Where Esports Business Meets Innovation
Welcome to EsportsNext powered by GameSquare.
You’re here because you’re not just watching this industry grow — you’re building it.
Over the next two days at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, you’ll be in the room with the people shaping the future of esports business. April 29 and 30 bring two full days of learning, networking, and connecting — sharp sessions, real conversations, and the relationships that move this industry forward. We’ll celebrate the people setting the standard at the ESTA Esports Industry Awards, and cap it off with receptions designed to keep the momentum going long after the last session ends.
Then May 1–3, it’s game day. Your ticket gets you into BLAST Premiere Rivals — one of the world’s premier CS2 tournaments — right here in Fort Worth.
Come ready to learn, challenge, and connect. The sessions are sharp, the speakers are the real deal, and the conversations that happen in the hallways matter just as much as the ones on stage.
This is your moment to Rival the Best. Rule the Best.
Let’s make it count.
Megan Van Petten
Managing Director, Esports Trade Association
Sponsors
Schedule
Coffee Connections & Breakfast
Kickstart your EsportsNext experience with Coffee Connections! Join us for a fresh cup of coffee and delicious breakfast bites. It’s the perfect opportunity to make new connections and energize your morning before we dive into a day packed with insightful sessions and engaging discussions. Don’t miss the chance to network with industry leaders and peers in an informal, welcoming setting. Let’s brew success together!
Guard The Game, Grow The Scene: Navigating Competition, Community, and Control in Esports
The music industry learned hard lessons during the Napster era about controlling IP while fostering fan communities. Film studios navigated the transition from theatrical releases to streaming platforms. Esports is next — and the decisions being made right now will determine whether the scene gets it right.
This fireside examines the critical inflection points that define whether a competitive ecosystem thrives or fractures: when to intervene in competitive balance, how to structure revenue sharing between publishers and organizers, and how to maintain game integrity without shutting out the grassroots energy that built the scene in the first place.
The Regionalization of Esports: Why Local Markets Will Define the Next Decade
The entertainment industry’s playbook is clear: Nashville built country music, Atlanta dominated hip-hop, and Austin became the live music capital. Now esports faces its own geographic inflection point. While early investment concentrated in Los Angeles, New York, and Texas, the next wave of growth is emerging from unexpected markets building authentic local ecosystems.
This panel examines how cities are leveraging unique advantages—from lower operating costs and university partnerships to regional corporate sponsors and purpose-built venues—to challenge traditional esports hubs. We’ll explore successful case studies from markets like Atlanta’s content creator economy, Seattle’s tech integration, and Columbus’s collegiate pipeline, while examining the economic development strategies that work. Drawing lessons from film incentives, music scenes, and tech hub development, speakers will outline the infrastructure, policy, and community elements needed to build sustainable regional esports markets.
Networking Break
Join us for a fresh cup of coffee. It’s the perfect opportunity to make new connections and energize your morning before we dive into a day packed with insightful sessions and engaging discussions. Let’s brew success together!
Luncheon
Take a break, recharge, and connect during our Luncheon Break at EsportsNext. This mid-day pause offers attendees a chance to enjoy a curated meal while continuing the conversation in a relaxed, social setting. Whether you’re catching up with colleagues, meeting new industry peers, or reflecting on the morning’s insights, the luncheon provides the perfect balance of networking and downtime. Join us for great food, meaningful connections, and a moment to refuel before the next round of sessions.
EsportsNext Industry Awards
Join us as we recognize and honor the exceptional achievements and contributions of those who shape and advance the business side of esports. From groundbreaking innovations and leadership excellence to community engagement and sustainable initiatives, these awards celebrate the visionaries setting new standards and inspiring the future of esports.
Next Gen Esports Leadership Lab
By Invite Only
Rapid Intel
30 minutes of sharp, fast-hitting perspectives on the topics reshaping esports right now.
Rapid Intel: Turning Hotel Bookings Into Your Next Growth Engine
Esports fans, crews, and players are already booking hotels for your events — just not through you. In this session, EventPipe’s Todd Beckerman and Ben Lancaster show how a centralized housing strategy transforms that fragmented demand into a recurring commission revenue stream, signals operational maturity to sponsors, and scales automatically as your events grow. Learn why housing is no longer an operational afterthought but a competitive differentiator — and how to claim revenue your events are already generating.
