Hi @thalia. It’s probably best to start from gamification basics and then it’ll become more obvious how it can be applied to events. My favourite definition of gamification is that it is the process of making activities more game like.
I’ve done plenty of talks introducing people to the concepts of gamification. I cover all the basics in this one on Games and learning - How games inspire, enthral and engage us (recorded at Learning Technologies Conference): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af_1K-apEF8 so do check it out
Hi @Jonny I like to use the Player Journey as my tool for thinking this through and getting people to attend an event. In short there are 4 steps:
Discovery - getting people excited about the event (this could be a mini-game itself of course)
Onboarding - getting people comfortable with how the event is going to work, the technology being used and trying out some of the features, perhaps getting to know a speaker, sponsor or ask a question.
Habit building / Scaffolding - this is the gamification of the event itself (a big topic)
Mastery - what to do at the end of the event and in the follow up - particularly what can you offer the most engaged players, such as bonus content or rewards
Hi @ClaireSB I’d recommend looking at what people have already done We have a good write up on our blog that go into loads of detail about this at a conference in the UK, and what they changed about the gamification of the conference the following year and how effective that was:
Hmm, not really event related (though they have community events in it) but I think the game ZOMBIES, RUN! that gets you up and running is a truly great example https://zombiesrungame.com/ nice interview with the creator Adrian Hon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiURGBWN4ws
Quite a few but I’m quite interested in the whole experience. For my own conference we’ve used two gamified platforms in recent years. Both we implemented to encourage engagement in the run up to the conference and then to boost engagement during the conference itself. The idea in both was to get attendees to learn about and engage with the speakers and sponsors before the event, and then immerse themselves in the experience during the event:
We have a good write up on our blog that go into loads of detail about this at a conference in the UK, and what they changed about the gamification of the conference the following year and how effective that was: