Vancouver Homestand Weekend 2020 gets tended to by Tourism Vancouver

Olivia Richman Published 23/07/2019

The Vancouver Titans recently announced that the 2020 Overwatch League season will include homestand weekends at the Rogers Arena. 

Home to the Vancouver Canucks hockey team, the large stadium holds up to 18,000 people. And the city is already contemplating how they can provide further esports-related entertainment for the OWL community that will wind up visiting Vancouver those weekends. 

Tourism Vancouver CEO Ty Speer told City News that Vancouver needs to develop its esports scene, similar to how many cities in the United States have done since the start of the Overwatch League.

“[We should be] like a New York, or Atlanta or a Dallas, I think that’s where this city needs to be positioning itself. So I think it says good things about our brand, generally, and good things about our brand as a sport and an event destination,” Tourism Vancouver CEO Ty Speer told City News. 

So far, Speer states there are no concrete marketing strategies are set in place as the organization continues to work out the best ways of engaging with esports fans in and around the Vancouver area. 

“We’ll have to have a look at the team, and work with our colleagues at the arena, figure out what’s the right way to pitch this to visitors. But I think there’s going to be a visitor opportunity,” he continued. 

Currently, the Vancouver Titans are set to host watch parties at local bars and restaurants in Vancouver during their homestand weekends and beyond. But an additional collaboration with Tourism Vancouver will most likely be coming before the 2020 season begins. 

The Overwatch League was originally created with this global structure in mind. According to former commissioner Nate Nanzer, hosting their own tournaments gives the OWL teams the opportunity to build a better and more loyal fan following in their home base of operations. It will also help create a sense of hometown pride, similar to traditional sports.

Having more esports-related activities throughout Vancouver should only help strengthen that hometown concept for the Vancouver Titans OWL franchise. 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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