Esports: The Conference" Hosted by KTA Brugge on June 4th, Featuring BESF as Proud Partner

Since the 2023-2024 school year, KTA Brugge is the only Belgian secondary school to offer Esports as an elective within 4 directions. A well-framed study of Esports offers the prospect of numerous jobs in the future. Esports within KTA Brugge is a great success. From the next school year, students can also choose this within the optional package of two pillars in the third secondary school finality. So booming education.

KTA Bruges believes in the power of knowledge sharing and wants to play a leading role in the further development of Esports. This includes the international (English-language) meeting “Esports: The Conference!” on Tuesday, June 4.

Based on our experience and thanks to our excellent collaboration with leading international and national partners in the sector, we are organizing a never-before-seen international B2B event that brings together Esports with governments, people from the education sector and industry, innovators and investors. We will demonstrate the possibilities of Esports in education and the added value of the skills learned through Esports. These skills are essential for the jobs of the future. We receive the 250 participants of the conference in style and in the atmosphere of an Esports environment. We have formulated a number of concrete objectives that we want to achieve with this conference. - Director Lien Hautekeete: 

Those objectives are:

• Stimulating partnerships between governments, universities and other educational institutions, companies, non-profit organizations, the BESF (Belgian Esports Federation)…
• With the support of the industry and knowledge institutions, prepare a file to have Esports recognized in the future as a full-fledged direction with a complete educational program
• Motivate more students to opt for STEM education through Esports and thus meet the demand for more STEM profiles at companies and institutions.
• Focus on the future development and construction of an Esports arena where a community can grow and talent can be developed. A building with a leisure space, a streaming space, and a podcast space is being considered, realized and operated by joining forces.

Authorities speak

‘Esports. The Conference' will be opened by Bruges Mayor Dirk De Fauw. Then a dozen domestic and foreign authorities from the world of Esports will take the floor. KTA Brugge is particularly pleased with the presence of special guest Eefje 'Sjokz' Depoorter (a former student of Atheneum Brugge, gamer and reporter of European Esports tournaments around League of Legends, hostess of game shows worldwide.)

The full program can be found here: 

Only possible with the support of …

The organization of a conference with this allure is only possible with the support of partners. KTA Brugge an co-organizer Scholengroep !mpact could count on the valued support of the City of Bruges, Lenovo, BMCC, Dell, The Rent Company, Intel, BESF, VUB, Matchware, hotel Montovani, Agori, VOKA, Vlaio, GameChangers, Unlocked, Belgian Student League, NASEF.

KTA Brugge has succeeded in a short time to convince a wide audience of the relevance of Esports as a study object. The school thus opens the gates to jobs for the future, but does even more. With the characteristic spirit of top athletes – KTA Brugge is not without reason also a top sports school- the school chooses to excel and inspire. This ambition fits perfectly into the vision of our school group. I am particularly pleased that so many partners – not least the City of Bruges – support this project with such enthusiasm - Pieter De Winne, general manager of Scholengroep !mpact