Livestream The Event At 9:00 am PST 2.16.17
A Massive Global Audience Awaits…
Learn everything you need to know to invest in today’s fastest-growing media channel—Competitive Gaming and eSports. Now in its 14th iteration, AList summit is bringing together this one-day event for marketers to engage and learn from experts in this innovative space.
This is about millions upon millions of people, playing against each other online, all over the world, across a multitude of games. Throw out what you think you know about electronic gaming. It’s no longer the old trope of snack-munching, soda-guzzling kids who are permanently chained to a sofa.
Competitive gaming and eSports has more viewers currently watch it than the World Series and NBA Finals. Selling out stadiums across the world, these games have their own tournaments and athletes who have become household names to this highly sought after segment of consumers.
How do you engage this new, exciting audience? How do you get your brand in front of the growing legion of fans who view gaming with the same importance as playing and watching football, basketball, baseball and soccer?
Register now to attend AList summit and learn the tactics and techniques to tap into this massive opportunity and get in front of this vibrant, burgeoning audience.
Speakers
Agenda
The 14th AList summit will bring to life the individual stories we have told on alistdaily.com. Learn together from the industry’s biggest leaders and creative minds about navigating and successfully engaging with the competitive gaming space.
A look at how Buffalo Wild Wings won over eSports fans with its sponsorship of Turner’s ELEAGUE over two seasons. We’ll explore strategies and approaches and how companies are seeing the benefits of being involved. Turner exec Christina Alejandre will discuss the approach Buffalo Wild Wings took with Michael Tubman.
Speakers: Christina Alejandre (TBS), Michael Tubman (Buffalo Wild Wings)
Moderator: Manny Anekal (Versus Sports/The Next Level)
ESL is the largest eSports company in the world today with 13 different brands providing competition across over a dozen different video games around the globe. ESL Chairman Steven Roberts will discuss the lessons learned from an advertising and sponsorship activation standpoint over the years, and how non-endemic brands can connect with this global audience.
Speaker: Steven Roberts (ESL)
Super League Gaming has spent the past several years building out competitive gaming events at movie theaters around the country. After targeting younger gamers with Minecraft competitions, the company recently partnered with Riot Games to add League of Legends city-based amateur leagues and open competitive gaming to fans directly. Super League CEO Ann Hand will discuss the strategies employed and lessons learned in connecting with the huge fan base interested in participating in competition at an organized level.
Speaker: Ann Hand (Super League)
SuperData’s Joost van Dreunen takes a look at the audience and market potential of competitive gaming. This talk will focus on the current industry’s trajectory, revenue distribution, the opportunities and challenges this burgeoning market presents for marketers interested in getting in on the ground floor.
Speaker: Joost van Dreunen (SuperData)
Amazon’s Steve Fowler will discuss how eSports has changed the way we engage with audiences. There is a shift towards broad adoption and interest in eSports as an entertainment medium millions of consumers enjoy watching online and on TV. More and more these fans of esports may not even play the game they are watching. As eSports matures into a legitimate entertainment medium how do you provide value to fans?
Speaker: Steve Fowler (Amazon)
Moderator: Edward Chang (The Chernin Group)
The majority of all eSports content is consumed on mobile devices worldwide, so it’s no surprise that early mobile eSports games like Blizzard’s Hearthstone, Super Evil Megacorp’s Vainglory and Skillz’ hundreds of mobile titles have found an immediate audience. Uyen Uyen Ton Nu and Casey Chafkin discuss the opportunities for brands in the emerging mobile eSports space.
Speakers: Uyen Uyen Ton Nu (Super Evil Megacorp), Casey Chafkin (Skillz)
Moderator: Dean Takahashi (VentureBeat)
Adam and Tyler Rosen founded TeSPA (The eSports Association) to set up local chapters around the country for high school and college grassroots eSports competitions. Blizzard Entertainment acquired TeSPA in 2013 and the twin brothers now oversee all of Blizzard’s collegiate eSports activities. This fireside chat will focus on the opportunities grassroots and college competitive gaming opens up for brands.
Speakers: Adam and Tyler Rosen (Blizzard)
ESports is no longer a secret. Every week there’s a new report detailing how big the industry can really be, but there’s also an elephant in the room. Startups and third-parties are finding it hard to identify their segment of the space and monetize, due to a complex relationship with the companies who create the actual games—the publishers.
Speaker: Edward Chang (The Chernin Group)
Brand trust is increasingly important as brands have to engage consumers at their level. But where does brand trust figure into eSports and how exactly can it be measured? Enter the Brand Trust Index, which can help in identifying a brand’s strengths and weaknesses. Ayzenberg’s Jeremy Simon will explain why trust matters, and how the Brand Trust Index is a critical tool for forward-thinking marketers.
Speaker: Jeremy Simon (Ayzenberg Group)
Matt Wolf has spent the past four years building out Coke’s relationship with eSports fans. The soft drink giant partnered with Riot Games to bring League of Legends to the big screen around the world, and has sponsored the amateur Challenger Series. Coke is now expanding beyond League of Legends to other eSports, including EA Sports’ FIFA franchise. Matt will explain lessons learned in connecting with gamers through positive activations.
