How Gamification can increase Engagement at your Special Events
You’re in charge of planning your next event and want to increase attendance & engagement at your events…Adding an element of Gamification will spark motivation and interest for your participants! The definition of Gamification means to take the mechanics of a game- like challenges, point systems, leaderboards, completion bars and narratives and give them non-gaming applications in workplaces, marketing strategies, or events. Event gamification comes in many forms and has the power to transform your event into one that excites your audience.
For Corporate Communications, HR Professionals, Marketing managers & Event Planning professionals, incorporating event gamification adds a deeper level to event planning. Aside from focusing on the usual logistics, you’ll also learn to be sensitive to human-oriented experiences which can be more important when it comes to attendee engagement. This process works by accessing the emotions and the motivations of attendees – because, at heart, we all like to collect, complete and compete!
Event Gamification Examples
Now you understand the importance and benefits of digital event gamification provide, you’re probably wondering what successful gamification looks like. Since every event is different and depending upon your goals, you’ll want to utilize activities that work with your plan
Please see below a few examples of the types of games that challenge and reward your attendees that can make your Virtual or In-person events unforgettable:
- Escape Room Challenges: Great for team building in groups or individual play, various themes to choose from
- Virtual Scavenger Hunt: Attendees solve challenges, hunt objects & info
- In-event mobile & desktop: Score points by liking, commenting & posting content during event on mobile app
- Leaderboards at events– track your attendee’s scoring from work activities or games
- Game Masters: Pop Culture Trivia & Visual Puzzles
- Creator’s Lab: Great for Team Building
- Training & Workshops: Teach your Audience a new skill!
- Game Shows customized to your specific products or services- educate your employees on your offerings through gaming
Some examples of Workplace gamification can include using interactive activities like Virtual Escape Rooms & Scavenger Hunts for virtual or In-Person events. These activities enable organizers to create workplace games and activities that host a leaderboard where you can see who is scoring the most points and track progress. We offer both Virtual Activities and In-Person Activities that are set up on your site and managed by our experienced team. By immersing your attendees into these activities, the participants feel part of something bigger than themselves and connect more to the company culture or brand.
Top Tips for incorporating Event Gamification
Before designing or incorporating a gamified element, consider the purpose of your event and the expectations of your attendees. You’ll find that each iteration of your gamification strategies improves across your events. Many organizations use educational experiential events to teach their employees and students with a hands on approach vs. just using traditional class room style methods.
You should also choose your incentive wisely. Remember that guests are attending your event not to win a useless token prize, but to experience, learn and network. You might find they don’t much care what the incentive is, but they get swept up in the competitiveness as well as wanting to feel more connected to those around them. After all, we play board games and video games when the only real prize is in the acknowledgement that we won! That’s why intangible incentives can work just as well. Consider these options:A big-screen leaderboard
Gamification works on the principle of rewards. Various kinds of games, online and offline consist of certain tasks to be done, be it collecting coins, rescuing the princess or destroying candies. The successful completion of these tasks results into reward.
Gamification corner: Virtual or In-Person.Creating a separate gaming corner is a great way to attract audience. It is a space for the attendees to relax during breaks and in their free time. Small gamification corner with basic games is budget permissible. For Team building sessions, you can activate a digital gaming app for all the attendees to use to keep track of their points and collaborate on challenges together.
Another added benefit is the scope for sponsor promotion. This can be done through a creative display of sponsor logos. Think of a more creative approach to club sponsors promotion and gamification in events. If you have a bigger budget to spare, you can also include VR and AR games. It is a great addition to a gamification corner and will surely get people talking about your event. Onsite Virtual Reality Simulation activations and also virtual events including an AR treasure hunt are some ideas for both In-person and virtual event planning.
Encourage Q&A: Learning and gaining knowledge is a key agenda to attend any event. One way to share and acquire knowledge is by questioning. Q and A can help initiate insightful and relevant discussions that can be really useful to the attendees present for the session. Organizers can encourage more attendees to ask good, relevant questions.
Gamification helps people Compete and Win!
Turn it into a competition. You can announce beforehand that the attendees are requested to ask their questions regarding the session and the topic discussed. The medium can be as per your convenience and include your custom content and challenges. NextGen Event Co. can help create your Games & Virtual Event Productions with our expert production team.
The attendee with the best question/ most relevant question that has generated a great discussion wins. You can also get other audience members to vote upon the best question. The attendee with the best contribution/ input at the end of the event emerges as the winner.
Ice-breakers and networking games: Getting the attendees to network and interact among themselves through games is a great way to break the ice through using Virtual Networking & Matchmaking. But, remember, there’s a fine line between childish and fun. Don’t make it awkward for attendees. You can have simple games that help them to get to know their fellow attendees. New ideas to challenge your attendees include Avatar-based events where your guests can create their own avatars and interact with each other in a Virtual Environment!
For more information on how we can “Gamify” your Special Events, please contact us for more information and to set up a strategy call.
