With all eyes on Las Vegas this weekend as esports tournaments return to Sin City, Ultimate Media Ventures will host the third Battle on the Strip on Sunday at SLS Las Vegas, this time with Gears of War as the centerpiece of the action. Competitors will be able to face off against esports pillars such as OpTic Gaming, EnVyUs, eUnited, and Echo Fox with $10,000 on the line. (Tickets and info available at BattleontheStrip.com and you can use promo code “BattleCode” for holiday discount.) Nate Eckman, Co-Founder & Chief Brand Officer at Ultimate Media Ventures laid out the ten rules for organizing a great tournament for Cynopsis.

1. Be like Santa Claus and check everything twice (at least)
2. There isn’t a master calendar for esports events around the world so take a look at your tournament date and know what’s going on with every other event too
3. Embrace the regionality and local community you are activating in and get them involved with compelling cross promotional opportunities
4. Don’t assume prize pool alone will get your tournament attention
5. Craft a compelling narrative around how you announce your tournament and utilize as much social media as possible
6. Don’t assume pro players alone will get your tournament attention
7. Plan out your programming schedule to keep it entertaining throughout since it can be brutal for even hard core esports fans to watch 10+ hours of content
8. Give your tournament as much lead time as possible when it comes to marketing and promotional lead time
9. The publisher is your friend
10. Remember this is about video games so have FUN!