The Region of Waterloo is aiming to position itself as one of Canada's premier destinations for esports video game tournaments and is preparing to launch a bid to host a major one next year.
Local tourism organization Explore Waterloo Region is asking for regional council's stamp of approval to make a formal bid after promoter and organizer BLAST put the region on the shortlist for locations to host a Rocket League tournament in 2025 that could attract as many as 8,000 spectators a day.
A motion heading to the region's admin and finance committee next week seeks support to use $200,000 from the region's Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) Reserve fund. The MAT is the 4 per cent tax charged for hotel stays in the region and the fund currently sits at around $700,000.
The Kitchener Memorial Auditorium would be the main venue for the June 2025 tournament but other venues would be part of the bid.
The event is said to have a significant positive impact on tourism in the region with 100 million views across 150 countries worldwide in over 30 languages.
The three-day event would be attended by over 80 per cent of spectators from outside the host community.
The region estimates the economic impact to be around $17.7 million with an estimate of 10,000 total room nights booked in local hotels and Airbnbs.
The event production will be in the host city for a week and spend an estimated $3.6 million.
BLAST is an internationally known esports tournament organizer known for hosting events that draw in thousands of spectators to watch teams play popular games like 'Counter Strike' and 'DOTA.'
The event has the potential to elevate the region's status as a premier destination for esport and traditional sport tourism, according to regional staff.
Conestoga College has also been working to improve and grow the esports scene locally with its teams travelling internationally to play in competitions and hosting local tournaments in places like the Galt Arena Gardens.
Funding to make a bid to host the Rocket League tournament was unanimously approved by the Explore Waterloo Region Board, which maintains representation from six municipal and regional CAOs, as well as eight elected tourism representatives.
The group has also secured an additional $20k sponsorship from RedBull for the event.
"The financial support secured to date showcases the support for this event from across the public sector and from the private sector as well," says the motion being considered next week.
Regional council will discuss the motion at its meeting on Aug. 13.
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