Overview : Pico, entrusted by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), successfully organized and managed the depa Esports, a comprehensive year-long national initiative. This project was strategically designed to cultivate and expand Thailand's rapidly growing esports ecosystem in Thailand, and included a regional tournament spanning 8 regions, alongside extensive educational programs and community engagement activities, reaching across 30 provinces to foster talent, educate stakeholders, and build a robust ecosystem.
The extensive scope of work for this project encompassed a wide array of responsibilities, ensuring a holistic approach to esports development. This included comprehensive public relations and end-to-end esports tournament management, from conceptualization to execution. It also involved meticulous event design and construction of venues and setups for roadshows and competitions. Furthermore, Pico handled the full operation of all events, logistics and transportation for equipment and personnel, and comprehensive public relations (PR) campaigns to maximize outreach. Critical components also included community engagement activities, press conference organization, and robust digital presence management through dedicated website development and social media promotion.
Insight : A key insight driving this project was the recognition of a clear and significant opportunity to grow esports from grassroots education to competitive professional play. There was an untapped potential for talent at the local level, coupled with a demand for structured learning paths and professional opportunities. By integrating educational initiatives with competitive tournaments and industry networking, the project aimed to create a complete pathway for aspiring esports enthusiasts.
Execution : To build the esports ecosystem, we undertook a multi-faceted approach by executing (1) educational programs, developing and delivering extensive online and offline teacher training sessions, organizing school roadshows across 30 provinces, and creating a substantial 180 hours of free online courses, (2) business networking, designed to connect emerging esports athletes with professional organizations and teams, aiming to foster career pathways and build robust industry networks, and (3) tournaments, conducted both online and offline, and organized regional tournaments across 8 venues nationwide to scout and identify new RoV talent, culminating in a highly anticipated grand final.
Result : The depa Esports initiative yielded significant positive outcomes, demonstrating its impact and reach. It successfully engaged a vast audience across Thailand, from students and teachers to aspiring athletes and industry professionals. Specifically, 1,044 teachers participated in training, leading to 515 submitted works. The school roadshows and online clips reached over 83,623 participants. The international RoV competition attracted over 4,587 participants, with winners earning unique opportunities to compete against renowned professional players. The project developed key educational resources and training programs, significantly enhancing knowledge and skills within the esports community, effectively fostered professional connections through business matching, creating pathways for talent. Ultimately, by identifying and nurturing new talent through competitive tournaments, the project made a substantial and lasting contribution to the overall national esports ecosystem, laying groundwork for future growth and recognition.
