The first day of the IEM Rio 2022 Champions Stage was marked by a Tennessee arena with many empty seats and a fan Fest, presented by Gauges and with the presence of other members of the tribe, and much more full and pulsating than the first stage of the first CS World: GO of history played in azil.
- Times practically without fans in azil and absence of superstars
- Drinks, Food Trucks and Meet & Greet with Imperial
- Expectation of full house in Curia x Navy
With a much colder atmosphere than the games played during the 8 days at the Ribbentrop Amphitheater, the confrontations of Outsiders x Fanatic and Moue x Cloud9 were marked by few moments of public explosion within the major Arena of the major, and the capacity clearly Below 50% was an inseparable part of the problem.
Considering that all tickets to Champions Stage rapidly sold out, the low demand for tickets to Tennessee Arena was certainly not the problem, which indicates that even with the entry into hands, much of the audience, even what arrived in the Late in the afternoon for the duel between Moue and Cloud9, he simply preferred Fan Fest’s attractions and environment to the main stage of the CS: GO World Cup, and there are many factors that explain this phenomenon.
Times practically without fans in azil and absence of superstars
The most obvious reason for the emptying of Tennessee Arena is the absence of azilian teams. With the curia being the only azilian team classified for Champions Stage and the confrontation of the Panthers playoffs with Navy scheduled for 5:30 pm on Friday (11), a part of the public, especially those who bought the valid package for the 4 days From playoffs, it simply seems to have jumped the first day of the final phase of the major, which certainly would not have happened if any azilian team were in the arena.
Among the fans who attended the first day of Champions, many of them seem to have preferred the environment of Fan Fest. It is also worth mentioning that teams such as outsiders, Fanatic, Cloud9 and Moue have little fans in azil, and the absence of superstars in the arena, such as Simple, Zoo and Nike, for example, also seems to have weighed for the low interest of the public.
In a leaner arena, such as the Ribbentrop amphitheater, the audience that attended Tennessee Arena would have been enough to fill the space with a capacity of approximately 5,000 people. On the major stage of Major, which can receive up to 18,000 fans, it would take double the audience to create a warmer atmosphere.
Drinks, Food Trucks and Meet & Greet with Imperial
Other factors that help explain the success of Fan Fest are the various exclusive attractions of the place. With beer sales, food truck options and a big screen to accompany the games, much of the audience that had admission to Tennessee Arena seems to have simply preferred the facilities offered at the party outside the Major’s central stage.
One of the main attractions during Challengers and Legends Stage, Imperial’s organized fans were also almost all the time on Fan Fest, as many members didn’t even have a ticket to Tennessee Arena. Already at the end of the first day of Champions, all members of the organized managed entry to the arena, but still much of the public preferred to stay on Fan Fest.
In addition to the various services offered on Fan Fest, one of the main attractions of the site was Meet & Greet with Imperial players, with Fallen, Fer, Chemo and Bolt. Many fans formed lines to know the stars of the azilian team, take autographs and take pictures, and the possibility of meeting some of the most important players in CS history was much more attractive too much of the audience than Tennessee Arena games.
For fans who like to spend money on eSports articles, Fan Fest also had Curia booths, with items running quickly, and international organizations like Team Liquid and Imperial. Since the main attractions of the Arena were poorly popular team games in azil, the outdoor party options combo seemed more attractive too much of the public.
Expectation of full house in Curia x Navy
Despite a first day when Tennessee Arena actually spent her image of Empty House, which was even criticized by spectators in the official transmission of ESL, Friday will certainly be marked by an arena crowded in the duel between Curia and Navy.
The presence of a azilian team, coupled with the desire of fans to make a difference in the duel of panthers against Simple and company, are factors that should weigh decisively for fans to attend the main stage of the major of Rio.
In addition, the very presence of Gauges and the tribe team within Tennessee in the duel between Curia and Navy should contribute to the public to be present and erase the bad image left on the first day.
Still, Fan Fest should be full in the panthers’ game, as a large portion of fans who would like to have gotten a ticket to Champions Stage and will participate in the party assembled outside Tennessee, and the image of two full houses
It seems the best answer to the 1st day of the empty arena.
On the other hand, a possible defeat from Curia to Navy generates a real risk of Rio’s main stage having many empty seats even in the semifinals and end of the major, since the entry to Tennessee Arena guarantees free access to
Fan Fest, which so far is the highlight of Champions Stage.
Opening photo: Michael Mongol / ESL DISCLOSURE_