Waterloo region looking to become a possible esport destination

Waterloo region is looking into what it will take to become a possibleesport hub and tournament destination in the near future.

Explore Waterloo Region (EWR) has recently partnered with gaming marketing company,Subnation, to evaluate theregion's current infrastructure that could supportesportgrowth.

Allister Scorgie, director of sport hosting for EWR, said theregion's tech sector andpost-secondary schools' involvement withesportsare some ofreasons why the region is interested in exploringthe idea.

The University of Waterloo, Wilfrid LaurierUniversity and Conestoga Collegeall have their own competitive esport leagues.

"We've seeninterest from across the region from the municipalities, from the universities and college. We've already engaged a lot of groups," he said.

"We saw an opportunity just by nature of what esports offers, but we also saw Waterloo region as a potential, comfortable ecosystem to develop esports."

Conductmarket research first

The first of four phases will be toconduct market research with the help of Subnationto gaugethe region's esport readiness, said Scorgie.

"We're not experts in gaming or esports," he said. "We want to make sure that if we're going to be hosting events or building esport lounges or launchingintramural leaguesthat we're doing it with an educated background."

Ed Tomasi, co-founder and managing director of Subnation, said they'reworking with EWR to getknow the region's assets and communitybetter.

"That entails understating the DNA of the market, like what makes [Waterloo region] great, what makes it desirable as a destination," Tomasi said.

"We're interviewing stakeholders from the economic development commissions, to sport alliances, to arena managers, to university athletic departments. We're really getting a sense of what that DNA is."

Tomasi saidthey will also be assessing whatcurrent venues and facilities could hostesporttournaments in the futureand what improvementswill be needed for the region to grow its esport culture.

Scorgie said once the evaluation is complete, the next step will be to come up with a strategy to market Waterloo region as an esport destination for event organizers, leagues and production companies.