Rapid Intel: Building Your Place in Esports - A Five-Stage Map for Anyone Working in Esports
Lost in the most fragmented industry in entertainment? You’re not alone. In this session, ESTA founder Megan Van Petten maps the five stages every esports professional walks — from first curiosity to scaling real impact — and reveals why the people building the best things in this space aren’t the ones with the most money, but the ones who found their counterparts first. Whether you’re exploring your first sponsorship, launching a tournament, or trying to figure out what’s next after five years in the game, you’ll leave with a clear-eyed view of where you are on the path, what each stage actually demands, and the specific tools, rooms, and relationships that make the difference between expensive trial-and-error and smart growth.
Welcome Reception
Kick off EsportsNext 2026 in style at the 2026 Welcome Reception—an evening of networking, celebration, and connection with industry leaders, innovators, and esports professionals from around the world. Join us for great conversations, light refreshments, and an exciting start to an unforgettable event experience.
No saved sessions for this day.
Coffee Connections & Breakfast
Kickstart your morning with Coffee Connections! Join us for a fresh cup of coffee and delicious breakfast bites. It’s the perfect opportunity to make new connections and energize your morning before we dive into a day packed with insightful sessions and engaging discussions. Don’t miss the chance to network with industry leaders and peers in an informal, welcoming setting. Let’s brew success together!
USA Esports Town Hall
Join us for an open conversation with the leadership behind USA Esports, the newly launched non-profit working to become the official National Governing Body for esports in the United States. Since its launch in March 2026, USA Esports has united an unprecedented coalition of professional organizations, collegiate programs, and athlete advocates around a shared mission: building a unified American ecosystem that bridges K-12, collegiate, amateur, and professional play.
The Evolution of Esports: From Gaming Culture to Global Entertainment
Twenty years ago, the film industry dismissed video games as a passing fad. Ten years ago, traditional sports leagues ignored esports as “not real competition.” Today, gaming generates more revenue than movies and music combined, while esports commands audiences that rival the Super Bowl. This transformation mirrors the entertainment industry’s own evolution—from vaudeville to television, from radio to streaming—but at unprecedented speed and scale.
This panel examines esports’ meteoric rise through the lens of entertainment history, exploring how gaming culture’s unique characteristics—community-driven content, interactive spectatorship, and creator economies—are reshaping not just sports, but all forms of media consumption. Drawing parallels to how television disrupted radio and streaming revolutionized film, the panel will outline the fundamental shifts that positioned esports as the native entertainment format for digital generations.
Networking Break
Join us for a fresh cup of coffee. It’s the perfect opportunity to make new connections and energize your morning before we dive into a day packed with insightful sessions and engaging discussions. Let’s brew success together!
Venue Strategy: From Pop-ups to Permanent Arenas
The concert industry evolved from traveling circuses to iconic venues like Madison Square Garden and Red Rocks. Professional sports built purpose-designed stadiums that anchor entire entertainment districts. Now esports faces its own venue evolution—from hotel ballrooms and convention centers to dedicated arenas like Riot’s LCS Studio and Blizzard Arena. The question isn’t whether permanent esports venues will succeed, but which models will thrive and how cities can capitalize on this infrastructure investment.
This panel examines successful venue strategies across entertainment industries, from how Las Vegas transformed from gambling destination to entertainment capital, to how Nashville’s music venues drove tourism and economic development. We’ll explore the unique design challenges of esports facilities—broadcast production needs, flexible seating configurations, and fan experience integration—while analyzing the economic impact models that convince cities to invest. Case studies will include both successful permanent venues and innovative pop-up strategies that maximize market reach and community engagement.
BLAST Premier Rivals 2026 Kick-off Party
Kick off BLAST Premier Rivals 2026 in style with an evening of networking, celebration, and connection with industry leaders, innovators, and esports professionals from around the world. Join us for great conversations, light refreshments, and an exciting start to an unforgettable event experience.
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Speakers
Info
Wifi
Network
BRITFWBG – Guest
Password
gue$t2019*
Venue
Inside the Deborah Beggs Moncrief Garden Center
Fort Worth, TX 76107
EsportsNext takes place across two buildings on the Botanic Garden campus. Here’s where to find what:
Registration · Sessions · Exhibits
Lunch · Welcome Reception · Next Gen Esports Leadership Lab
Heads up:
When walking between the two buildings, please use the Pollinator Pathway — it’s the designated route through the gardens.
Your Credentials
You should have received two confirmation emails:
Confirmation from ESTA. Pick up your name badge at the registration desk starting Wed, April 29 at 8:00 AM.
Confirmation from Dickies Arena (noreply@ticketmaster.com). Tickets are digital via Ticketmaster.
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Sponsors