Whether you are planning a physical, virtual or hybrid event, your priority should be to ensure that all participants are fully engaged in the story you are telling them or the message you are trying to send. Gamifying your events not only allows you to influence behaviour and achieve better results but also to improve participants’ experience. And if you successfully catch your audience’s attention with a concept and effective communication, that means that even more people will flock to your next events.
What is event gamification?
Gamifying your event means making the programme and entertainment more interactive, fun and engaging for participants. Play notably allows you to collect essential data on your target audience and prospective clients, increase the level of participation and boost traffic during your event.
Setting up a gamified programme promotes interaction and communication between everyone involved in an event project: participants, organisers and hosts. If you are planning to gamify your event, it is therefore important to consider the gaming mechanisms from the very first steps of your idea and your planning process. If it is designed and set up effectively, your participants will have a unique and memorable experience thanks to gamification without even noticing the advantages it brings your business.
1. Be transgenerational and satisfy players
To make your next event a success, remember to consider all of your target audiences and groups that you want to reach. Creating an event with a multi-generational appeal to reach, and engage, as many people as possible is now a very important box to tick when planning an event. If one particular aspect attracts a certain generational group more than another, incorporate fun and creative ways into your ideas and event games to engage other demographics.
Encourage all groups within your audience by creating an experience which addresses each of the fundamental principles that we all share: the desire and joy of playing, but also winning. Using smartphones and apps is an effective way to keep people focused on your event and share the game for more engagement. The majority of participants own a smartphone and will definitely use it during the event, so why not use gamification there where it will get their attention?
Expert advice!
- Focus on simple gaming mechanisms. For example, offer a scratch card game to reward participants with a promo code when they subscribe to your newsletter or after they have completed a product recommendation questionnaire.
2. Convey the brand’s image better
Brand image is more than just a simple logo which identifies your company, product or service. It is now a combination of elements that consumers link together based on each interaction they have had with your business. When consumers buy a product or service, they are not only buying a product or service. They are also buying into what that company represents. That’s why it is important to design and plan events which convey exactly what your brand represents and spreads your message effectively. Gamification is there to help participants to leave with fond memories of your event (and brand) and, as a result, makes it more memorable and promotes the spread of your desired message.
Marketing games truly are becoming an essential form of entertainment in digital marketing and positioning strategy for brands. Games attract and entertain the general public, they promote brands and their products, generate new leads, convert prospective clients and also generate traffic on your website. If you are looking for a new sales and communication strategy, the idea of integrating gamification into your marketing and events strategy will help you to achieve all of these goals. A client’s feelings in regard to a brand can be positively influenced over the course of a fun experience, and this will ultimately result in increased active engagement with the brand.
3. Ignite competitive spirit between participants and, at the same time, their engagement
Games can be the unifying theme of your event whilst facilitating interaction among participants. Human beings are competitive by nature. By using the concept of “personal records” or a leaderboard in your entertainment, you can convince users to come back and try their luck throughout the duration of your event to beat their records. Competition encourages participation and participants are less likely to forget an event in which they have actively taken part, in comparison with an event they have observed. If gamification is implemented correctly, it will suit all audiences and will encourage participants to be more active.
Why would someone observe at an event when they can take part in a fun and immersive experience? Transform spectators into participants. Creating a gamified environment allows you to surpass the traditional goals of an event. Use our Dynamic Path™ to make the event more interactive by creating a complete digital storytelling module and tell people about your company’s history. Rather than settling for a handshake and handing out cards, participants overcome challenges and accomplish something together. A unique digital experience thanks to event gamification is an experience that no one will forget.
Add real value to your events programme with gamification. Try our demos and don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to make the most of our advice. The Drimify team is at your service to discuss your event gaming project.
Photos by thananit_s and seventyfourimages
