10 reasons why you should be attending the Esports in Education Summit 2023

The fifth-annual Esports in Education Summit 2023 is quickly approaching, and tickets are selling fast for both in-person and online attendance.

But, why should you attend the event?

In this list, we share our top reasons for attending the Summit, and why events like this are important for esports education development.

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1. Provides networking opportunities:

Whilst the main event of the Summit revolves around the panels, networking is one of the biggest things that occurs at the event, and works to bring people together from a wide variety of backgrounds.

As we have observed the importance of networking at previous events, we are making sure this year that there is designated time for attendees to connect with each other, as well as the speakers.

These breaks will allow you to ask any questions you may have, or just get to know someone a bit better in order to connect with them in the future.

This will be a prime opportunity for you to gain contacts in a variety of areas in esports, whilst also being able to network with fellow educators in a similar position to you.

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2. Allows you to be part of wider esports integration:

As esports is becoming increasingly more well-known and popular, the impact it can have on educational settings is also becoming prominent.

Attending this event, you can understand the importance of esports integrating into educational sectors, as well as being a driving force to get esports courses more widely recognised.

By learning about the industry, existing establishments, and the benefits esports has on young people, you can help to reduce the stigma surrounding esports – henceforth helping its development in educational settings.

The majority of people who attend the event are educators themselves, who have either established esports at their school or college, or would like to. Regardless of what position you are in on your esports journey, attending the event is already a step to make a big difference.

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3. There’s something for everyone:

Depending on what point you are at on your esports journey, there are panels that will be suited to whatever you are interested in learning about.

From the running of the Student Champs, to building esports facilities, there are many different talking points set to be discussed that provide the opportunity for attendees to learn more, or ask questions.

On top of this, each panel has been specifically brought together to showcase individuals currently an expert in that area – meaning that all of the discussions are coming from people who have experience in these areas.

Networking with these panellists, and opportunities for any questions or further elaboration will be available throughout the day, so make sure you connect.

The full schedule of the event can be found here.

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4. Provides first-hand experience of Student Champs:

By attending the event in-person, you will be able to get more involved with a lot of the panels and segments – including the Student Champs showmatch.

Nearing the end of the day, attendees will be invited over to the state-of-the-art Confetti X Esports arena to see two currently competing teams go head to head in a VALORANT showmatch.

The Confetti Arrows and Loughborough Lycans are both well-established teams in the Student Champs, and this will be their first opportunity to compete against one another on the main stage.

If you haven’t been involved in the Student Champs before, or even seen some esports live, this experience in Confetti X can be really eye-opening for the realities of competition.

Whilst it is only a friendly match, this is the same structure and atmosphere of esports events, like the Student Champs Grand Finals – and can be a really beneficial experience in understanding more about what goes into tournaments.

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5. Develops knowledge:

Getting to grips with esports as a whole can be tricky to begin with, but adding the wide range of educational courses into the mix can be an even more daunting task.

However, understanding the different levels of esports courses available, and how to run a course at your institution is all set to be covered at the Summit.

The main course that will be in discussion is the Esports BTEC,  which was established back in April 2020 and, as of 2022, has brought in over 3000 students from 130 different centres.

This course has been developed with the wider esports industry in mind, and covers a wide range of important topics throughout its 22 units – including Health and Wellbeing, Event Management, and Coaching.

At the Summit, there will also be representatives from universities that offer esports degrees, including the College of Esports, so you are guaranteed to develop knowledge on the education pathways throughout the event.

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6. Aids wider understanding:

Even if you are an educator who has already established an esports course or facilities, there will be parts of the Summit that work to expand your knowledge about the industry as a whole.

Dom Sacco, Esports News UK, will be hosting a panel on the day about esports at the professional level, and will be joined by Michael Moriarty, Esports Manager at Wolves, Jeff Simpkins, COO at Resolve, and Emma ‘Emzii’ Rose, Commonwealth Esports Championships Gold Medallist.

