My trip to San Antonio had a pretty simple mission: spend time with our partners, introduce myself to potential future partners, help champion the growth of the esports space as both a fan and supporter of the industry… and of course, find some great Texas BBQ.
On the way down, I stopped in New Braunfels to check out the newest arena build from Valhallan. It was great seeing the progress in person! We believe in what they’re building and hope ggCircuit can continue finding ways to help power and support those experiences moving forward.
From there, I headed into San Antonio and spent time at the Boeing Center at Tech Port for the FORGE Scholastic Esports Championship. The venue itself is incredible, and huge props to Kevin Meyer, our main point of contact and in-house executive producer at Tech Port, along with his entire staff. They run a top-notch operation.
Fun fact! The Boeing Tech Port Esports Center, located in the heart of this amazing facility, is actually a current ggCircuit customer and runs our ggLeap platform throughout their open-to-the-public LAN center. Seeing the space packed with students, players, staff, and community members really reinforced how important these physical gaming hubs are becoming.
Seeing the event live really put into perspective where this space is headed. The energy around the students, schools, and programs was incredible. One of the highlights of the trip was spending time with Jacob VanRyn, Commissioner and CEO of the NECC. I always enjoy our conversations and how aligned we are on helping grow the collegiate esports space the right way through stronger infrastructure, better tools, and stronger communities.
I also had the chance to connect with the team from Northwood Esports. Their program is incredibly impressive, and after another huge championship run, it was easy to see why they continue to be one of the top collegiate esports programs in the country. Looking forward to reconnecting with them soon.
This was a great event. It was awesome seeing esports continue expanding beyond competition into leadership development, education, career pathways, and real-world opportunities for students.
If you want to check out all the results and highlights from the weekend, make sure to follow the NECC’s Twitter feed. Also, if you’re a school, team, or club looking to compete and grow your program, definitely check out everything NECC is building for the collegiate esports space.
