This article was written by Angela Bernhard Thomas, Founder, A-Game Esports, and Tyler Othen, Esports Lead, CSL International, and edited by Esports Insider.
Like many other live event sectors, the in-person esports event industry ground to a halt in 2020. But in South Bend, Indiana, the pandemic didn’t stop a tenacious venue manager, a grassroots marketing group, a local university, and a community of believers from completing a first-of-its-kind esports venue within its downtown convention centre.
Welcome to South Bend
Upon arriving at the international airport in South Bend, you are greeted by a mural that reads “Welcome to the Bend”, a call-out to the city’s location along the ‘bend’ on the St.