This event will take place in Mid-August at the University of Northampton in the Creative Hub.  With the event taking place in the creative hub it will mean that there are already optimized setups for the participants to use, as well as optimal space for the participants and spectators to mingle. I have chosen August due to the weather, whilst it may be a little cold it will not be as warm as it is in summer. This will eliminate any probability of the competition room being too hot and potentially causing issues with players or technology. With the venue being the Creative Hub in the University of Northampton this will mean it is easy for the students to know where to go to get to this event as to avoid any navigation problems, not only that but it will also mean that those students who live local to Northampton are able to bring their friends along with them and introduce them to both the University of Northampton but also to the event itself. 

Our objectives with this event are to introduce people to the vast realm of gaming and Esports. We also aim to give those who already play a space to compete against one another in a variety of different titles and to give them the opportunity to find like-minded people who they can talk with. Through this event we hope that more people will pick up gaming and join the universities' many different Esports Teams and represent the University in a game title that they choose. 

• Bring more people into the competitive gaming space and introduce gaming to those who have not previously tried it.

• To expand the Esports and gaming industry by introducing it to more people.

• To remove the stigmas around Esports and Gaming in general and to open the world of Esports to all students and to show them just how fun and rewarding it can truly be. 

Well, the event will consist of multiple different parts. These parts include the competition phase, allowing for spectators, the watch phase which will allow people to watch certain videos/ tournament games with one another and compete for the title of best clip. The last phase will be the introduction phase which will be a time for competitors and spectators alike to show each other game titles in which they are interested in that they may not know of. 

The competition phase will be a number of different titles.

These titles include Rocket League, Valorant and League of Legends. These competitions will take place from 11am till 4pm with the whole event starting at 10am. This will allow those who wish to compete time to prepare themselves beforehand. 

During the watch phase taking place from 4pm till 6pm, individuals will be allowed to showcase their own gameplay highlights as well as gameplay they think is impressive or worth a watch. With this phase there will be a community competition between those who wish to participate, the competition will be between each of the players who submit their own highlights by 4pm. Once all submissions have been sent it will be up to the public to decide what clip they think was the most impressive. 

Prizes for each of the competitions will be either food court vouchers for the University of Northampton or gift cards for each of the different game titles. 

10am - Event Starts

11am - 4pm - Game competitions Start allowing for spectators.

4pm - Watch Phase will begin showcasing submitted clips

5pm - Clips will be judged and prizes handed out to the winners of both the Game competitions and the clip competition.

6pm - Event will end.

A stakeholder matrix will allow us to decide who are the main interests of the event and who takes priority when planning the event.

Stakeholder analysis helps you discover what your stakeholders need and expect from your project. It allows you to identify key stakeholders, the ones with a positive attitude towards your project and those who might oppose it. (Tractivity, 2023)

Gamer Space would have many stakeholders such as: 

• The University of Northampton 

• Competitors taking part in the event 

• Volunteer Staff 

• General Attendees  

• Food Vendors 

The most important stakeholders within this list would be the University of Northampton itself and the General Attendees.  

Since we are using the Creative Hub in the University to host this event it would mean that the event's performance would directly affect them. For example, if the event was to fail it would have a direct effect on the University itself since it failed to use their facilities. 

The general attendees are also very important stakeholders as they will be the main people who will decide whether or not the event was well run and fun. Depending on their reviews of the event it could either mean the event can run again or never again. 

A stakeholder is anyone with an interest or concern in something typically a business.

Why are they so important?

Stakeholders are the foundation of any event and focusing on them during both the planning stage and execution stage is very important when considering how the event will be run and what to prioritize when the event is taking place.

We can consider event stakeholders, both in the case of mega events and in the case of small-scale events, as crucial. (Bazzanella, Peters and Schnitzer, 2019)

Since the venue is the creative hub at the University itself it will make it highly feasible. Since the event is to be run for the students at the University it makes a lot of sense for it to take place using the facilities at the University. This will also eliminate any issues with navigation. 

The equipment in the creative hub will also be highly suitable as in the creative hub there are gaming suites which can be used by the competitors to compete. Whilst the competition is taking place there is a large space available both downstairs and upstairs which can be used by spectators to watch and mingle between themselves whilst these competitions are taking place. This will mean that there is a lot of space to house attendees.  

The venue will also be warm and hospitable, being able to accommodate those with disabilities using elevators.  Food vendors will also have an array of space to set up either downstairs or upstairs which will allow for people to get refreshments when they so choose. 

All human assets - the people that staff and operate an organisation, as contrasted with the financial and material resources of an organisation. (Parent and Reutsch, 2021) 

Main Principles of HRM in Esports 

The main principles of HRM in Esports will be: 

• Recruitment and Selection 

• Training and Development 

• Compensation and Benefits 

• Performance Management 

• Succession Planning 

• Employee Relations 

  
  

With recruitment and selection this will focus on the volunteers who want to work during the event, we will need to make sure that they are motivated to work for the event. 

With Training and Development, we will need to ensure that all volunteers have appropriate training if something goes wrong. 

With compensation and benefits this will be linked with recruitment and selection as we will need to make sure the volunteers feel as though working for us during the event is worth their time whether this is through experience gained or a free lunch. 

With performance management we will need to ensure that all volunteers are doing as their job outlines and to make sure they are performing at a high level. 

With succession planning this will mainly focus on their performance during the event and whether or not we would like to keep in touch with them for any future events we decide to host. 

Employee relations will be focusing on workplace dynamics and making sure employees get on with each other and that there is a safe working environment for the volunteers. 

Why is it important in the event? 

HRM will be important during this event as the staff will be made up of volunteers, this will mean that we will need to make sure they are actually willing to do the job they get allocated. Due to the nature of the event, we will need to ensure that the volunteer staff are aware of the clear expectations and directions on how to operate during the event. 

Since we are using the Creative Hub in the University it will mean there is no upfront venue cost. This will mean that the main cost areas would be the refreshments as well as the prizes.  

If we are to gain sponsors for this event it would mean increased brand awareness and could allow for sales to be made for that specific sponsor. Introducing sponsors with ties to Esports could allow new customers to be gained through this event, not only that but with more sponsors it would allow for better prizes to be won and competed for. It could mean that there is an influx of new competitors hoping to win and get these new and potentially more valuable prizes. 

Sponsors would heavily increase the value of the event and could potentially lead to an increase in attendance as more people may want to compete for these new and exciting prizes. 

As an Event Manager I will be the main overseer of the running, planning and overall execution of the event. I will also be the main communicator between all parties involved in the event. 

As an Esports Event Manager, it is likely I will face the same problems as a Sports Event Manager. ESport is a relatively new phenomenon, but core management concerns are not. eSport faces many of the same challenges present throughout the sport industry and that sport management is already equipped to address and research. (Funk, Pizzo and Baker, 2018) 

Here are some of the things I will need to do as an Event Manager: 

• Planning the event means choosing the venue, what games are chosen, what refreshments are offered, the overall layout of the event and the schedule. 

• Budgeting, this means ensuring that we meet our budget and do not overspend what we have whilst also making sure all grounds are covered. 

• Communicate, this will be communication between the venue, staff, attendees and competitors. 

• On-site management, this will mean that during the event I will need to ensure that it all runs smoothly and be there to manage staff when necessary.  

As an Esports Event Manager my role is detrimental in the overall running of the event as without me there wouldn't be an event in the first place. An Esports Event Manager will be the main focal point in communicating what is happening and when during an event.