Category Archives: News

Pathé and H20 join forces to invest heavily in gaming and esports with Go!Gaming

AMSTERDAM, 8 July 2021 - Pathé and H20 Esports Campus Amsterdam are joining forces to bring a completely new gaming concept to cinemas this autumn: Go!Gaming. Go!Gaming are game locations at Pathé where gamers, esports enthusiasts and Pathé visitors can play together using the best and latest game consoles and PCs. The first Go!Gaming location will open in the autumn at a Pathé branch that has yet to be announced.

Go!Gaming brings gamers, esports enthusiasts and Pathé visitors together to discover the fun and excitement of gaming. Experience, relaxation, gaming together and self-development are central to this. The concept will be launched this autumn, when the first location will also be announced.

Pathé and gaming

Bram van den Broek, Director Operations Pathé, and Matthijs Vink, co-founder of H20 Esports Campus, are the directors of Go!Gaming. Van den Broek: "Go!Gaming is the perfect addition to the cinemas of Pathé. It is important for Pathé to remain relevant for new generations and therefore we continue to innovate. The popularity of gaming and esports has been growing for years. In the past year, we have also noticed that people need entertainment more than ever before, but at the same time they also need interaction and social contact.

We have often organised successful small-scale gaming and esports events in our cinemas and since this summer we have launched Pathé Play, where visitors can play games on the big screen using their own console. By adding Go!Gaming to our cinemas, we can serve our younger target groups and gamers even better. With H20 Esports Campus we have found a partner who strives for the same top quality and customer experience and who has years of experience in building a professional Esports Tech Campus and Esports Stadium. Go!Gaming will make our cinemas even more the place to enjoy an evening or day out with friends and family."

H20 Esports Campus

H20 Esports Campus is the Dutch on- and offline platform where esports, gaming and creative tech come together, and where Dutch esports talent is trained and prepared for a future in creative tech. Matthijs Vink, co-founder H20 Esports Campus: "We are extremely proud that we are going to bring this new concept to the market together with market leader Pathé. After our launch at the end of 2019, we were hit hard by the corona crisis, but in spite of that we still managed to achieve considerable growth. Now it is time for the next step.

Through the cooperation with Pathé we can expand our activities from top esports players to a broader target group of gamers and introduce them to the H20 Esports Campus. Our goal is to create an environment where the right guidance and expertise is available so gamers can meet each other in an educational and responsible manner. If more professional esports players eventually roll out of that, that would be great."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHTzs6QbVmY

Launch Go!Gaming

In the coming weeks, the parties involved will work hard on the further interpretation and realisation of the concept. The exact details of Go!Gaming and the location will be announced this autumn, together with a festive launch. Visitors can keep an eye on the social media channels of Go!Gaming, Pathé and H20 Esports Campus. The links are on the website www.gogaming.gg .

Horizon College starts cooperation with Bit Academy at H20

After the summer holidays, the Software Developer course has started in the H20 esports campus. This is a course offered by Horizon College in Purmerend in close collaboration with Bit Academy, an initiative aimed at better linking ICT education to the job market. The students learn from seniors and coaches how to deal with the rapid developments within this field in a different way. They work on realistic assignments from the business world. The partnership with Bit Academy fits in perfectly with the aims of the PurmerValley foundation. The foundation recently received a 2.5 million subsidy to develop and accelerate ICT projects in the Purmerend region.

During the Software Developer course, young people are trained to develop software for various applications such as websites, games and mobile apps. The H20 esports campus is also home to several young technology companies in order to stimulate cross-fertilisation between education and business.

The field has grown enormously due to the technological revolution of the past decades. The need for well-trained ICT personnel is therefore many times greater than the supply. New techniques and frameworks appear every month, which means that students must learn to deal with rapid changes. This requires a different form of education. One that revolves around learning and collaboration.

LEARNING AT YOUR OWN PACE

Students can choose their own direction and pace within the programme. The majority of the time, the student is busy with assignments from the business world, so they already get acquainted with it. Coaches from the business world with up-to-date experience guide the students and give workshops on current developments. Also 'in time learning' has been introduced: students have to investigate by themselves by trying things out. In doing so, they run into problems and are more open to absorbing material about the required method of working. Another important pillar is cooperation: you learn together instead of individually. Students are not only making assignments together, but also coaching each other, giving feedback and asking each other for help. By working together with Bit Academy, we expect to be able to help more young people develop their talents to meet the need for well-trained ICT staff in our region,' says Patrick Colli, ICT training manager at Horizon College.

