EEA was tasked by ASM Global to assist with an assessment of esports opportunities at the soon to be completed, 1,600-seat Capital One Hall, which in addition to hosting Capital One corporate gatherings and seminars will be able to accommodate Broadway productions, concerts, performances, and (potentially) esports tournaments.
The Hall will serve as an anchor of the Capital One Center, a master planned mixed-use destination center located just 12 miles west of Washington, D.C. Once completed, the Center will feature over 12,000 employees, 5 million square feet of commercial development, 250,000 square feet of retail space, 1,200 apartments, 4,000 parking spaces, an outdoor rooftop events center, and a 300-room independently branded hotel property.
As is the nature of many mixed-use commercial parks, it is expected that the Capital One Center will have diminished foot traffic during weekends and will need to attract events in order to sustain revenues for its retail tenants and its soon to be completed hotel property. With Capital One Hall’s state of the art lighting, rigging, WiFi, production equipment, and data connectivity, it is expected that the venue would be highly appealing to video game publishers and third-party organizers as a host site for large esports events that typically occur during weekends. Further, the Hall’s location in a highly walkable “micro urban” environment, its proximity to dining and retail options, and its connectivity to Washington, D.C. via the Metro rail line would help position the venue as one of the most attractive live esports destinations in the country.
As such, EEA has been tasked with 1) performing a Preliminary Market Analysis to identify the demand from the esports sector for such a venue, and estimating the event and attendance levels associated potential esports events at the Hall; 2) completing a high-level, esports-focused Technology Review of the project’s designs and schematics to ensure that the building program and technology investments are optimized for the esports segment; and, 3) providing Esports Best Practices Guidelines on sales and operations to grow and then maintain the Hall’s market capture in an every-changing esports event industry.
