Either run the day or the day runs you.- Jim Rohn
Here we are! Now that you and your team have decided the ins and outs of your eSports event and everyone knows what role they will be taking on for the event, the only thing remaining is running your eSports event.
Before we get started, make sure you have:
- All social media channels and broadcasting platforms ready to go (this includes your lay outs and discords).
- Created the social media campaigns (You know which social media you will be using to advertise the event - you know your target and have created the flyer for the event)
- Confirmed the event's attendance.
Being organised on the day will essentially be your make or break for success. Scripting and scheduling it will help ensure the event run smoothly.
Let’s look at what needs to be considered when running the event on the day.
Social media
- hour start
- breaks
- game
- the link for the broadcast event
- contact details of the participants.
This process always varies, they are different and are always changing and adapting due to their audience needs. But if we had to create a structure for you and your team to run, it will be the following:
The event is about to start and what we need to do is:
- Get players to check in starting from an hour before start to 30 minutes before to confirm participance. During the planning phase, you will have obtained the contact details of all relevant participants for the event, including their discord. Confirming attendance can be done in several ways, but we will do this through discord where they will need to thumbs up react to a ‘check-in’ post to confirm they are ready to get started with the event. If we are missing players, which sometimes occurs even after all the checks we have previously done, a substitute will need to be notified
- Hosts will need to remind participants of the rules and regulations of the event. This will include the format and any health and safety issues. This will give players time to read over everything to make sure the event goes as smoothly as possible and make sure they have not missed anything.
- Now that players have confirmed attendance, you can use the social media posts that have been prepared. Note that sometimes they may have to get altered – for example if a player could not make it, you would have to change a few details in your post. These will include the event schedule and anything else you may need to add.
- Tell participants where they will be able to find all relevant information regarding the actual tournament. This will include which platform that you will use to communicate with them until the event (it can be the same channel on discord). Here is where you will share scores and notify players of any issues that may arise throughout the event
Final drill
Do a final drill with your team right before your broadcast event. A final run through will help keep this fresh in their minds and can act as a motivator before the event starts. Think of this as the final rehearsal!
The Final countdown…
Ensure you have arranged the start of the countdown on your stream and social media so everyone involved is aware of the time they have left.
Introducing…
The Presenter and host will introduce the event and explain what will be happening. They will engage the audience and set the atmosphere for the day.
The crew…
Analyst desk
We will move to the analyst desk in which we will be having a conversation while the teams are getting ready. You should start explaining the audience a little more about the event itself.
Teams
Teams are entering to their respective game accounts and discord channels, they are reminded the basic rules for the event.
Shoutcaster
Shoutcaster desk starts, introduce themselves and wait till the game is being played, instantly shifts camera angles to the players observer (while casting).
Once every game is done players are moved again to waiting areas on discord and calling the next badge of players and follow this sequence.
- Analysts take over and start talking about the previous match with the highlights
- As soon as the game admin tells the desk that they are ready for the next badge we shift again to the casters and so on.
- When its time for the break we will shift to the event presenter
- 15/30/1h break (Social media update)
- Event presenter quickly catches up with crowd, tells how everything is going to go from them
- Passes to the analyst desk and we repeat this process until playoffs/ semis / finals
- Once we get into a different layout of bracket the event presenter lets everyone know what will change from now on (social media update)
- Analysts take over again to explain further details while players get ready
- Casters take over and we repeat these steps until the final
- After the final even hosts congrats the winners/ finalists/ does a quick summery of the event and closes with a thank you for participating (social media update).
Portfolio checkpoint G: The day of the event
Make a weekly planner (poster/whiteboard/online) and list all the ‘to dos’ on the days leading up to the event. Make it accessible to the event team and include times so everyone knows what needs to be done and when.