BIT ACADEMY

The collaboration with BIT Academy is one of the initiatives to interest young people in training and a job in ICT. The PurmerValley Foundation, a partnership between the regional business community, education and the municipality of Purmerend, recently received a EUR 2.5 million subsidy to strengthen and enrich ICT education in the Purmerend region. The collaboration with Bit Academy contributes to this.

OMEN Gaming Club in the H20 Rabo Esports Stadium in Purmerend opens every day from 2 October

Until now, it was mainly group activities that could be booked in the Rabo Esports Stadium, part of the H20 Esports Campus in Purmerend. But the largest esports centre in the Netherlands opens every weekend in September. This weekend, for the first time, you can come and play, race and chill in the new Omen Gaming Club. And you can watch the semi-finals and finals of League of Legends on a mega LED screen. From 2 October, the Omen Gaming Club will even be open every day.

"After months of delay due to construction challenges and Corona, it is finally here," says manager Sjaak Kuil. "During the summer we started the group activities. Now it's time for the next step. The OMEN Gaming Club will be set up within the Rabo Esports Stadium just like a sports club or fitness club. So there will always be supervision present and you can become a member. A Valhalla for interested people of all ages. Members can participate in a variety of activities such as coaching sessions, training sessions, online and offline tournaments, events and more. And it will also be a friendly club where young people can socialise with each other."

Gaming with high-end equipment.

Everyone can game on the latest high-end desktop PCs, Playstations and racing simulators! This is made possible by our partners OMEN, ACER, Game Seat and PlayStation. We focus mainly on competitive gaming titles such as League of Legends, CS:GO, Rocket League, Fall Guys, Fortnite, PUBG. But Brawl Stars, Roblox, Minecraft and many other games are of course also available. During the months of September and October we have an opening promotion where you can play 3 hours of games for only 4 euros. Check www.h20.gg for more information. Don't miss out on this opportunity, will you?

Responsible gaming and talent training
The club is for young and old. Of course we keep it responsible and that is why you can play a maximum of 3 hours a day. Sjaak: "There are still few places where parents and children can go when it comes to gaming. We want to be a place where counsellors can point out the rules of conduct to young people. We use a lot of knowledge and experience from sports, so regular exercise and good nutrition are very important to us. More is not always better. Also, really great talents can get extra support in a special Talent Development Programme that is currently being developed."

Opening hours
In September 2020, the Omen Gaming Club will officially open every weekend with the following opening hours:

Saturdays from 14:00 - 21:00
Sundays from 14:00 - 21:00

From Friday 2 October, the Omen Gaming Club will be open 7 days a week with the following opening hours (start 2 October)

Monday 16:00 - 22:00
Tuesday 16:00 - 22:00
Wednesday 16:00 - 22:00
Thursday 16:00 - 22:00
Friday 16:00 - 24:00
Saturday 12:00 - 24:00
Sunday 12:00 - 22:00

Sjaak concludes: "I would say join the Omen Gaming Club now, part of the H20 Esports Campus, the largest Esports Gaming centre in Western Europe! We hope to welcome many young people to the Rabo Esports Stadium soon!"

Movamento Fysiotherapie opens new office at H20 Esports Campus Amsterdam

Movement specialist Movamento, with several physio practices throughout the Netherlands, starts a new branch at the H20 Esports Campus in the Amsterdam area. The sixth office of owner Jelle Heisen will focus on the guidance of gamers and esporters. With this step the ambitions of H20 Esports are underlined to facilitate talents of a future in a responsible and safe way.

Jelle Heisen
Dirk Tuip, founder of H20: "I've known Jelle for a long time, both from my time as an active top athlete and from the last two years when we worked together in the Expert team around the handball ladies. Here I have been involved as coordinator of the national team. Jelle is the regular physiotherapist of the ladies who became world champions last December. Our vision on top sports is similar, and we want to use this vision within esports.

Jelle Heisen, owner of Movamento: "H20 has a great ambition and that appeals to me. I can't wait to use the insights and knowledge I gained in my life at Ajax, the Dutch Handball Federation and within our physiotherapy. We have had some pretty big challenges with COVID in recent months, but we do see this as an opportunity to use our experience in this new industry."

Vision Movamento on ergonomics within gaming
Heisen continues: "As physiotherapists, we see the impact it has if there is a hitch somewhere in a movement. The goal of3rbeteren. The optimal performance for each individual at each level is the starting point to work with! We see that more and more people are sitting down a lot for their work. In gaming and esports this is of course a topic and we want to do something about this preventatively and in case of injuries."

