Midwest Fest 2024 Overview
Event Dates: June 7th - 9th, 2024Location: Hy-Vee Arena, Kansas City
Midwest Fest 2024 is an exciting multi-day event dedicated to celebrating competitive gaming, creative talent, and artistry from the Midwest region. Taking place at the state-of-the-art Hy-Vee Arena, this event offers a grand stage for players, creators, and artists to showcase their skills and creativity.
Venue Details:
Capacity: 9,000
Space: 50,000 square feet
Onsite Audience: 2,500 - 3,500
Online Audience: 1,000
Target Audience:
Age: 18-34
Gender: Male 55%, Female 45%
Region: Midwest
Featured Games:
Tekken 8
Super Smash Bros
Street Fighter 6
Overwatch 2
Modern Warfare 3
Apex Legends
Midwest Fest is designed to build grassroots growth in esports, with an open entry for all participants and impressive prize pools ranging from $1,000 to $3,500, depending on the game. This event attracts new teams and enthusiasts to compete in their favorite titles and contribute to the thriving esports community.
X Element participated in Midwest Fest 2024, bringing six teams from across the United States. Our players traveled by plane or bus from Arizona, Utah, Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, Missouri, and Kansas. At the event, X Element achieved 2nd place in Tekken 8 and 5th place in Apex Legends. For many of our players, this was their first LAN tournament experience.
Two Positives from Midwest Fest 24:
One key positive to highlight is how X Element united as a self-funded team to attend the event. This involved months of meticulous planning, including securing event and travel tickets for our players, arranging accommodations like Airbnb, and organizing transportation with rental vehicles. This experience was great for the X Element staff, offering hands-on learning and a deep understanding of the logistics involved in such opportunities.
Another significant positive was the opportunity for X Element players to showcase their skills, which built a valuable networking environment. This exposure led to two of our players being considered for full-ride scholarships, with a collegiate team competing in one of the tournaments.
Two Negatives From Midwest Fest 24:
One key negative aspect of the event was the management of the tournaments. Although Midwest Fest expanded its floor space sixfold in 2023, it seemed there was a need for more staff to run the tournaments efficiently. For example, our Apex team experienced a setback when the game started with incorrect key binds, resulting in a loss for our team.
Another significant negative aspect of the event was the single-elimination format used for the Overwatch tournament. Given that players had traveled from all over the United States, it was disheartening for our team to face a squad consisting entirely of the top 100 players in the world right from the start.
One last thought on the positive and negative:
The networking opportunities at the event and the Red Bull after-party on Saturday night were significant highlights. At the after-party, Joshua “Stu” Keener, the event organizer, approached our team and spent an hour and a half discussing our experiences. He gathered our feedback on the event's positives and negatives, allowing us to share our insights directly with him.
Primary Sponsors:
The primary sponsors for Midwest Fest 2024 were Kick, Red Bull, and the Army National Guard. Kick set up their own stage for the Overwatch, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty tournaments, and their presence was highly visible and well-executed. Red Bull also had a dedicated stage for their fighting game tournaments, including Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, and Super Smash Bros. They effectively promoted their brand by giving out free Red Bull drinks to all ticket holders. The Army National Guard featured a booth with a rotating camera platform for free photos, which proved to be a big hit with attendees.
Summary:
X Element's participation in Midwest Fest 2024 was a valuable experience, showcasing the team's dedication and perseverance in attending a large-scale event while navigating logistical challenges. Despite setbacks, such as staffing issues and single-elimination formats, the event offered significant networking opportunities, resulting in potential scholarships for two players. The presence of key sponsors like Kick, Red Bull, and the Army National Guard added to the event's professional atmosphere and engagement. I'm sharing a link to a short documentary of our trip to Midwest Fest—feel free to check it out and give it a like!
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