ESM 3100 - CONVENTION, EVENT AND TRADE SHOW PLANNING

credits: 3.0
Esports and Gaming companies rely heavily on conventions for marketing. Shows like TGS, PAX and E3 attract audiences from 60,000-300,000 and are tremendous opportunities for companies to generate excitement and drive sales. This course will teach you how to turn a gaming convention into a big win. By the end of this course, you will understand how to handle planning, marketing and logistics for a corporate presence at a major convention. This online course has optional live sessions.

Course Topics:
The History of Gaming Conventions: Why are consumer-centric conventions such a large part of the culture around games? Students will learn the history of gaming conventions and their importance to the industry.
Planning for a Convention: Planning for a convention is a complex activity involving budgeting, goal-setting, staffing, merchandising and logistics. Students will learn the steps of convention planning and learn how to ensure that a convention leads to positive ROI.
Demo Creation: A demo is a polished, vertical slice of a larger game. A successful demo generates excitement by putting the game’s best foot forward. It showcases the game’s strengths, hides its weaknesses, and requires little explanation to even the most bewildered newcomer. Students will learn how to work with development teams to ensure that demos meet marketing goals.
ROI Evaluation: Improvement requires measurement. Students will learn how to determine whether a convention was successful in the short, medium and long term. Objectives: This course introduces students to the Esports industry, specifically focused on managing professional and amateur esports teams and leagues. These are key behaviors that a successful student will be able to put on their resumé to stand out from the crowd: A) Adapt to changes within the Convention, Trade Show and Esports Event using industry best practices for problem-solving; B) Review and revise design of a Convention, Trade Show or Esports Event with experienced Professionals in the industry; C) Manage key stakeholders by aligning the interests from the perspective of fans, companies in the esports industry, and other potential industry partners. Method of Evaluation: Onboarding Assignments 50 5%, Discussion Assignments 200: (8 x 50) 40%, Quizzes 100: (2 x 50) 10%, Midterm Project-Planning an Industry Event 150 15%, Final Project-Creating Event Marketing Strategy 300 30%.

Prerequisite(s): MGT 2240