4 min read January 2024 — Invest: was joined by Ed Tomasi, co-chair and strategic advisor of the Greater Raleigh Esports Local Organizing Committee (GRELOC), to discuss how the region has become a global hub for esports. “We are a global esports destination through our commitment to developing a solid strategy and then working with our business and video game community to educate and execute. While we are home to several game developers, publishers and equipment manufacturers in the gaming space, our venues, government, hotels and corporate partners are truly ‘esports ready’. Our slogan is ‘PLAY. WATCH. MAKE.’, which tells the world our story that our community not only plays video games, they watch through livestreams and attending live events and even make the video games and/or technology that the world enjoys,” he said.
What is keeping you busy right now?
The busiest component of what we’ve been doing for the past couple years is to host national and international esports competitions at various venues throughout Greater Raleigh. It’s a strategy we began developing over four years ago, and it really was the right strategy for Greater Raleigh. The execution of our strategy is where the region has seen the benefits, when large global events are hosted in our area and the community can attend and celebrate. Over the past 12 months, Greater Raleigh has hosted five major national or global esports competitions. There might be only one or two other destinations around the world who can claim that.
What are the advantages of Greater Raleigh that make it a great destination for esports?
It really is a combination of several things that have esports event producers around the world wanting to be here. Each producer has a robust and unique checklist of what means most to them in terms of a good host destination. For Greater Raleigh, the highlights are numerous. Number one is that we’re located on the East Coast. This is an advantage because it allows European audiences to watch live via livestream at a reasonable local time due to the time difference. There’s a large segment of the audience in esports that isn’t there physically, so having that East Coast time zone location is beneficial. Another major factor is transportation. We have a great partnership with Delta Air Lines which offers direct flights both domestic and abroad. That allows event producers to get here more conveniently. Our accessibility to high-speed internet connectivity is also a major factor. Our modern, fiber infrastructure here in Greater Raleigh allows for low ping rates and robust provider options. Having so many of their demands met or exceeded is why so many esports event production companies and players have trust in our destination.
Perhaps most vital is our community. We are home to several game developers, publishers and equipment manufacturers in the video game space. The fact that we have so many technology and game publisher companies that call our area home tells everyone that gamers are part of our ecosystem’s DNA. We’ve got a wonderful and diverse creator community in terms of content and live stream production. This is great assurance for producers to know that people aren’t just going to show up, but truly celebrate.
What has been the economic impact of esports on the region?
The fact that we can host two to three major events per year brings an economic impact most cities throughout North America aren’t realizing. A major part to our destination for hosting esports is that North Carolina offers an economic incentive in the form of the Esports Incentive Grant Fund, the first of its kind in the country. We helped champion this program and were motivated to do so by the film industry’s incentives that have been offered for years. We believed that it would be great for esports producers to have a similar opportunity, and Rep. Jason Saine supported it as a driver of economic impact and workforce development. We are growing because of that State grant, and it continues to be an important conversation piece. Producers want pre-event and post-event incentives, so when we compete in other markets throughout the world, other destinations only have pre-event economic incentives to offer, but Greater Raleigh has both, and that’s why we’ve become such an attractive destination for esports and will continue that trend of two to three major events per year.
How is the Committee leveraging partnerships to grow esports?
We’re developing relationships with private and public companies based in Greater Raleigh. That spectrum goes from corporations and brands to educational institutions. Our committee acts as a bridge that helps educate facilities and operational groups about esports production elements, from going to various venues to ensure IT to guest services understand the nuances of player needs. In the future, we are looking to build upon the established relationships we have with companies and schools like North Carolina State University that are building their new esports program and facility. We work with them to make sure they have an opportunity to be involved with our efforts to enhance their leadership position. I’d love to have a core group of corporations that aren’t just sponsoring the traditional sports, but also including esports in their mix of support. As we develop our presence as a global esports event destination, these corporations will recognize the distinct value in being involved with us.
How are regulations impacting the industry?
The performance of the initial pilot program has given our state legislature the confidence and results they were hoping for. We develop economic impact reports to show how positive this program has been and what kind of great return on investment esports can bring. We’ve also made efforts at the federal level to benefit the industry and we’d like to be a thought leader in this endeavor. We’d like to develop a Player Visa program for gamers which is something only a few countries around the world currently offer – a fast lane for players who are competing internationally, and the United States is not currently one of them. For example, the nature of the business is that there might be a qualifier six to eight weeks prior to a major event. That gives the qualifying players a short window to obtain Visas to be able to attend and compete in an international final. There is no current plan at the federal level and we are championing that for the greater good of the players, producers and industry. The easier it is for top players to travel to Greater Raleigh for events, the more it elevates our status as a top destination for supporting and hosting major events. We would love to see this also attract global esports organizations to set-up an office and/or studio here.
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