Event Gamification: 4 Things To Look Out For

Adding gamification into your live in-person or virtual event is no doubt a great way for your brand to have fun, and stand out from the competition. Conferences have many booths and stands, with companies demanding the attention of potential customers. 

What is a great way to engage the attendees as well as reward them? Games! No doubt you’ll be the highlight of the event. 

That being said, planning your gamification strategy or choosing the right mini-game for your live event, does require some homework. We here at Gamify have created and launched over 9,000 campaigns, so we know a thing or two about how to set you up for success! 

To make things easier for you, we have put together 4 top tips on what to avoid in your event gamification campaign. 

1) Games can only be played on an app
2) Minimal giveaways
3) Users are rewarded based on engagement, not mastery of content
4) You don’t use QR codes

1) Games can only be played on an app

Many game campaigns are only accessible via downloadable apps. This is all good and well, however, did you know that statistically, 1 in 6 people actually download an app in the same sitting? With the time wasted downloading and setting up an account within your app, your drop-off rates begin to skyrocket, as potential users are turned off by the barriers to entry and move on. This is obviously not the goal, so the user experience should be quick and easy to access. 

Though apps are great, we at Gamify specialize in and recommend HTML5 games for fun easy, and snackable event experiences that can be accessed within a matter of seconds, no downloads necessary. 

2) Minimal giveaways

Many brands that launch gamification at their event tend to offer up large prizes that are able to be captured on the first day, or large scores that are hard to beat a few days in and could be discouraging for other users. 

When you’re making a game and launching it at your event, we recommend you allow users to win in different ways. Whether it’s rewarding the top 5 on the real-time leaderboard or earning points, even a scavenger hunt, so there is more than only one prize to giveaway. Users can approach your game and have an actual chance at winning, so they are far more likely to engage and give it a shot. 

If your attendees are losing interest quickly, it can be because there is only 1 big reward to give away to the top prize player, and that can seem a bit too great of a challenge. Players should feel as if they have a chance to win throughout the contest, and this will keep the event attendees engaged, as well as telling all their friends. 

Here are a few different reward strategies we recommend:

• Entries into a draw

• Spins on a prize wheel

• Top players on a leaderboard

• Multiple challenges 

Keep a live leaderboard by your game to show off the current top players for further engagement and bragging rights. This will keep users coming back for more, as well as spreading the word about your game. 

3) Users are rewarded based on engagement, not mastery of content

Receiving thousands of plays for your game in an event is super exciting, but if these engagement metrics aren’t actually leading these players down your sales funnel, what is the point? You should have some set goals to bring back great results to your team afterward. You after all did create this to make sales or have sign-ups, at the end of the day.

Ensure that your game has content inside it that educates your users on what your company is about, your products, and your values.

Here are a few ways you can do this:

• Reinforce Key Messages: Ensure that your company products and facts are within the game, educating the users about your products offerings along the way

• Have a lead capture form: Have a pop-up form before or after the game to capture emails and names. This is incredibly effective for marketing post-event, you can keep the connection and conversation going with your players, and working on turning them into paying customers.

4) You don’t use QR codes

QR codes used to be a new concept and not many people were aware of how to use them. With recent events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of the QR code has gone up exponentially, and many users are very familiar with how to use one.

One of Gamify’s previous campaigns was with Nissan, where we ran a fun “Netball-themed” campaign that highlighted Nissan’s new Intelligent Mobility Technology features. Players would swipe and play on the live touch screens at the Netball event, however, those passing by could simply scan a QR code and play on their mobiles to try to beat the top score. They could even share the game via social media. The game was fun, engaging, and a success! 

In summary, event gamification can be done well, but there are a few things to avoid before going live. Make sure you use QR codes, hand out various prizes, use HTML5 based games for easy access, and ensure that your companies content, branding, and product offers are on display for your users to not only have fun with your brand but learn all about you as well! You can create your own games for your event via Gizmo, feel free to start a free trial today.