Insomnia 69 – Event Recap

This past weekend, the British Esports team attended Insomnia 69 at the NEC in Birmingham, and brought the world of esports to the expo floor.

The event as a whole was a huge success, and well attended all weekend – with the team networking with those in the industry, and those looking to get into esports.

But what happened over the weekend? We will recap some of the highlights from our time at i69. 

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Expo Panel:

On Friday, we hosted a panel on the Expo Stage discussing all things Careers in Esports: Developing skills in a Digital Economy’.

Our panellists Emma ‘Emzii’ Rose, Danny ‘Tehda’ Squibb, and Camilla Maurice were joined by Saul Parsons to discuss the success of the Commonwealth Esports Championships, and how esports can be integrated into education.

All of our guests gave incredible insight into their roles in the industry, and gave advice on how people can get a career in many different sectors of esports.

“There has been this huge stigma around esports for years and years, and that’s starting to change,”@tehdaRL

An amazing panel showcasing the careers available in esports!

Many thanks to @Emzii192 @MKC_A3Business, Tehda, and @SP_Spyran ❤️ #BEFi69 pic.twitter.com/erRHmd5fX9

— British Esports (@British_Esports) August 26, 2022

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Women in Esports Showmatch:

Team Juggler and Team Winteriio went head to head on the Esports Stage on Saturday morning in a Valorant showmatch.

The match was streamed live on the British Esports Twitch channel, but also welcomed a full live audience at the event.

Going all the way to a third map, the showmatch kept everyone on the edge of their seats throughout, and all of those involved put on an incredible show. 

During the stream, there were 474 unique viewers on Twitch, with 45 new followers throughout the entire match. 

Billie Purdie, Women in Esports Manager, said: “I’m so delighted with how the Women in Esports Showmatch went – from being more stressed about the overall organisation of the event rather than actually competing in it, it couldn’t have gone any better. We had an excellent production crew and team of talent on board and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. It has been so rewarding to see all of the players share photos and praise on social media and it will definitely go down as a fantastic Women in Esports event.”

IT’S GAME DAY pic.twitter.com/CA4H8VVekA

— Women In Esports (@WomenIn_Esports) August 27, 2022

Congratulations again to Team Winteriio for taking the win in a very close final map!

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The BEe Show Podcast:

Across the entire weekend, Saul and Bryony spoke to a wide variety of people within the esports industry, and got to learn more about them in their roles.

Some of the guests on the podcast included:
– Dom Sacco – Esports News UK

– John ‘JohnPee’ Pritchard – Commentator and Content Creator

– Amy ‘Aljgraphics’ Jones – Graphic Designer for Veloce Esports

– Ben Harper – Content Manager for Iron Blood Gaming

As well as many others in the industry.

On top of talking about esports careers and specific role advice, we also got our guests involved in some fun challenges – so stay tuned for that content as well. 

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British Esports Stall:

Alongside all of the exciting activities run throughout the weekend, the British Esports team were running Stall 7 – networking with attendees.

Williams Resolve utilised the space to bring five sim racing rigs to the event, whilst the BEF team showcased merchandise, pilots and projects, the Women in Esports initiative, and the Student Champs.

Hundreds of people throughout the weekend visited the stall and took part in the Williams Resolve Hot Lap challenge.

Throughout the weekend, we used the stall to broaden our overall reach – interacting with those already established in the industry, and those who are striving to get roles in esports.

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Everyone on the team would like to thank those who came to the stall, or worked with us this weekend – it was an incredible event overall.

There is plenty of content to come following the weekend, so make sure you are subscribed to our YouTube channel, and follow us on Twitter and TikTok for the latest updates.