Day one of the 2022 Inven Global Esports Conference is in the books, and before day two begins, let's take a look at what discussions about the esports industry, both present and future, have already taken place at the event.

IGEC 2022 kicked off with a panel on esports leadership featuring T1 CEO Joe Marsh, G2 Esports CEO & Founder Carlos "ocelote" Rodríguez Santiago, FlyQuest CEO Tricia Sugita and Team Liquid co-CEO Steve Arhancet. The specific focus of the panel was the lessons these leaders have learned and what the industry at large can take from those lessons.

"What I have found is that you have to know where to draw your line. You have to educate them. In my case, I’m pretty straightforward with the way I educate our fans," said ocelote regarding cultivating a specific esports fanbase under a brand.

TSM VP of Esports Dominic Kallas was next with a keynote speech around the future of the prestiguous organization he joined at the beginning of 2022 and how his own experiences have shaped his outlook on the keys to longevity as an esports organization.

The Fight for Unionization in Esports & Gaming panel was next, which was moderated by Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles.

"If employers aren’t listening to their employees, you can be even further removed as a player...Also, happy developers make better games, just in general," explained CODE-CWA's Jessica Gonzalez, who spearheaded labor rights initiatives following the 2021 employee walkout at Activision Blizzard. 

Champions Queue has been a big improvement for current North American League of Legends esports professional players and aspiring pros alike, and in the Champions Queue and What It Means for Pro Scouting panel, LCS Academy color caster Matthew "Cubby" Samuelson, former LCS pro and streamer Samson "Lourlo" Jackson, and Golden Guardians support Kim "Olleh" Joo-sung discussed how the system could keep improving and furthermore benefit the competitive scene as a whole.

Day 1 of IGEC 2022 wrapped with three panels focused on the business side of esports.

Two panels focusing on blockchain innovation and how esports partnerships are changing, respectively, focused on the future of the industry before the day wrapped up with members of Team Liquid, Cloud9, Beastcoast and turndownforwalt discussing what makes a successful esports merchandise campaign. 

Day 2 of the 2022 Inven Global Esports Conference kicks off at 9:00am PT on Tourney Locator's Twitch channel.