Using knowledge of esports and Virtual Reality in healthcare
There is still a lot of undeveloped territory in the field of gaming and esports and we are very motivated to tackle this within the H20 Esports Campus. Our knowledge to prepare the body optimally, in combination with good ergonomics, can make the difference in top esports. We will also use the knowledge and experiences from esports in healthcare. Developments such as Virtual Reality and the use of data will be used to innovate healthcare.

DIMITRI VEGAS, LIKE MIKE AND OUR PARTNER MIRANDA HUYBERS START UP NEW GAMING, MUSIC AND LIFESTYLE AGENCY.

World number 1 DJs and producers Dimitri Thivaios and Michael Thivaios, better known as Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, have joined forces with Miranda Huybers. Miranda has over 14 years of experience in the Game industry. She was part of the Call of Duty team at Activision and Marketing & PR Manager at Nvidia Benelux. Together they form a new agency called 'The Smash Universe', which focuses on the synergy between music and gaming. In the coming period various activities will also be developed within the H20 Esports Campus Amsterdam. Keep an eye on the website and our social media channels of H20 and The Smash Universe.

The Smash Universe will focus on providing management services for content creators, gamers and lifestyle influencers. The focus will also be on the creative development of events and marketing concepts both online and offline. The agency is at the forefront of gaming, tech, lifestyle and music on a professional level.

Nick Depauw, co-founder SMASH esports (professional e-sports league), is a partner of The Smash Universe. This partnership allows Nick and his team of gamers to participate in a wide range of activities. Other professionals joining this new venture are Nick Royaard (manager of Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike & Lost Frequencies), as well as Perry van de Mosselaar and Dwayne Megens. They are part of Smash The House Records, an independent record label that releases music by top dance artists. The Smash Universe is supported by Smash The House Records' years of experience in the music industry.

Besides management services, the company plans to be a resilient partner with their marketing and PR activities for global brands. They want to achieve this by offering different packages for offline and online exposure.

Dimitri Thivaios (Dimitri Vegas): "I'm super excited about this new project, which connects music and gaming. Both worlds are very important to me!".

Miranda Huybers: "Creating a new universe that combines the worlds of gaming and music has been a dream of mine for years. Therefore I am very excited to work with this great team and introduce everyone to The Smash Universe. The focus is on online content and unique concepts in which we are part of the entire customer journey and always ready for everyone."

In the coming period various activities will be developed within the H20 Esports Campus Amsterdam. Keep an eye on the website and our social media channels.

Twitch channel The Smash Universe: https://www.twitch.tv/thesmashuniverse/videos

Boot camp at the SEG Esports Training Centre

Are you a fan of LAN parties, but is it always just too much of a hassle to get everything working? That's now all in the past as you can boot camp together with your friends in the SEG Esports Training Centre within the Rabo Esports Stadium!

The old maths room now houses 12 high-end gaming Desktop PCs with the latest monitors, racing chairs, mouse, keyboard and headset. There are lockers, lightning fast internet and all kinds of catering possibilities to make it as comfortable as possible for the gamers. Currently, one of the best League of Legends teams in the Benelux, the Lowland Lions, is playing here on the Campus. So the first weeks of the SEG Esports Training Centre are immediately booked with esports talents!

Rowan Stroo, Sports Entertainment Group's Esports Director, said:

"With the SEG Esports Training Center, SEG wants to enable teams and players of all levels to train under optimal conditions and also help to further develop the Dutch esports scene in cooperation with H20 Esports Campus."

Rowan Stroo - Esports Director of SEG

Now that the SEG Esports Training Centre is complete, several professional and amateur teams can train here.

"Bootcamps are essential among esports players for all game titles. We are proud to now be able to offer a full boot camp room to top international and local teams. Teams can train here for half a day, full day or days. Esports is top sport!"

Sjaak Kuil - General Manager H20 Esports

It is now possible to book the SEG Esports Training Centre with your friends!

Netherlands' largest gaming centre restarts with various summer activities

Are you not going on holiday this year and are you looking for a fun group or family activity? Or do you still need to celebrate your son's or daughter's children's party? Then the Rabo Esports Stadium on the H20 Esports Campus in Purmerend is certainly worth a visit. This is the largest gaming centre in the Netherlands. After a period in which the campus was forced to close its doors, the largest Esports Gaming Centre of the Netherlands will reopen on Saturday the 4th of July. The official opening will follow later. For families we designed special Esports Experience Tours, for children we organise Gaming Holiday Camps and of course the best children's parties.

