Looking to spice up your events a smidge? Something different and encouraging delegate participation and involvement, getting people talking and your event trending on social media?
Gamification basically takes the competitive nature and form of gaming and applies them to things outside the entertainment sphere. When it comes to the eventing, gamification basically means that delegates will be actively playing whilst they are networking and learning.
Use of mobile devices are key to event gamification, and smartphones are the most significant. Since most of the population now carry a smartphone, it’s a relatively safe bet that most of an audience will be able to be engaged and participate beyond just passively listening.
Interaction and fun are definitely the end goals, but there are many more benefits to be had for not only the event manager but also for event sponsors. The key is to make it so much fun that the attendees get involved without becoming aware of these benefits.
It is certainly important to identify your end goals and your target audience in advance so you can structure the games around what delegates really want and the data or information you’d like to capture.
Invigorate Presentations
One popular use of gamification is livening up the usual boring speaker presentations into fun, interactive displays, and getting the audience involved, for example using apps like Tweetwall and LiveTweetApp which will allow you to first moderate and then show tweets on a live screen. You can poll delegates, have them respond via Twitter or Instagram, and then display the results as they come in. Offer prizes, such a monetary reward or VIP access to a cocktail event or even a gift certificate, and enter everyone who responded to the polls in to the prize draw.
Catchbox is a super cool throwable microphone, encased in a colourful padded box that can be thrown around the audience for Q&A. What could possibly be better to increase engagement than throwing around a colourful microphone?
Increase Exhibition Foot Traffic
Event attendees utilize their iPads or smart phones to check in at specified locations around the event, communicate with other delegates, complete polls or surveys, and earn points for doing so. Delegates who earn the most points can win prizes and the winners can be posted on screens along with real-time results and leaderboards.
SCANvenger Hunt and Go Game are great event gamification platforms that follow a scavenger hunt model to increase engagement. Scannable QR codes can be placed at different stations, and players scan the code for clues about the next destination. Attendees will learn more about each station, your event in general, and even sponsors as they earn points. With Go Game, teams are encouraged to network and submit photo and video submissions that are later judged by everyone and awards can be presented at the end of the event.
