leaders from across the globe. Events DC’s president and chief executive officer Greg O’Dell will participate in a panel entitled, “Global Opportunities in Esports,” where experts will share their vision for what’s to come for competitive gaming and the role world capital cities, like DC, can play.
Michael French, Head of Games, Games London, said: “London is one of the games capitals of the world – and we’re delighted to have the support of Washington D.C.’s Events DC, who share our vision for building global centres of excellence for interactive entertainment. We’re doubly pleased that they’ve teamed up with us on the London Games Festival’s Play With A Pro competition at Trafalgar Square, where NRG Rocket League pros will take on Londoners in challenges and championships. We’re all on a mission to make games more accessible and change perceptions around the fun and power of interactive entertainment and esports, and the Games London and Events DC partnership is another step to making that happen.”
“We’re thrilled to have NRG Rocket League represent Events DC at the London Games festival. It is so important to our organization to continue to bridge the international gap in gaming and esports,” said Brett Lautenbach, CEO, NRG Esports
The London Games Festival will run from April 5 to April 15 and is funded by the Mayor of London. The Festival is delivered and organized by Games London which is a joint initiative between Film London (screen agency for London) and Ukie (national trade body for the video games and interactive sector). In addition, the Mayor of London recently announced on that the Games London project would be renewed for another three years with a funding commitment of £1.2m to continue to grow the games sector and generate revenue for London and the UK
