Today, conferences and events are no longer just about sharing information; they're about creating immersive experiences that leave lasting impressions If you're stuck in a rut, organizing conferences filled with snooze-fest PowerPoint presentations, it’s time to consider a secret weapon that can make your event as fun as it is profitable: event gamification.

Event gamification—i.e. turning different practical elements of your event into a game—has the power to increase attendee engagement, foster networking opportunities, and enhance knowledge retention while simultaneously making your event more interesting.

Before we delve into how to succeed at event gamification, let’s go over some important questions: What is event gamification, and what are some common examples of how it’s used? 

Event Gamification Examples

Leaderboards

Leaderboards stoke the fire of friendly competition and motivate attendees to actively participate. Display participant points, tasks completed, rankings, or any other relevant content. If you’re organizing a multi-day event, display the leaderboard periodically to remind the attendees that they’re playing for points. 

Scavenger Hunts

Whether you’re organizing a camp on a hundred acres or a conference in a big hotel, scavenger hunts are a fun way to explore a venue while also promoting interaction and teamwork. Participants can follow clues collecting virtual or physical items throughout the event space on their quest to a final destination. 

Quiz and Trivia Games

Your attendees might think they’re absorbing all the information from their seminar seats, but unless they’re engaging with the material, much of the information will be lost by the time they drive home. Put your attendees to the test by incorporating quizzes or trivia games on the subject matter. This type of gamification encourages learning in an entertaining way.

Photo and Selfie Challenges

A photo challenge not only engages attendees but also generates solid content: win-win! Create a list of specific shots or themes and reward participants for creativity or social media engagement.

Interactive Sessions with Live Polls and Q&A

Stop your attendees from snoozing through panel discussions by incorporating live polls and Q&A sessions. This can be a great way for the audience to interact with the speaker and get their most burning questions answered. 

Virtual Challenges 

Maybe your event is remote, or maybe you want to build excitement before everyone arrives— either way, you can incorporate gamification elements virtually.

 Attendees can earn rewards or recognition based on their participation in virtual activities, such as challenges, quizzes, and interactive polls.

How to Succeed at Event Gamification

If you want to reap the benefits of event gamification, follow the suggestions in these 7 tips. 

1. Set Clear Objectives

Whether it’s throwing a ball through a hoop or answering a question by the buzzer, all of the games we know and love have specific objectives. To maximize the effectiveness of event gamification, align the game objectives with your specific event goals. 

Perhaps you’re aiming to increase attendee interaction, promote your sponsors, or educate participants in a fun and interesting way. Knowing your objectives ahead of time will help you design the best possible games for your event needs.

2. Choose the Right Games

Your choice of game can have just as much of an effect on your event as your choice of keynote speakers and sponsors. When choosing a game, consider your audience, your event theme, and the overall atmosphere you’re trying to create. 

A tech-savvy crowd, for example, might enjoy an app-based scavenger hunt with QR code trinkets along the way. A more traditional audience, on the other hand, might prefer a physical challenge that involves keeping a tally on pen and paper.

3. Incentivize with Prizes

While some of your attendees will be filled with an intrinsic motivation to participate, others might need higher stakes to get their heads in the game.

One of the quickest ways to raise engagement in an event is to increase the stakes and offer some exciting prizes. Whether it's a gift certificate, access to exclusive event features, or high-quality swag, choose prizes that excite attendees to play full out. 

4. Encourage Collaboration

If one of the event objectives is company bonding, collaborative games promote interaction while encouraging participants to work together towards a common goal. Foster this sense of teamwork by incorporating games with a collaborative component. This might look like dividing into teams for a timed brainstorm or teaching a technology feature with your seating pod. Whichever game you choose, make it impossible to do it alone.

5. Gather Feedback and Reflect

Gathering feedback after your event is critical for improving year-over-year. Survey your attendees on social media or via email. You can even make survey participation fun by incentivizing with a raffle ticket or a small discount for next year’s event. As the feedback rolls in, reflect on which games worked well and what could be improved for future events.

Let the Games Begin!

By transforming your event into a playground of excitement and interaction, you're not just hosting a gathering; you're creating an experience that your attendees will talk about long after your event wraps up. 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team. 

We’re here to help you have the best event ever!

— The RegFox team

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