Web3 Fan Engagement Startup STAN Hosts FanFest For Esports Fans In India STAN FanFest was a part of the Dreamhack 2022 hosted in Hitex Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad from 4-6 November, 2022.

By Kabir Singh Bhandari

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Owing to the rising popularity of play-to-ear gaming with the advent of Web3 gaming, STAN, a blockchain-based fan engagement platform recently hosted a first-of-its-kind FanFest which united various gaming creators, fans and esports players beyond the virtual space, in person. STAN FanFest was a part of the Dreamhack 2022 hosted in Hitex Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad from 4-6 November, 2022. The STAN FanFest brought together over 30000 gaming enthusiasts from across the country.

DreamHack, a gaming event unlike any other is all about the massive BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) LAN party, paired with a plethora of competitive tournaments and international esports competitions. Following 2 years of hiatus induced by the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, the event was hosted this year directly after 2019. The event allows visitors to witness the latest gaming and tech gear at the Expo, and to take part in all sorts of activities including tournaments, cosplay, non-gaming events like music concerts, stand-up comedy and more.

Hosted in association with Wings, a gaming earphones manufacturer, the STAN FanFest provided an immersive experience to the fans by introducing them to the many activities including the Offline version of NFT trump game, the star attraction of Fan area. Having designed one of the most intriguing arenas and booths inside DreamHack, the visitor footfall at STAN FanFest recorded to be the highest throughout the 3 days. Well-received by the online gamers and influencers, the FanFest saw a 30000+ attendees and over 80 influencers through the 3 days. Interestingly, in a first, Free Fire creators and Omegle creators also graced their presence in the meet and greet event.

The key gaming influencers participating in the event were Uk007 Rider for whom over 10,000 fans turned up at the venue, Mortal, Gyan Gaming, Lokesh Gamer, AS Gaming, Thug, Goldy, Raj 'Snax' Varma, and Tanmay 'Scout' Singh. Industry leaders including Thug - Animesh Agarwal, Founder, S8UL & 8bit Creatives; Goldy – Lokesh Jain and Akshat Rathe, MD and Co-founder, NODWIN Gaming, also popularly known as the father of Indian Gaming, marked their esteemed presence at the event. Comedians and leading gaming creators, Samay Raina and Tanmay Bhat also were present, playing the game of board, Chess at DreamHack 2022.

Speaking on the success of STAN's first-ever gaming community meet and greet event, Nauman Mulla, Co-Founder, and COO, STAN, said, "A truly enthralling experience, we at STAN are elated for having hosted the first of its kind FanFest and are planning to unveil many more moving forward. Offering the fans a chance to meet their favorite gamers in person, in accordance with providing them with a platform to experience Web3 gaming with state-of-the-art gaming headphones and equipment, the meet and greet event was truly successful. Allowing free entry to owners of STAN NFTs to the event, we are eyeing to host many such engaging events in the future, in a bid to unlock more rewards for our users over a long period."

Telugu Gaming FF, South India's biggest Free Fire Creator said, "A captivating experience was at the STAN FanFest, witnessing popular online gaming influencers, fans, and creators. Seeing the diverse gaming genres that the fans could immerse themselves in, the event was well-organized. I look forward to attending many such events from the house of STAN."

Kabir Singh Bhandari

Former Senior Assistant Editor

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