Over 7,500 fans visited and participated in the event, triple from last year’s count: Organizers
The 3rd CONQuest Festival has just been held at the Iloilo Convention Center last June 22 and 23, serving the need of the Visayas and Mindanao regions for a pop culture event which is at par with what us Metro Manilans experience.
Its third year saw a major partnership with Globe Telecom and Twitch, which led to a boom of content ranging from Esports to Arts and Education.
In the words of organizer ISC Events, this has been the event’s “most successful year ever.” Citing in their press release sent to keepsakes., the event has tripled its attendance count compared to last year.
That said, let’s take a look back to the event’s highlights:
[Left] Esports AcadArena National League of Legends Championship winners from the University of Santo Tomas (center) next to Esports AcadArena and Twitch representatives.
[Right] (Left to right) Kevin Hoang, Twitch Partnerships Account Manager; Ariane Lim, CEDO Student Programs Director; Dave Badiola, Esports AcadArena National Hearthstone Championship winner; Mark Candella, Twitch Strategic Partnerships Director [Photo Handout: ISC Events]
- Globe Esports AcadArena — University of Santo Tomas (UST) defeated University of Iloilo (UI) 3–0 for the Esports AcadArena National Finals in League of Legends, receiving a 20,000s peso cash prize and a 10,000 pesos grant to their school, and Dave Badiola (“P3rcy”) from the University of the Philippines (UP) won the championship in Hearthstone with a 10,000 pesos cash prize and a 10,000 pesos grant as well.
- QuestTalks — a series of industry talks and workshops held by resource speakers from across the world, which included:
- How Campus Esports Can Affect You (Mark Candella, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Twitch)
- Crash Course: Lifestyle Content Creation (ThatsBella and Hazel Quing)
- Inside the Mind of Aeonix (Angelo from Aeonix)
- Growing Esports in Your School (Ariane Lim, David Viray, Theo Ignacio, Kevin Hoang)
- QuestPanels — a series of panels by streamers, comic artists, and vloggers showcasing their experiences and stories in their career:
- Streamers Panel (Riku, Suzzysaur, Kang Dupet)
- Komikeros Panel (Kikomachine, Little Things PH, LibrengKomiks)
- Vloggers Panel (Gloco Gaming, CongTV, RogerRaker)
- Creative Corner — a bazaar that featured over 50 artists and merchants from different parts of the country including Kikomachine Komix, Aeonix, and Overdrive Design’s Rd Rogacion.
- Open Tournaments with thousands of pesos worth of prize pools (Winners are indicated below):
- Card Games (Yu-Gi-Oh! — Huan Joshua Li, KeyForge — Paul Que, Magic: The Gathering (Standard) — Isaiah Neoben Diesto)
- Mobile and Console Games (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang — V6 Esports, FIFA19 — Joben Javellana, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate — Godz, Monster Hunter World — Gelson Junco, Noel Pueyo, Daniel Vega, Mateus Sanchez, NBA2k19 — Joben Javellana, Tekken 7 — Raphael Cueva)
- And more, which included Game Developer Booths, Technology Exhibitors, Influencer Fanmeets, and a Food Festival.
[Left] Some of the people behind CONQuest Festival 2019. [Right] Volunteers and core team members take a group picture to celebrate a job well done. [Photo Handout: ISC Events]
So after all this, what was the feeling of organizing such a huge event in that side of the country?
“Our goal was to provide an amazing experience, bring forth education and develop the community with everyone attending the event,” said A. Frederick Sansait, Outreach Director for ISC Events. “It was a pleasure working with the team in order to deliver something bigger, grander, and better. From talking with the attendees, I’m really happy to say we have done that.”
Well said, and well done! I’m happy to know this news, as I was not yet ready to visit Iloilo due to some commitments. I knew some people from Manila who actually went there. Maybe I shall try next year?
[Left](Left to right) Krystel Cosplay, Dinny Grayson, Aeonix and Liui Aquino take a picture together.[Right]Con-goers cosplay as characters from the Japanese anime show, ‘Uta no Prince-sama’‘. [Photo Handout: ISC Events]
Photo Credits
I shall take the time to thank the following for taking the photos that are being handed out by ISC Events: Andrew Marpa, Alera Ruben, Bernardo Doromal III, Daniel Jeff Telic, Dave Torred, Deneb Andan, Jascel Espinosa, Jimdel Ryu Mabaquiao, Kamski Mena, Marky Yap, Rochy Balinas, and Thongenn Lanz Patiam.