In June 2026, Hero Esports Co-Founder and CEO Danny Tang and ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) CEO Niccolo Maisto will feature as speakers at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France.
Tang is the first speaker announced for the festival’s inaugural LIONS Sport track, a specialised two-day programme focusing on the intersection of brands, creativity and sports. The goal of the appearance is to represent the esports sector at the global advertising gathering and detail how the industry is scaling international properties.
The session will explore growth and brand integration, with the industry’s inclusion at the event driven by brands’ increasing focus on sports and competitive gaming.
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LIONS Sport will take place during the festival in Cannes, France on 24 and 25 June 2026. The program is designed to unite leaders from brands, rights holders, and media to discuss creative marketing in the sports landscape. The inclusion of Tang and Maisto marks the presence of the competitive gaming industry at the track.
Tang previously served as CFO of the organisation before transitioning to CEO in late 2024, at which point the company also rebranded from VSPO to Hero Esports. The organisation produces over 7,000 matches annually and is significanty expanding its international reach. In 2025, Hero Esports was behind a Guinness World Record for largest live event attendance in esports, achieved during the Honor of Kings King Pro League (KPL) Grand Finals in China.
Meanwhile, EFG is one of the most recognisable brands in the esports industry for its global tournament circuit operations. It is owned by the Saudi Arabia-backed Savvy Games Group since 2022 and operates some of the main esports events in the world, including the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) and the structure behind the Esports World Cup (EWC).
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