Katowice, Poland is another one of those former mining towns which has had to reinvent itself in the last 50 years. But one of the most promising things it has going for it these days is the Intel Extreme Masters eSports tournament. If a town like this — that is, one that isn’t as large as, say, Philly or L.A. — is investing in eSports stadiums, what does that say about the validity of them as a market for integrators?
According to a VentureBeat article, the Katowice event sees teams fly in from almost every continent to participate for a chance at the $1 million prize. Last year’s event reportedly earned $24.5 million in advertising value for Katowice — a town of only 294,000 people.
“In Stavanger, Norway, I was asked by a group of young people where I came from. I said ‘Katowice,” Marcin Krupa, the incumbent mayor of Katowice, told VentureBeat. “They asked me if I knew what IEM was and so we started talking. Such situations encourage us to take further steps.”
Krupa says the event was the idea of a former town councilman. Spending money on infrastructure and letting thousands of people from around the world into the center of town was seen as a bold move at the time, but it resulted in a supporting partnership with Intel.
Aside from the Counter-Strike main event itself, Intel Extreme Masters features a mini tech trade show, other eSports competitions, and more, almost akin to a Comic Con. And the town has really embraced it.
Listen: Esports Technology: It Should Be Your Next Project (Episode 59 of AV+)
More towns are catching on
VentureBeat says the greater Dallas area “has long been a hotbed for the games business” between game software companies and pro gaming competitors calling the towns around the city home. Frisco, in particular, could be the site for future arenas, borrowing from the Katowice model of eSports stadiums.
