9.30am
Doors Open
10.00am
Opening Remarks & Welcome to GEIW
10.20am
Keynote Session
Session details to be announced.
10.40am
Panel
Session details to be announced.
11.20am
EVA - The Next Era of Esports Virtual Arenas
We get a peek behind the curtain of EVA (Esports Virtual Arenas), a series of venues with free roam life-sized playgrounds and first person shooter games which truly combine sports with esports. Based in France with venues in France, Belgium, Germany, the USA, as it expands globally, EVA is a fascinating example of something truly unique in esports.
EVA announced its competitive roadmap in early 2026, which includes a Pro and Challenger League, and includes household names in esports such as G2, Team Vitality, GIANTX and more. We hear from them on what's next and how the business looks.
Moderator
Jorrel Batac
Founder | SXNGA
Speaker
Yassine Jaada
VP Esports | EVA
Speaker
Sabrina Ratih
COO | G2 Esports
11.40am
Coffee Break
12.00pm
Esports for Publishers: Past, Present, Future
For game publishers, esports has evolved from experimental marketing play to a core pillar of live-service strategy—but the path has been anything but linear. From early third-party tournament ecosystems to fully publisher-operated leagues and now hybrid models, the role of esports within game development continues to shift.
In this panel, experienced industry leaders explore how publishers have approached esports across different eras, what has worked, what hasn’t, and how expectations have changed. From driving player acquisition and retention to building global communities and extending IP lifecycle, the discussion will unpack how esports can—and should—serve broader publishing goals.
The session will examine emerging models, including more flexible ecosystem design, regionalisation, and new forms of partnership between publishers and external operators. Designed for developers and publishing executives, this session offers a candid perspective on how to align esports with long-term product and business strategy.
Speaker
Anne Banschbach
Program Director | Valve & Supercell, Blast
12.35pm
One Industry, Many Rules: The Challenge of Global Standards in Games and Esports
As video games and esports scale globally, the absence of consistent standards—from terminology and data frameworks to player safety and technical infrastructure—is becoming increasingly visible. At the same time, efforts to introduce international standards are gaining momentum, led by organisations such as ISO, ITU, and regional bodies across Europe and Asia.
This panel brings together industry leaders and standardisation experts to examine what these initiatives mean for game developers. From safe listening guidelines and shared vocabulary projects to national approaches in markets like China and South Korea, the discussion will explore where alignment is emerging—and where fragmentation remains.
Key questions include whether global standards can support growth without limiting innovation, how developers should engage with standard-setting bodies, and what risks arise if the industry fails to align. Designed for publishers and technical leaders, this session offers a clear-eyed look at the opportunities and trade-offs shaping the future of global games and esports development.
Speaker
Michael Lewis
President | Electronic Software Association
Speaker
Sergi Mesonero
Head of Esports | Video Games Europe
1.00pm
Lunch
2.00pm
Why Education Is the Next Growth Engine for Esports
As esports looks beyond the volatility of the professional market, education is emerging as one of its most important engines of sustainable growth. Schools, colleges, and universities are not only creating new participants and communities, but building ecosystems around belonging, skills development, digital literacy, and future pathways. At the same time, education offers professional teams a chance to diversify their business models and contribute meaningfully beyond competition. By bringing expertise in coaching, performance, talent development, and community building, teams can add real value to the educational ecosystem while also showing how esports competencies transfer into wider learning and career contexts.
This panel explores how education can expand esports’ reach, resilience, and relevance, and how schools, universities, and professional organisations can shape that future together.
2.35pm
Building Academic Esports: Policy, Structure, and Legitimacy
Academic esports is the intentional and organised use of competitive gaming environments within educational or research frameworks to foster learning, transferable competencies, and social inclusion. In other words, it is not esports brought into education by accident, but esports designed with educational purpose.
This matters because academic esports helps elevate esports to broader audiences by connecting it to institutional goals such as student engagement, digital competence, inclusion, and future readiness. This panel explores what it takes to build academic esports properly: clear definitions, credible structures, supportive policy, and partnerships that allow esports to be recognised not only as entertainment, but as a meaningful educational and societal space.
Moderator
Graham Ashton
Esports Policy Advisor
Speaker
Dr. Brett Abarbanel
Executive Director | UNLV
Speaker
Nepomuk Nothelfer
Attorney | Melchers
3.10pm
The Future of Youth in Esports: Safety, Belonging, and Opportunity
For many young people, esports is more than play. It is a social environment where identity, confidence, friendship, and aspiration are shaped. That creates both promise and responsibility. Supporting safer spaces, stronger moderation, healthier participation, and meaningful opportunities for growth is not just good practice, but part of esports’ broader social responsibility. In that sense, youth development is not peripheral to the industry, but part of its CSR.
This fireside chat explores how the ecosystem can better support young people by building environments where they feel safe, included, and able to turn participation into opportunity.
Moderator
Dr. Tobias Scholz
Associate Professor | University of Agder
Speaker
Kristelle Lavallee
Global Teen Policy Manager | Discord
3.30pm
Play and Pathways: How Gaming and Esports Enhance Student Engagement
Gaming and esports can create powerful entry points into education by meeting students in spaces they already care about and translating that energy into motivation, teamwork, communication, and confidence.
From classroom engagement to extra-curricular communities and progression into further study or work, this session explores how play can become purpose. The panel will highlight how esports can re-engage learners, strengthen peer collaboration, and open pathways that traditional educational models often miss.
Moderator
Dr. Tobias Scholz
Associate Professor | University of Agder
Speaker
James-Fraser Murison
Director | Fraser Esports & UNEVN
Speaker
Milo van Heugten
Director of Esports & Teacher | MBO College Hilversum