This panel will cover a lot more about the professional side of esports that doesn’t normally get much coverage, and will aid the understanding of the career pathways available.

As well as this, Chester King, CEO of British Esports, and Dave Martin, COO at British Esports, will be sharing updates on current projects, and what the future of the scene looks like.

These panels will allow you to learn even more about the industry directly from the experts, and be able to translate this knowledge into further information for your students.

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7. Promotes best-practice for safeguarding:

One of the areas in esports that is incredibly important, but gets often overlooked is safeguarding. However, specialists in this area will be attending the event to ensure that more people can become aware of the work being done to maintain best practices.

As esports is entirely held in the online realm, it is almost impossible not to interact with another person whilst playing. With more young people getting involved in esports and online gaming, there are more opportunities for safeguarding to be put in place to ensure everyone is kept safe.

Tom Dore, Global Head of International Relations for British Esports, has worked over the last few years to educate people in the industry around proper safeguarding etiquette, and will be at the event to share this information further. He will be joined on a panel by Sarah Trowler-Wren, Head of Sales and Marketing for GoBubble, and Derek Johnstone, Senior Consultant at the NSPCC to discuss current safeguarding practices for young people in esports, and how this can be translated into educational spaces.

Outside of the panel, safeguarding is a wider topic of discussion at the event, so there will be plenty of opportunity for you to understand more about the processes and how to best protect young people online.

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8. Promotes inclusivity and diversity:

On top of promoting the best practices for safeguarding, the Esports in Education Summit also promotes inclusivity and diversity in esports as an extension of our work and initiatives in the wider scene.

As an industry, esports is one of the most inclusive spaces, and the education sector is no exception to that. At the event, we will have a wide variety of speakers from different backgrounds who will share their experiences and expertise, as well as promoting further inclusion in the industry.

Outside of the panels, speakers and representatives from British Esports will be networking and connecting with guests – and discussing our initiatives like Women in Esports.

These conversations will help grow the understanding of why diversity and inclusion are important in esports, and allow for educators to transfer this knowledge into learning opportunities for their students.

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9. Discussions are thought-provoking:

Regardless of if you are just starting out on your esports journey, or you have been in esports for a while now, there are always things that will provoke questions or opinions about various areas of the industry. 

The Esports in Education Summit is no different, and with a wide variety of panellists with a multitude of opinions and experiences, we hope that attendees will become engaged and take time to think about the content of the panels and wider conversations.

Important and powerful discussions about the state of the industry, and esports in educational settings are set to take place throughout the event, so make sure you get involved and share your thoughts too.

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10. It’s unique:

Whilst there are more and more education events forming around the globe, the Esports in Education Summit is unique in itself – bringing together educators to make change in the UK scene.

At the event, you can experience a variety of talks, networking opportunities, and exhibitors that will grow your understanding of the industry, and the importance of esports integration into education.

As we move into our fifth year running this event, we are learning what attendees want from the Summit, and planning the best event around those interests. Therefore, the Summit works well in catering to everyone, regardless of if you have been involved in esports for many years, or are just starting out your journey.

Something that makes this year a bit more special is the inclusion of the Student Champs showmatch, as it will solidify why esports can have a strong positive impact on young people, especially through play.

“I’m really excited to welcome colleagues and peers from across esports education to the 2023 Esports in Education Summit,” said Kalam Neale, Head of Education, British Esports.

”Whether new to esports education or a seasoned veteran, the Summit provides unrivalled industry insight and first hand exposure to the current state of esports and education in the UK. This is a great opportunity to network and connect with esports educators and other industry leaders, experience a behind the scenes esports showmatch and to hear more about our vision and plans for development.”

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Convinced yet? Make sure you purchase your tickets for the Esports in Education Summit as soon as possible, as they are selling out fast.

Want to get a feel for what the Summit is all about? Make sure to look back at all of the panels from our 2022 event here, or visit the Education Summit home page on our website.