Intel® Extreme Masters World Championship returns to Katowice to once again deliver the world’s biggest esports event. World-class esports competition, newest technology, and tons more await the thousands upon thousands of fans who will visit the event in just a couple of weeks.
Ahead of the event, we chat to Bastian Veiser, Senior Production Manager Intel Extreme Masters, about what it’s like to work on the unique project that is IEM.
ESL: Firstly, let’s go back 9 years to when you joined ESL. How did you end up here?
Bastian: I knew ESL from playing Counter-Strike in the league since 2002 and joined ESL originally as an intern helping out at Intel Friday Night Games, a predecessor to later named ESL Pro Series and the now called ESL Meisterschaft (German National League). At the beginning, it was just a job to hold me over between my military service and the start of the college semester little did I know I'd be able to make a career out of my favorite thing in the world.
ESL: How did you get involved with IEM and how did your role evolve throughout the years?
Bastian: I joined the IEM team late 2013, I was responsible for the ESL Pro Series back then and pretty busy with setting up our studios in Cologne but when Ralf our CEO asked me to work with Carmac on IEM I did not hesitate and said yes. The IEM team to the day is still a fairly small team considering the global scale and size of our events. Because of our small size, everyone on the team has to wear multiple hats, the whole project is run very organically as a team. My role has evolved to be responsible for global operations. In other words, I make sure we have everything we need to put on our events from equipment to staff, including the necessary venues and legal procedures.
ESL: What are the biggest challenges when it comes to organizing events all around the world?
Bastian: All around the world is exactly it. Intel Extreme Masters, unlike any other tournament series, has always been a truly global project. We have been in Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia. Everywhere we go has its own set of rules and obstacles. I think this is not just a tremendous challenge for us but also one of the greatest assets IEM has. As a global product, we are able to bring esport pretty much anywhere in the world and meet some truly amazing people along the way. Many of them have inspired us and some of them even joined the ESL family.
ESL: Which IEM stage are you most proud of and why?
Bastian: I mentioned that due to the small size of the IEM team, all of us are involved in many of the decisions and processes that we go through when putting on events. Stage design is one of those collaborative efforts. Throughout the years we have refined our expectations of what a good esport stage makes and where to improve for the next event. So for us designing a stage is an ever-evolving process in which we strive to deliver an amazing esports experience for our audience. With that being said, Katowice traditionally fuses all these great ideas into one epic stage closing out every season with my personal favorite setup.
ESL: IEM Katowice is an enormous event, with a giant stage in the Spodek arena, as well as Expo filled with partner booths and additional stages. What does it take to make it all happen?
Bastian: Katowice is unlike anything we do, and even in today's esport world something that yet has to be replicated (if that is even possible.) The core team around Katowice consists of around 200 people and if you count the rest of the ESL family and volunteers we easily break 500. That is a lot of hotel rooms and meals. Outside of people logistics, we are consistently breaking records when it comes to our hardware needs. For example this year, we are using around 500 high-end tournament systems provided by Intel. Taking care of so many systems is not only a logistical challenge but also requires a sizable IT team and the proper tech-infrastructure to enable all pro gamers to compete on the very best machines under the same conditions.
ESL: What can we expect from IEM Katowice this year?
Bastian: An esport experience that you will not forget, I promise. This year we not only have IEM but also ESL One visiting Katowice. Dota 2, CSGO, PUBG and Starcraft® II will be our core titles and just looking at the player lineup within the SC2 tournament gives you an idea of how epic the competition will be this year. On top of all that, there will be many smaller tournaments in other popular games as well as the IEM Expo where you will be able to check out new games and experiences by our partners who enable us to put on this awesome esport festival in Poland.
For more information about IEM World Championship Katowice, be sure to visit the official website, as well as follow IEM on Twitter and Facebook.