Sjaak Kuil, manager of esports gaming activities: 'We've been itching to reopen for weeks, but it has to be done in a responsible and safe way. June we found too early. At this location we are quickly up to 30 people, so this relaxation was not enough for us to open the doors. Saturday 4 July is still under reserve. The government has yet to confirm that we can receive 100 people from July onwards, but in the meantime we look forward to this with confidence.

Special birthday parties for children between 16 March and 30 May

A lot of children's parties will have been cancelled in recent months. For those who had a birthday between 16 March and 30 May, we have a special offer! The birthday boy or girl will receive a cool gift that of course has to do with gaming. Fortnite children's parties, Minecraft Masters, flying with drones, Virtual Reality or interactive sports, or a combination of all this, for boys and girls from 7 years of age there is plenty to do. Our range of children's parties is growing every week and can be seen at www.h20.gg.

H20 Gaming holiday camps

The H20 gaming holiday camps are intended for boys and girls aged 7 to 12. During the summer holidays, children can compete with their peers in a lifelike gaming arena in various games such as Fortnite, FIFA 20 and Rocket League. In addition, they can race like Max Verstappen on a Formula 1 circuit in one of our racing seats.

Besides gaming, we also pay attention to sports and games. We think it is important to get a lot of exercise during the day. We have interactive gaming walls where you are challenged to get the best out of yourself. That means running and flying as well. Children can register for one or more days.

Unique day out with the Esports Experience Tour

The H20 Esports Experience Tour is a unique tour through the largest esports & gaming centre in Europe. During the tour participants will get information about the history, the present and the future of esports. During this tour one looks through the eye of the gamer, the viewer or parent, but also through the eye of the child. The H20 Esports Experience Tour is a unique experience for young and old! In about 1,5 hour you will learn more about all the activities that the H20 Esports Campus and the Rabo Esports Stadium offer.

Inspirational breakfast session organised at H20 Campus

At H20, SearchUser, QStylez and Dunion organised a breakfast session on Friday 24 January with a large turnout. H20's catering took the time to prepare a breakfast for the participants. Those who participated in the breakfast session could follow three inspiring presentations and of course there was time to network and ask questions.
Matthijs Vink, co-founder of H20, opened the session with a short intro. He explained H20 and its vision: To become the number one ecosystem in Europe for the development of the next generation through gaming, esports and creative technology.

A future-proof website

Ron Steur gave a presentation from QStylez about the process needed to build a future-proof website. The presentation showed, among other things, how a website should function and which web design trends are relevant. QStylez recommends using WordPress as a tool and content management system (CMS).

E-commerce & Marketplace Marketing

Randy Duin gave a presentation from Dunion. E-commerce is the online sale of goods at B2C, B2B or C2C level. During the presentation he explained how to generate traffic via the right channels. How to monitor campaigns based on data analysis and what the best way is for website optimisation. In addition They explained Marketplace Marketing. This is selling products and services by using an external B2C, B2B or C2C e-commerce platform. Randy explained the advantages and disadvantages of using Marketplace Marketing.

Marketing Automation

Patrick Schokker gave a presentation from SearchUser about Marketing Automation. It allows you to speed up the sales process and automate marketing processes with the right message at the right time. During the presentation the advantages of Marketing Automation were explained. Patrick explained how the software exactly works and how it contributes positively to the customer journey.
Would you also like to organise a company event? Then mail to info@h20.gg
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We thank all visitors to the event.
Thom Hagenhoek of 24 liquor,Liquor stores in Volendam

H20 Esports organised the first teambuilding event in December!

Friday the 13th of December the first gaming related teambuilding event was organised by H20 esports. During this event, 15 team leaders of Peopleware IT got a presentation of H20 with the following objective: Applying esports in teambuilding and making the bridge to business clear.

Esports as team building

Anyone who plays esports knows that teamwork is the most important thing in winning a team game. Coming up with strategies and adapting your way of working according to the situation is very important. Switching and communicating with your teammates happens at lightning speed. It is therefore crucial that you understand each other and have an understanding for each other's decisions.

Presentation

The players of Peopleware IT received a presentation from H20 esports about gaming and the bridge to business. By means of a cooperation with Fariko Gaming the day was completely filled. It was explained how Esports can be applied in the business world. Also, by means of some examples of psychology, it was explained how you can predict certain actions of others. This claim was again supported with examples and videos from real Esports matches.
The aim of this presentation was to encourage the participants to think differently. By means of Esports, the participants were taken into the picture of team gaming and how this can make a team more powerful and efficient. Of course there was also gaming! Namely a few games of team-deathmatch in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare!
After a number of matches, an analysis was made of the teamwork within the game. These findings were then linked to teamwork issues that recur in the business world and how to solve them faster and better. The day ended with a delicious drink and snack on the H20 Campus.

