(ATR)There will be no Play the Game conference in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s edition had been scheduled for the autumn in Warsaw, Poland.
"The Polish Institute of Sport that had applied to host the 2021 conference recently decided to withdraw its offer because of the uncertainties around COVID-19. We fully understand their reasoning and I must admit that we were not completely convinced either that it would be possible to organize a conference at short notice even if the corona situation should improve," said Jens Sejer Andersen, international director of Play the Game.
Instead, Play the Game announced that it will now focus on a 25th anniversary celebration of the event at its next conference in Denmark in 2022. The search for a host city has already begun.
Play the Game will also begin the process of clarifying issues for the 2023 conference that has been offered to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim (NTNU). The negotiations are to be completed by the end of 2021 with a final decision on the bid to be taken after that.
The conference has been held every other year since 2005. The most recent edition was in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2019.
Global Esports Federation Convention Returning
The second edition of GEFcon – the Global Esports convention – will be on April 9, 2021.
The Global Esports Federation made the announcement on Feb. 25 along with its plans for the #worldconnected series 2021 (#wcs21).
The follows on the heels of the inaugural edition of the #wcs20 and GEFcon in December 2020.
"The success of the #wcs20 last December demonstrates the focus of the Global Esports Federation and our Member Federations’ commitment to foster a strong and diverse esports community worldwide," Kelvin Tan, Director of Esports, Global Esports Federation, said in a statement.
"The #wcs21 is the first of a series of community events to be held throughout this year. We look forward to greater involvement from the global community and invite even more esports players and spectators to join in this global celebration of esports."
The federation describes the #worldconnected series as a community initiative inspired by the Global Esports Federation’s values of equality, fair play, diversity, inclusion, and innovation. The GEFcon, meanwhile, provides a powerful platform to engage the conversation around esports with the wider community.
Visit www.globalesports.org for latest updates and development on #wcs21 and GEFcon21.
SportsPro OTT Summit USA is Next Week
The OTT Summit USA 2021 will be held virtually on March 3-4.
SportsPro says the focus will be on strategy, content, and technology as the sports industry works to better adapt to the changes created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 50 sessions featuring 80 speakers will be available, including fuboTV co-founder and CEO David Gandler and UFC CEO Lawrence Epstein.
Among the other organizations represented by speakers at the summit are Major League Baseball, the PGA Tour, Major League Soccer, NASCAR and Twitter.
More than 1,000 participants are expected.
A live event pass is free while a VIP pass will cost $199. Register for either here.
SportsPro LIve (April 28-29, 2021) and SportsPro Asia (July 2021) are being planned as virtual events. It has not been decided if the SportsPro OTT Summit, scheduled for December 2021, will be in-person, virtual, or a hybrid event.
Written by Gerard Farek
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