Our annual esports networking conference, IGEC (Inven Global Esports Conference), has been postponed in order to adhere to social distancing and flatten the Corona Virus curve. In place of an in-person IGEC filled with panels and talks, we are moving to a digital format to keep our readers and panelists safe amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Our first panel of many more to come is the unavoidable topic everyone must face: "Esports in quarantine: how to survive the new normal".  This panel discussion will address the unease and worry surrounding esports, especially with regards to freelancers, esports organizations, and tournament organizers.

This panel is scheduled this Friday, March 27th at 2:00 PM PST.

You can watch the stream at Twitch.tv/InvenGlobal

The participants

Inven Global's Director of Corporate Strategy, Nick D'Orazio will be moderating the upcoming panel. As a veteran esports journalist, event producer and panelist, Nick is leading Inven Global's digital pivot into the new quarantine normal.

How will esports survive when all of our major events are canceled? What are the habits, tips, or methods being used by industry leaders to adapt to a new work-from-home lifestyle? Lastly, what does esports and gaming career advice look like during a global pandemic?

These topics and more will be discussed by our diverse panel:

Scott Adametz, Esports Tech Lead.

Scott Adametz serves as the Esports Tech Lead at Riot Games. Over the past decade Scott has launched national media networks for FOX, Big Ten & Pac-12 Conferences. He joined Riot Games, developers of League of Legends and operators of 12 professional leagues, 3 years ago.

As the Esports Tech Lead at Riot Games, Scott specializes in developing new media workflows, finding unique solutions, and advancing broadcast technology. He supports a global team of engineers that support thousands of events across our Esports regions including marquee shows: All Stars, MSI and Worlds. Current projects include supporting development of a fully-remote broadcast production model, ensuring global competitive integrity and maintaining our global Esports infrastructure.

Scott is an award-winning innovator, self-starter and team builder with a passion for innovative live, scalable solutions in production environments. Over the past decade he has launched national media networks for FOX, Big Ten & Pac-12 Conferences. His specialties include developing media workflows, finding unique solutions and, through innovation, enabling the cost-effective production of over 9000 live events to date.

Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez is an American Street Fighter player and the man behind one of Twitch's most popular emotes, PogChamp. He is a long-time veteran of the fighting game community (FGC) and leads his team at Cross Counter TV to make incredibly authentic content to his passionate audience.  Always planning ahead for the next opportunity withing the FGC, Gootecks has strong opinions on what aspiring esports workers need to do in order to survive the next couple of  months.

Trisha Hershberger is a popular figure in the tech, gaming, and entertainment industry as a host and content creator. Trisha has previous experience being a panelist at popular conventions such as San Diego Comic-Con and being a moderator at last year's IGEC.

Like most, Trisha has been forced to adapt to COVID-19 and its effect on the industry.  She will share her techniques and experiences to those interested in a similar career while also providing insight into how influencers who are also parents can cope with the new normal.

Freya Fox is a freelancer who is affected by the cancellation of various gaming events such as E3 due to COVID-19. As an influencer across social media such as Instagram, these events are vital to creating content for her fans. Freya's offers a unique perspective from a dedicated freelancer who has made a living working in esports and gaming and will share her thoughts on how the industry should proceed moving forward.