Maximize Networking with Innovative Event Gamification Ideas

May 17, 2024 Praggya Joshi

A surefire sign of a successful event? Engaged attendees. It's pretty straightforward: when attendees are engaged and interested, they're more likely to return for future events and sing your praises to others. Plus, engaged attendees make networking a breeze, and let's face it, networking is key for fostering profitable business collaborations, especially at in-person corporate events where everyone comes ready to expand their professional circles. 

So, if you're hitting the mark on attendee engagement at your event, you're already on the road to success! 

One fantastic way to spice up your event and encourage networking is gamification. It's all about adding a dash of competition to activities that might not typically get people fired up. Gamification lets attendees connect with each other naturally, bonding over challenges and chasing rewards. 

 Keep reading to learn how to gamify your events and supercharge networking.

The Logic Behind Event Gamification
As a seasoned event planner, you will agree with us on this: with every event, the aim is to craft an experience that leaves attendees feeling absolutely fantastic in some way. Still, many professionals struggle to engage attendees in innovative ways. Research suggests that this is majorly due to their fear of stepping out of the box, lack of ideas, and skepticism for planning activities that are more or less controlled by their audience. But this leads to dwindling attention spans, and attendees end up feeling let down.  

Event gamification ideas tap into the natural desire of people for rewards, turning your event into an interactive adventure. Whether it's contests, trivia, or scavenger hunts, gamification instantly grabs people's attention. And here's the magic: completing challenges gives attendees that sweet sense of accomplishment, ramping up engagement and leaving them with memories to cherish.

How Event Gamification Boosts Networking?
Networking at events opens doors for professionals to connect with individuals boasting diverse backgrounds and skill sets. It's an opportunity for meaningful conversations, fresh insights, and lucrative opportunities to flow freely. Now, add a dash of gamification to the mix, and you've got yourself a recipe for attendee interaction like never before. 

Gamification, for events, acts as icebreakers, captivating the audience’s attention and encouraging collaboration. From live polls to real-time challenges and contests, these activities create immersive experiences that keep attendees engaged and collaborating towards a common goal. 

Thanks to modern event management software, implementing gamification to encourage networking has never been easier. From quizzes and polls to leaderboards, social media walls, and sponsored content, the possibilities are endless. By gamifying your events with these techniques, you're not just sparking friendly competition—you're fostering invaluable networking opportunities that attendees won't forget soon.

How to Gamify Your Events for Networking?
Let's dive into some interesting event gamification ideas to turbocharge networking:

1. Name Tag Swap Game
Shake things up by having attendees swap name tags or business cards and exchange info. Points can be earned for each connection made or question answered, with the person collecting the most cards crowned the winner.

2. Scavenger Hunts
Inject some thrill into the mix with scavenger hunts. Assign QR codes to different event areas and challenge attendees to scan as many as possible. At each stop, introduce a fun challenge to keep the excitement high.

3. Networking Bingo
Get everyone mingling with networking bingo. Create bingo cards with tasks like finding someone with a similar hobby or industry. Attendees aim to match these tasks, filling up their bingo squares as they make connections.

4. Interactive Quizzes and Polls
Fire up engagement with interactive quizzes and polls via a mobile event app. Turn quizzes into games with prizes up for grabs, and use live polls to gauge opinions and boost participation. Want an extra twist? Try a game of Truth or Lie!

5. Virtual Escape Room
Teamwork and friendly competition take center stage with virtual escape rooms. Craft a theme connected to your industry, complete with multimedia puzzles and challenges. Display team rankings on a countdown timer and include an engaging host to provide helpful hints along the way.

6. Virtual Networking Hub
Even your virtual events can be highly interactive with tech. Step into the future of networking with virtual booths that bring your brand to life and connect you with a global audience. Pack them with multimedia experiences, such as captivating welcome videos, interactive surveys, and quizzes. Gamified contests like spin the wheel, trivia showdowns, live polls, and leaderboards will keep attendees on the edge of their seats.

7. Icebreakers
Get the conversation flowing with fun icebreaker activities. Encourage attendees to share their favorites in categories like food, books, or entertainment. Subsequently, group them together to swap lists and discover common ground. Another way to gamify events through icebreakers is by challenging small groups to brainstorm five items related to the event theme. It's a surefire way to spark connections and find like-minded folks in the crowd.

8. Badge of Honor
Elevate the excitement by rewarding attendees with virtual/physical badges for hitting milestones throughout the event. Whether it's attending a set number of sessions, engaging on social media, or participating in polls, each achievement gets them one step closer to badge glory. And when they've collected enough, celebrate their success with a shoutout or even a sweet prize.

9. Gamification Corners
Designated spaces for games help draw attendees in and keep them entertained. From classic board games like chess to high-energy video game showdowns, there can be something for every gaming enthusiast. And with sponsor logos proudly displayed, it's a win-win for both attendees and sponsors. Need a little team-building? Fire up a digital game through your event app and let attendees collaborate on challenges, earning points and forging connections along the way.

How to Measure the Success for Gamification?
To truly gauge the impact of gamification on event networking, you've got to keep your finger on the pulse with some key metrics. Here are the ones that matter most: 

• Attendee Engagement: Keep tabs on how engaged attendees are by assessing their interaction and involvement in gamified activities. The more they participate, the better! 
• Exhibitor or Sponsor Engagement: If you've gamified booth experiences, take a peek at the leads generated. More leads mean a more memorable experience for all involved. 
• Social Media Shares: Keep an eye on how many attendees are sharing your gamified content on social media. A higher number of shares indicates that your tactics are hitting the mark. 
• New Connections Made: Gamification has a knack for fostering a sense of community among participants. Keep track of the number of new connections made and the overall sentiment of attendees about the event. It's a solid gauge of your efforts' impact. 
• Points Earned by Attendees: If you've incorporated leaderboards or a point system, track the points earned by attendees and their leaderboard rankings. This insight will clue you in on the level of competitiveness and engagement among attendees. 

Conclusion
As an event planner, there's nothing quite like witnessing genuine engagement among your attendees. Gamifying your event is like sprinkling magic dust, sparking interaction, and igniting excitement. With innovative ideas at your disposal, tailored to your event goals, gamification becomes your secret weapon for turbocharging event networking. To achieve this efficiently, harness the capabilities of event management platforms or mobile event apps. These tools streamline the gamification process, making it seamless and oh-so-effective. The best part is you’re not just throwing darts in the dark. By measuring the impact of your gamified activities, you gain valuable insights to fine-tune and enhance future events, delivering an even more immersive experience for your attendees. 

So, are you ready to take your in-person, hybrid, or virtual event to the next level? Dive into Eventcombo's array of tools and unleash the magic of gamification to craft a networking experience that attendees won't forget. https://bit.ly/3R9bkuP