“Our Live Events are where it all comes together,” John Hanke once said to me. “The social aspect, getting people outside, the active gameplay moving through a city… these events are where the whole idea of Niantic comes together.”

It’s true. If you’ve ever been to a Niantic Live Event, chances are that you met a few folks, discovered a new place or two, and walked more than a few kilometers. I know I have!

The event spark that started with the very first Ingress meetup one frigid Saturday morning in Cahokia Mounds State Park, back in the spring of 2013, has evolved into full-fledged fan festivals spanning the globe: multi-day, multi-million dollar events, with hundreds of thousands of players in attendance.

And while we are happy to expand our number of events in 2019, we also hear you that you wish Niantic would do even more events: and maybe even one in your city (or at least your continent!).

Today we are formally opening the door to your ideas. We want to hear from you. Do you think your city has what it takes to host a Niantic Live Event in 2020? If so, post your suggested city park to Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #NianticLive2020 and tell us why you think it would make for a great event.

We suggest checking out the #NianticLive2020 website first for a video from our Live Events team that spells out all of the criteria that goes into picking the perfect park (spoiler alert: it’s not as simple as some might think).

We also suggest teaming up with other players in your city, or even with local officials (Parks Departments, Tourism Boards, Local Representatives) to submit an official nomination. There’s a form on the #NianticLive2020 website for those official and group submissions. Deadline for nominations is October 1, 2019.

Please note, submitting does not guarantee that Niantic will do an event in your fine city. But we’ll promise to give your nominations serious consideration!

Meet you out there,
-Bill Kilday, VP Marketing & Live Events