How to use gamification at events

The majority of professionals in the events industry are used to attending or organising numerous workshops throughout the year. These occasions can become tedious and repetitive, especially if most of them follow the same format.

A workshop doesn’t necessarily have to be boring. With a little imagination and planning, you can ensure that your guests have a surprising and exciting experience at the same time as they learn everything about your product. Gamification at events is the perfect technique to revitalize, entertain and communicate concepts or messages.

If the experience has exceeded the expectations of your guests, you will almost certainly close more sales than you hoped for, which at the end of the day is what it’s all about.

In this article we will give you a real example so that you can see how to apply gamification at events to organise a workshop that surprises and stands out from the rest.

Experiences and emotions are key to connecting with your public and making them buy from you, or at least that they have a certain preference for your brand.

Last November, the team at MeetBarceló in London organised a workshop for over 120 professionals from the MICE segment in the United Kingdom. It was clear that if we wanted to capture their attention and position ourselves in their top of mind, we had to step outside the box and create a totally different experience.

The objective of the workshop was for the public to get to know the Barceló Hotel Group product better and the new branding strategy. It was designed with a really dynamic format which by using gamification the participants could discover the hotels, their characteristics and the group’s new brands.

After attending numerous workshops, your public will only remember those that have stood out from the rest or that have given them something different, whether that be because of the format or the experience they have had.

The event concept was based on the James Bond films and a story was created so that the participants had to undertake different secret missions in order to capture agent Bond.

In each mission, information about different hotels and venues was revealed and the participants had to use this information to investigate and pass the test.

To involve the participants from the word go, they were told that there were prizes for those who came dressed with a Bond look, and an unbeatable location was chosen; The London Film Museum in Covent Garden, where there is a “Bond in Motion” exhibition with vehicles and other items from the films about the secret agent.

The event was full of surprises and fun and the feedback received from the participants was very positive, especially from those who didn’t really know beforehand the characteristics and capacities of the hotels in the group. The team were able to explain in detail every aspect of the new strategy and of course close some deals.

So that the participants could take a memento away with them, as well as the memory of the experience, a photocall was set up that recreated an iconic part of the legendary films; the famous metallic tube that is present in the opening credits. It was a complete success and the results were spectacular.

Several James Bond style suits were available, including bow tie, so the photo would be perfect. This meant that the participants could take part of the experience back home or to the office where they could show friends and colleagues the photo or put it on display.

Conclusion

Be creative, try and think of a format or concept that is original and encourages interaction between the participants. Gamification at events is the perfect technique to transmit information and helps to interiorize concepts. Participants learn through play, an emotional experience is generated that will later become a positive memory, one that is difficult to forget.

If you add a photocall or take photos during the event, make sure that the guests can take one home with them or share the photos on social media. If you decide to use actual photos, think about an attractive presentation so that they can hang it or place it somewhere visible. Do use your brand logo, but keep it discreet.

If you have any examples or any suggestions about gamification at events, we would be delighted if you would share them in the comments section.