Want to boost attendee participation at your next event? Event app gamification is a powerful way to increase engagement, encourage networking and make learning fun. With the right event gamification app, you can turn passive attendees into active participants by rewarding them for taking actions like:

• Visiting exhibitor booths
• Completing post-session quizzes
• Connecting with other attendees
• Participating in scavenger hunts and challenges.

In this article we're going to share how top event app gamification features - like social media feeds, leaderboards and live polling, can help planners create highly engaging event experiences that will leave attendees coming back for more. 

What Is Event App Gamification and Why Does It Work?

Event app gamification is the process of using game mechanics - such as points, challenges, leaderboards and rewards - to drive attendee participation at events. By turning traditional event activities like networking and learning into engaging experiences, gamification keeps attendees motivated and involved. This approach works because it taps into human psychology, specifically our inclination towards competition and achievement. Attendees are more likely to participate when there's an incentive, even if that incentive is simply reaching for the top spot on a leaderboard With mobile devices at the center of daily, modern life, event organizers can meet attendees where they are: on their phones.

Main Benefits of An Event Gamification App

You want your attendees to be involved in your event and to get something positive out of attending your event. You don’t want them sleeping through your event or scrolling through their personal social media feeds. The best way to engage your attendees is through an interactive event game. Designing these games to promote competition, collaboration, learning retention, and more is a good idea. Your imagination is the only limit to what you can achieve with event app gamification.

1. Boosts Attendee Engagement

There’s no better way to engage your attendees than through their phones. The internet is full of statistics about smartphone usage, such as:

• People check their phones over 80 times a day
• Approximately half of all people admit to being addicted to their phone
• Over 40% of people admit to having anxiety when they don’t have their phone

Depending on the study, you’ll get different statistics, but they all point to the same conclusion: people love their smartphones. Of course, you already know this. It doesn’t take a study to confirm what you’ve seen with your own eyes. As an event planner, engaging your attendees through their phones is an obvious choice. But when you add event app gamification to the mix, you harness your attendees' natural desire to compete and win. This is the recipe for maximum involvement by people attending your event. 

2. Drives Networking Opportunities

One of the best ways people benefit from seminars and conventions is to network. Your event app gamification system makes networking easy for everyone. Your app can help attendees find the people they most need to connect with based on their profiles. You can gamify the networking process by giving points for each new networking contact. For example, your app could give points based on pictures taken together with networking opportunities.

3. Enhances Learning & Retention

You want your attendees to remember what they learned at your event. Try adding quizzes after each speaker. Make it so that results from quizzes impact your attendees’ point totals. App users will retain more information by having a quiz covering all sessions at the end of the day. You want your attendees to remember what they’ve learned, and there’s no better way to achieve this than to assign points based on their quiz results. They all want to win the game.

Key Features of An Event App Gamification Experience

So, you want to gamify your event app. You’re going to need the right features to build the best game. Here, we’ll look at live polls, interactive social feeds, and leaderboards.

1. Live Polls

Do you remember attending an event where a speaker seemed to go on endlessly until someone finally raised their hand and asked for a break? You don’t have to do that anymore. With live polls, you get instant feedback from your audience. Your attendees will appreciate the opportunity to provide input without waiting for some bold person to raise their hand and ask for a break. Live polls can do so much for your event. In the past, a speaker might ask for a show of hands on how many attendees have experienced a certain scenario. With live polls, attendees can see exact numbers and review these statistics later. Are you ready to plan your next event? The data from your live polls will show you precisely what you need to improve so you’ll ensure the best possible attendee experience at your next event.

2. Interactive Social Feeds

Interactive social feeds provide a way for your event to have its own “mini social network.” You want your attendees to enhance their network. Networking requires communication. Over the past 10 to 20 years, we humans evolved to communicate through apps seamlessly. Networking through the app is often a prerequisite to the first face-to-face meetings. Connections facilitated by these interactive social feeds create a sense of community within event attendees. This sense of community often carries over after the event through an enhanced business network.

3. Points & Leaderboards

You can’t have a game without assigning points for desired accomplishments. And you have no game unless there’s a way to see how well the players are doing. That means we need leaderboards. Otherwise, you have no way for competitors to see how they’re doing.

Examples of Event App Gamification In Action

You’re ready to create your event game, but how will you design it? Let’s look at a couple of proven strategies to help you design your best game.

QR Code Scavenger Hunt

The QR Code Scavenger Hunt is a type of game that can be built into your app. At Guidebook, one of our dedicated team members will take care of the work for you! All you need to do is email us the game details at least one week before you need the game ready. 

How a QR Game Works for End-Users

So, those QR codes you see around? Well, imagine them being part of a game! Whether you're at an event, wandering around a building, or even chilling on a virtual platform, these codes can be scattered around, waiting to be found. Here's how it goes: when you spot one, whip out your phone, open the QR Scanner in the game folder, and give it a scan. Boom! You're directed to the Game Progress page, where a piece of the puzzle gets filled in. Keep hunting until you've scanned all the codes to reveal the complete image or phrase. Now, the real kicker? There are rewards involved! Completing the game could snag you a little treat or even put you in the running for a bigger prize. It's all about the thrill of the chase and the sweet satisfaction of winning. Curious to see it in action? Check out this video to get a glimpse of how a QR Code Scavenger Hunt rolls for the everyday player.  

Gamified Learning Modules

Gamified learning modules are the best way to ensure your attendees are learning from your event. Take, for example, a continuing education seminar for professions like lawyers or accountants. Rather than have your attendees daydream through endless lectures, help them reinforce their knowledge through quizzes. Attendees are more likely to return to the seminars where they not only learn the most but also retain the most knowledge. Quizzes are the way to reach this goal.

Engage Event Attendees with Guidebook’s Gamification Features

Event app gamification is a proven way to increases attendee engagement, encourage networking, and enhance the overall event experience. The best part? You don't need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to build a gamified app. With Guidebook's drag-and-drop interface you can build an app without a massive development costs or technical skills. Plus, our event apps integrate with the tools you already use. Ready to make your event more engaging and interactive? Book a demo to get started.