Would you also like to experience a teambuilding event?

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H20 welcomes Sjaak Kuil as General Esports Manager

"We are extremely happy and proud to announce that Sjaak Kuil is joining H20," said Dirk Tuip. "At H20 we are taking a step further every day towards our goal: To become the coolest esports venue in all of Europe! The past few months we received about 80 applications for the various jobs. Several interviews with different candidates were the result. With Sjaak we think to have found 'the right man for the job'. With pleasure we therefore introduce him.
That Sjaak is someone with ambition and passion soon becomes apparent when you start talking to him. He has loved his hobby for many years and, like many on the H20 campus, has made it his job. Sjaak also has the necessary experience and knowledge to make the H20 dream come true. This becomes quickly clear when you look at his years of experience within esports. To name a few experiences:

Building Esportswall (an esports platform), which within a few months grew into a platform with thousands of users playing daily.
Starting The City League (TCL), an online league based on physical esports locations, such as H20 in Purmerend. Esports venues across Europe joined up, allowing teams to play physically on location, but play online against other venues. This way we had matches like the Antwerp Lions VS Reload Prague, or Milan Titans VS SP Thessaloniki. This concept was very much focused on traditional sports, with matches taking place once a week. All matches were broadcast live and provided a live link between all esports venues in Europe.
The WESG Benelux qualifier is organised with a prize pool of $10,000.
Festival Director, at Blammo Media, known from Gamekings and the Firstlook Festival. The latest edition of the biggest gaming festival of the Benelux was organised by Sjaak.

It was not a difficult choice for H20 to hire Sjaak as esports manager. Our team welcomes Sjaak to the team! Together we are going to have a phenomenal opening!

How did H20 come your way?

"After the projects Firstlook Festival and DreamHack Rotterdam 2019, I started looking for the next assignment. With the idea in the back of my mind that I wanted to stay active in esports and not let go of production yet, I ended up with a select group in the Netherlands and some international challenges. I knew the idea of H20, but I was still sceptical about the size of the project. At the next meeting, I saw everything come to life and it all really happened. An esports stadium in the Netherlands! The chance to be there and experience everything from so close is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Because of a good click with Matthijs Vink and Dirk Tuip, founders of H20, it all went pretty fast and as of January 2020 I am working as General Manager of H20 esports BV!". - Sjaak Kuil.

H20 is slowly becoming the place to go for anyone who wants something to do with gaming. Esports, Game Design or Application Development will be the focus, but also the latest technology. We asked Sjaak why he chose H20 and how he sees the future.

I wish we had something like that when I was a student!" - Sjaak Kuil

Why did you choose H20?

"I chose H20 because this concept has a lot going for it in different areas, with a central focus on youth around the age of 20 (H20 stands for 'age twenty', among other things). There will be something for everyone, from the latest competitions in VR gaming to Minecraft children's parties. Because what we are going to do is quite broad, this attracts my interest. All aspects are interrelated and ultimately scream out one central topic: esports! We are going to work hard, with the help of H20, to make students excited about the future and help them make the right choice for their career. I wish we had something like that when I was a student!"

How do you see the future of H20?

"Personally, I would love to see the esports club structured like a traditional football club. We then look very much at the structure of football, such as training once a week and a match at the weekend. Plus the division of juniors and seniors with coaches, trainers, etc. I tried this concept before under the name The City League. We organised the competition between gaming centres throughout Europe. Now we have the opportunity to set up our own gaming centre and I think it would be great to work on the future structure of esports. The top talents are mainly scouted at local esports clubs, like H20. Next to the gaming club I am most looking forward to the Rabo Esports Stadium and the VR area, both are unique in the Netherlands and will provide the ultimate experience for the visitors".

The next five years at H20

"In the next five years, I hope firstly that we can compete as a stadium with the fast-growing international esports market, creating a well-filled agenda with unique events. Secondly, I hope we can bring structure to the general esports landscape, especially looking at traditional sports. The esports club should run lively with perhaps a national league. Finally, I hope we can keep up with all the rapid innovations in VR, AR, gaming and robots. These technologies are being developed at a rapid pace and at H20 we need to keep up. All aspects of H20 must be rotated and structured. Perhaps then we can think about opening more locations like this in the Netherlands, or Belgium, or elsewhere in Europe?! "

"I am very much looking forward to taking up the adventure at H20, to establish Partnerships and manage events from large to small!" - Sjaak Kuil, Esports Manager H20.

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