Speaker: Matt Wolf (Coca-Cola)
Moderator: Jim Louderback
The fan base around competitive gaming and eSports is fickle and sniffs out marketing speak. The challenge is how to connect with this Millennial and Gen Z audience in an authentic way. Twitch’s Bill Young, Logitech G’s Ujesh Desai and MatPat of The Game Theorists chat about crafting compelling content that speaks to the engaged gaming community.
Speakers: Bill Young (Twitch), Ujesh Desai (Logitech G), MatPat (The Game Theorists)
Moderator: Manny Anekal (Versus Sports/The Next Level)
ESports is a global phenomenon with different audience types in every territory. While regional, competitive gaming does provide opportunities to market across the entire world, or to target specific countries. Some of the top companies in the global game will offer their insight on how brands can leverage the global audience.
Speakers: Todd Harris (Hi-Rez Studios), Matthew Pierce (Versus Systems), Michele Attisani (FaceIt), Michal Blicharz (ESL)
Moderator: Amine Issa (Mobalytics)
Dennis “Thresh” Fong is one of the original eSports superstars, even having a League of Legends hero named after him. Fong went on to launch a series of successful gaming businesses, including Raptr and Plays.tv. Darryl Lewis is a professional Street Fighter player sponsored by Red Bull. They will touch on how brands have utilized livestreaming platforms to reach this audience and how pro gamers are making connections with an engaged community.
Speakers: Dennis Fong (Plays.tv), Darryl Lewis (Red Bull)
Moderator: Matt Gunnin (eSportspedia)
ESports opens up multiple ways for endemic and non-endemic brands to connect with fans, including entire leagues, specific teams and individual players. There are multiple strategies involved based on what type of product you’re marketing and what audience you want to connect with. This panel will touch on how to best work with leagues and teams to maximize a brand’s investment in eSports.
Speakers: Dan Ciccone (rEvXP), Robert Bowling (Team NRG), Steve Arhancet (Team Liquid), Dan Kelley (Hyper X)
Moderator: Stan Press (Magid/Cloud 9)
People who play competitive games come from a wide array of ages and backgrounds, playing games across a number of platforms—from mobile, to PC and console. This panel will discuss effective ways to reach this audience and what brands should know before diving in.
Speakers: Walter Wang (HTC), Hunter Leigh (Yahoo), Candace Brenner (J!NX)
Moderator: Stan Press (Magid/Cloud 9)
As the industry is quickly evolving and getting increased attention from media globally, what does the future hold for eSports? How is eSports shifting gears to become a more sustainable industry and how will the viewing experience and the games themselves transition to emerging platforms?
Speakers: Oscar Miranda (Wargaming), Bryan Chu (VREAL), Mike Flamberg (Nielsen), Jan Goetgeluk (Virtuix), Eric Janszen (VirZoom)
Moderator: Mark Deppe (UC Irvine)
Live DJ, Open Bar & Hors d’Oeuvres
Current Attendees Include

[a]list summit History
AList summits have provided a forum and community for marketers in connected entertainment and beyond to discuss the sea changes and rising opportunities in the industry since 2008. Past AList summit attendees and speakers have included a long list of marketing leaders from Fortune 500 and Interbrand Top 100 lists.
Programmed and produced by AList, AList summit: Competitive Gaming + ESports seeks to bring to life the many eSports stories told on alistdaily.com.
Advisors this year include Jim Louderback, editorial director for VidCon’s industry track, Corey Rosemond, Plantronics’ global marketing director for gaming and Andy Swanson.
AList is the editorial arm of a.network, a frontline agency whose current clients include Microsoft, EPIX, Mattel, JW Marriott, Sega, Xbox, Facebook and Amazon.
About a.network
a.network is a company fueled by a frontline approach to marketing powered by the virtuous cycle of Listen, Create and Share—an integrated feedback loop that uses predictive listening process and discovery tools across all social, web and influencer channels. The Influencer Orchestration Network® (ION) is an independent group within a.network that specializes in influencer marketing across all content platforms.




Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know this event is for me?
AList summit: Competitive Gaming + ESports is the definitive event for marketers who want to understand eSports and competitive gaming and are looking to investigate opportunities in the space. That said, this isn’t just eSports 101 and will delve into crucial topics for brands who are already involved.
What opportunities are there for sponsors and partners?
We have a number of opportunities for sponsors at this event at a variety of levels. Contact info@alistsummit.com for any sponsorship or partnership inquiries.
Who will be speaking at the event? How do I become a speaker?
Our roster of speakers has not yet been announced. Make sure to subscribe to our mailing list to get the latest on speaker announcements.
If you are interested in being a potential speaker, reach out to the summit team. Speaker opportunities are extremely limited, but we may have a spot for you.
What will I get from going to this event?
Competitive gaming and eSports represents a huge opportunity for brands to engage with a fickle young audience. A shift in content consumption to streaming has helped to catapult eSports into the mainstream.
By going to AList summit: Competitive Gaming and eSports, you will come away with everything you need to know to market your brand to this elusive audience and the contacts to make it all happen.