The BESF is very excited to launch the second edition of the Esports Events Incubator: a support program to encourage and help our stakeholders with organizing more grassroots esports events. After a succesful first edition, where we supported 6 great initiatives, we are happy to expand the incubator for this second edition. Thanks to the players of Lotto, we are able to increase the budget from 5000 to 8000 euros.

Esports events are the heart of a stable, healthy esports ecosystem. Without events, players and teams lack the opportunities to compete, to show themselves to the public, to build up viewership and a fanbase, to discover more talent, and so on. Unfortunately, the most common concern that we capture from our stakeholders is that there is a lack of esports events in Belgium. And indeed we see that potential organizers often experience lots of barriers like financial risks, lack of expertise or lack of confidence. That's why the BESF, with this incubator, is looking to support events financially but also with expert advice, new ideas and connections. We want to stimulate our stakeholders to get started with organizing events and help them to make their event sustainable. Even if a subsidy is not granted, the organizer will leave with valuable feedback to make their event stronger.

With the first edition, the incubator had a budget of 5000 euros with which we supported 6 great events. Thanks to the trust of our partner Lotto and their belief in this program, we are able to raise this budget to 8000 euros this year! The focus will remain on supporting grassroots initiatives. The goal is to support 5 to 10 smaller-scale but qualitative events (with growth potential) with a maximum of 1500 euros, rather than 1 or 2 big events.

We hope to encourage many esports enthusiasts to cast away their doubts and reservations and to organize something, even if it is very small. The BESF beliefs that many small initiatives are the strongest basis for a healthy esports ecosystem and if you want to start one of those initiatives, then the esports events incubator is here to support you!

How it works

Any organizer that wants to organize a new esports event or new esports initiative at an existing event (organizing an esports tournament at an existing gaming fair, for example) in 2027 can apply for a subsidy through one of the application forms below. The only hard requirements are that the event takes place in Belgium or serves the Belgian community and that the organizer is able to invoice the BESF. New this year is that requests between 501 and 1500 euros will need to fill out the full application form and requests up to 500 euros can fill out a shorter application form.

Depending on the number of applications, a selection of events will be made to hold a small online pitch for a jury of people with experience in esports and/or event management. To make this process as objective and transparent as possible, the jury will be scoring applications with an evaluation matrix. 

Each applicant will receive the jury decision, along with their scores and comments along all of the evaluation criteria. This process is designed to be a learning experience. Our aim is not only to decide who gets a subsidy but also that every applicant receives valuable feedback to improve their event.

The event will be scored on different criteria within 4 major categories:

•       Overall event concept and long-term vision and strategy    
•       Quality of the event- and financial plan    
•       Added value of the event to the Belgian esports ecosystem    
•       (Bonus) Societal value of the event     

The organizers that got a subsidy granted will have to send their invoices in December and a payment deadline will be discussed with the individual organizers. We aim to pay out all the subsidies well before the start of the event so that there is no need for pre-financing.

The esports events incubator is designed to help events get started and to grow with the explicit goal to make them sustainable. Therefore, an event can get a subsidy granted twice at most.

Timeline

•       20/09: Opening for the event applications    
•       15/11: Application deadline    
•       16/11 - 15/12: Pitches    
•       30/12: Deadline for the selected events to send their invoices    
•       Payment deadline to be discussed with the individual organizers

Supporting the Esports Events Incubator

As the BESF, we are continually looking for companies, organizations and other stakeholders that want to support grassroots esports events.

If you want to support events in any way (i.e. offering materials, a location, expertise, a financial contribution through the incubator, …) and/or you want to serve on the incubator jury, please send an email to [email protected].