Hey everyone,

we just announced ESL One Frankfurt 2015! After the success of this year, we absolutely wanted to do it again. Today, we announced that it will take place on June 20-21, 2015.
We wanted to address some of the feedback you gave, which resulted in a few changes we made this year to make the event more enjoyable for everyone.

Stadium Layout

Compared to last year, we are rotating the screen by 90 degrees and putting it more into the middle of the pitch. When we announce ticket details tomorrow, you will get to see what it looks like. The bottom line is that the Premium Area will have a much better view than last year, while still keeping the view great for all tickets. When I say screen, I actually mean screens - we are putting two additional ones up to improve the viewing angles, resulting in a better view for everyone.

Tickets

While we announce full details tomorrow, we wanted to share some initial elements with you. In general, we will keep the ticket categories of last year: Premium, Weekend and Day Tickets (at a later point). We will also add a very special new type of ticket, which will be revealed tomorrow. To reward those who buy early, we have decided to use a gradually increasing pricing structure. If you buy your ticket next week, you will get it cheaper than when buying it next year.

Entry Management & Schedule

When we started handing out wristbands this year, a last minute change in our concept meant that we could not allow everyone in fast enough. This meant delays, and ultimately a Best of 3 final. Next year, we will have a more advanced concept - including the opportunity to get your wristband a day early, a more streamlined process of handing them out and more staff to handle the entry management. We will also schedule the matches with more room inbetween in case they run very long. Together, this will allow you to get in as fast as possible, and also allow us to run a Best of 5 final.

Food & Drinks for Premium Tickets

This was a big point in the feedback we received, and we have worked with Commerzbank-Arena to increase the variety of food we can offer, and also offer a better process of handing it out. Details will be announced soon, but you can be sure that you will get your food on time, and you will have more to choose from.

Things to do outside of watching Dota 2

We had some things planned for this year which did not really work out perfectly - artist sessions and the Cosplay Contest for example. This is something we will also address. There will be more things to do when you do not want to watch the game, and we will improve the contests and side activities we already had in place this year.
With that said, we hope to see many of you again next year. Watch out for more details regarding the tickets tomorrow!

Hello everyone,
after our announcement of the event itself yesterday, today is the time to release more information about our tickets.
In general, we were very happy with how this year turned out, and so were many of our visitors. A lot of things went well and were appreciated, and we have done our best to keep those. There were also things which people were unhappy about, and we have taken steps to fix those.
Layout & Seating
One of the main changes is the layout, which will be rotated by 90 degrees compared to this year and comes with a change in the seating structure. This means that the Premium seats are now actually the best seats in the house, while everyone else will also be much closer to the screen and have a better viewing as well as audio experience. There will still be lots of activities in the inner field, including the Secret Shop, but there will be no more seats.
Detailed seating can be found here: esl-one.com/dota2/frankfurt-2015/tickets/[1]
No Early Bird area
Long story short: There is no more a specific Early Bird area, nor is there any ticket by that name. This area provided us with logistical and security challenges, made it difficult for people to sit together who had purchased their tickets at different times, and viewing experience in that area was partly impacted by the angle and proximity to the stage.
However, we still want to keep giving an additional incentive to those who buy early. If you buy your ticket when sales start on Monday, it will be the cheapest possible option. After that, the ticket prices go up and increase until the event. The earlier you buy, the better your deal will be. With a regular Weekend ticket, you can then sit anywhere in the arena - lower ranks, upper ranks, it is your choice (except for the Premium Area of course).
Premium tickets
What bugged us this year was that Premium seats were the most expensive ones, but did not have the best viewing and audio experience. We fixed that this year - the Premium seats are the best ones you can get. In addition to that, we are also fixing the problem of not being able to go into the inner area without a big detour. And we are giving everyone a wider selection and more flexible ways of getting their food & drinks - which will be free again.
We are also adding exclusive signing sessions in the Premium Area, will once again give you a Goodie Bag and a designated Secret Shop. And of course we have a special ingame item for everyone buying the Premium ticket.
Aegis Experience
At our last event, a few people asked us for options to have an even better experience, possibly with more privacy. We worked on that and are now introducing the Aegis Experience. Purchasing that option, you will get your own private lounge, with 4 additional tickets to bring your friends. You will have the best food and drinks in your lounge, a hostess will take care of you during the event, and you can get massages for free. You can access the Premium area with all its perks and will receive a VIP invite to the after party. And we will throw in a limited edition t-shirt and hoodie, exclusively for those who purchased the Aegis Experience. It is not cheap, but it is the best experience you can get at ESL One Frankfurt 2015.
Prize Pool Contribution
For our last event, there was no option for ticket buyers to directly contribute to the prize pool. We wanted to make this possible for the next event, which will feature a base prize pool of $150,000. Instead of increasing ticket prices and forcing everyone to contribute a percentage, we decided to add the option as part of the buying process. This means that when you buy a ticket, you can choose to contribute to the prize pool, and you can also choose the amount to contribute. We cover all payment fees, so whatever amount you choose will go directly into the prize pool - 100% to the teams, no cuts taken or anything.
Payment Methods
We used Paypal in 2014, but we were not satisfied with some parts of the process and wanted to give everyone a more direct way to pay. For the 2015 event, we are using the Eventbrite payment system. This means everyone can use all major credit cards, and for everyone from Germany we have Sofortüberweisung and direct debit/SEPA-Lastschrift (available in January 2015). Our refunds policy stays the same.
RMV Ticket / Public Transportation
Due to changes in regulation regarding identification for electronic tickets, we cannot guarantee yet that the public transportation option will be included again. We are doing what we can to offer it though, and we will keep you posted as we work out the technical details.
Ticket Types & Prices
To sum everything up, here are all the ticket types and prices we have available:
Aegis Experience - 2999 € (limited amount)
A separate lounge to enjoy the games in for you and 4 friends
Unlimited deluxe food and drinks in the lounge
Early access to the venue
Assigned hostess all event
Massage in the lounge
VIP invites to event party
Exclusive hoodie for the whole group
All Premium Ticket benefits
Premium Ticket - 169.90 € Holiday Special (limited amount)
Premium Area seating
Free drinks & food
Goodie Bag
Exclusive signing sessions
Dedicated Secret Shop in Premium Area
Special ingame item
Weekend Ticket - 29.90 € Holiday Special (limited amount)
Access on both days
Free seating
Day Ticket - 19.90 €
Available from May 1st 2015
Tickets go on sale Monday, December 15th, at 17:00 CET!