Strategic Advisory Group: Neil Jonhson
Neil Johnson, Vice President, Esports Sales & Consulting Services, is an industry veteran of 20-plus years, representing destination marketing organizations like the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), Discover Los Angeles and Events DC, and in the corporate, association, gaming and esports markets. He has served in leadership and advisory board roles with PCMA’s Southwest & Pacific Chapter, XLIVE Esports Summit and the Esports & Gaming Business Summit. He is the recipient of Connect Meeting’s Connect 2018 GameChanger Award and has worked with prominent gaming and esports organizations like Activision Blizzard, Twitch, ESL FACEIT Group NBA2K League, U.S. Army Esports, Esports Engine and more.
PROGRAMMING & WORKSHOPS
Asset Assessment: For a business or destination to properly enter the gaming and esports market, they must know their true value proposition—what they bring to the table that sets themselves up for successful entry; what differentiates them from the competition and what they can lean into to make them attractive to this market; and what they have in-house that allows them to take advantage of industry opportunities. We’ll conduct a thorough assessment of those assets, conduct interviews with stakeholders to identify KPIs and present attributes that they should highlight and feature.
Outcomes:
- Measure the readiness of a business or destination to enter the gaming and esports market.
- Identify the gaps and strengths in a business or destination’s value proposition.
- Establish the path for strategic entry into the gaming and esports market that highlights your strengths.
Project Work: A project can be specific, i.e., developing a marketing plan, broad-based, educating stakeholders or longer-term to align marketing with the expectations of participants and fans. A project can be event specific, i.e., producing a gaming and esports activation at your upcoming event or conference, seasonal, establishing or hosting bootcamps at your property, or taking advantage of movements within the industry using streamers and influencers to market your product or property. Whatever the project is, if centered around gaming and esports, we can be of assistance.
Outcomes (Examples)
- Developing marketing plans
- Educating stakeholders on gaming and esports
- Presenting esports and gaming workshops to conference attendees
- Conducting a gaming and esports activation at an upcoming event
- Establishing seasonal bootcamps
- Streamer and/or influencer promotions
Strategic Implementation: Where should you deploy your company’s assets and resources? What market segments should you pursue? What games should you be interested in? What scene do you want to play in—professional, semi-professional, amateur, collegiate, casual gamer? Should you be a sponsor and at what level? These are serious questions that will impact a strategic plan and the implementation of said plan. Based upon a business or destination’s asset assessment, we’ll develop a strategic plan for entry into this market, one that highlights the strengths of a business or destination and that allows you to take advantage of opportunities the market presents. A strategic plan that identifies the lane you want to play in, one that includes area of growth and one that establishes Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for measurement.
Outcomes:
- Develop a strategic plan specifically tailored to your strengths.
- Develop a strategic plan of entry that allows you to capitalize on opportunities within the industry.
- Implementation of your strategic plan that aligns with desired Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
- Implementation of your strategic plan that allows you to enhance and positively contribute to the gaming and esports ecosystem.
Testimonials
“Getting into the events and hospitality space can be daunting for gaming and esports companies. Thankfully, I have had the pleasure of working with Neil Johnson for nearly a decade. Neil has provided me with industry leading thought leadership, combined with actionable insights and recommendations. Neil is a trusted partner who delivers for clients. I greatly appreciate his ability to understand the unique issues that face the gaming and esports industry and help us to navigate the ideal solutions. It is refreshing to have a partner willing and able to deliver on the unique hospitality needs that gaming and esports have. Based on my time at Twitch as well as Epic Games, I can tell you that he is someone who is not only well versed in the space, but very well connected with the right people in the space. Together we have partnered on programs for Rocket League Championship Series, Twitch Rivals as well as Army & Navy MWR. I look forward to continuing working together on opportunities with Neil in the future.”
--Nathan Lindberg, CEO, MONEYBADGER Consulting
“I actually first met Neil at Incheon Airport in South Korea when we were invited to be panelists at the International Esports Federation's World Summit. Whether domestically or abroad, his leadership and knowledge of the esports and gaming industry is apparent and brings a fresh angle to the hospitality and events sector. For instance, NYU and ALHI recently collaborated to put together a gaming activation at the ALHI Executive Exchange. We were able to successfully educate attendees about gaming and how it can be implemented at their own events and hotels. I am looking forward to working with ALHI in the future to create one of a kind events and activations.”
--Jason Chung, Director & Esports Business Professor, NYU School of Professional Studies Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport
