Engaging the audience and sustaining their interest is one of the main challenges in every professional meeting. In recent years, gamification and gamified learning experiences have been making significant inroads in the events industry, precisely for its ability to create sustained engagement and encourage meaningful participation.
In this article, we explore how event planners can incorporate gamified learning experiences to significantly enhance attendee involvement and facilitate deeper learning.
Gamified Learning Experiences: Bringing Engagement into Information Acquisition
Gamification entails integrating game-like elements into non-game contexts. Initially implemented in user experience design and corporate settings, this strategy offers substantial value in event planning.
In conferences and professional events with an educational focus, gamification can transform traditional learning experiences into engaging and interactive journeys that support motivational learning by tapping into the innate human desire for rewarded achievements.
Related: 4 Quick Steps to Maximise Your Professional Conference
Overall, in professional event settings, gamified learning experiences offer the following benefits:
Enhanced Engagement
Studies reveal that in corporate settings, 95% of employees enjoy gamified experiences. In the events industry, this translates into a high potential for captivating attendees’ attention, making them more likely to stay focused and engaged.
Increased Knowledge Retention
Dwindling attention spans can be a serious challenge for event organisers, especially in full-day or multi-day conferences, where the average attention span is 20 minutes. Gamification technology makes information acquisition more pleasant and interactive, so attendees are more likely to recall and apply what they have learned, obtaining real value from the event.
Collaboration and Networking
Gamification can be used in sessions to encourage group work, fostering collaboration among attendees and facilitating learning through collective problem-solving. Moreover, gamified networking activities can help delegates build genuine connections and better rapport.
With these advantages in mind, we now turn our attention to some actionable insights on how to incorporate gamification strategies into conference programmes and other professional meetings.
Attendee Engagement Strategies: Gamification in Action
Implementing gamification means strategically integrating game dynamics into existing conference structures. The ultimate goal is to design engaging conference activities that target different aspects of the event, from content-based sessions to networking opportunities.
1. Interactive Workshops
Incorporating workshops into the conference agenda adds variety to the programme and enables interactive learning. Consider workshops that feature team-based case study challenges, problem-solving quests, and team presentations.
Another suggestion is planning workshops based on educational design, creating activities along progressive learning paths or stages and rewarding participants as they advance.
2. Immersive Simulations
Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality technologies are excellent facilitators of playful learning. These simulations immerse attendees in realistic scenarios, allowing them to engage with practical learning experiences.
In healthcare or medical meetings, simulations can be included in sessions, hands-on labs, or medical equipment demos, enabling delegates to deepen their knowledge and skills in a risk-free environment.
Related: The Growing Impact of Virtual Reality in the Meetings Industry
3. Gamified Networking
Although networking opportunities are a primary reason professionals attend conferences, not everyone enjoys traditional networking activities. To make these sessions more dynamic, organisers can plan gamified elements like networking challenges with virtual leaderboards, speed networking rounds, specific networking tasks (e.g., finding someone from a different industry or with the same job title), or themed networking zones where delegates can meet others with similar interests or professional objectives.
Another option worth considering is the use of AI-powered matchmaking solutions, which can make networking more accurate and rewarding in events of all sizes.
With all this in mind, we will now look at how to tailor gamified experiences to different learning objectives and audience preferences.
Tailoring Gamified Experiences to Learning Objectives
One of the principles of educational gamification is matching activities to specific learning outcomes, rather than simply adding “fun activities” for their own sake. The same principle applies when planning a gamified event experience, where every game-like element should correlate with a goal or outcome. Ideally, gamified elements should be closely related to the reasons attendees have chosen to attend the event.
Here are some suggestions that can be matched to typical attendee goals:
1. Knowledge Acquisition
Game-based activities like trivia challenges can be included at the start of a content-heavy session to generate curiosity and ensure delegates are ready to absorb new information.
2. Sponsor Meetings
Event app-based scavenger hunts can help maximise sponsor visibility while allowing attendees to learn about multiple relevant products and services. Participants can earn points for every booth visited or for each interaction with a sponsor.
Related: Four Ways To Maximise Visibility For Your Conference Sponsor
3. Skill Development
Skill-building games are useful in meetings focused on career development or in events organised by professional associations. In such cases, VR or AR technology can make scenario-based sessions fully immersive, facilitating deeper adoption of newly acquired skills. Other ideas to improve skill development at events through gamification include interactive skill assessments or decision-making games.
Overcoming the Challenges of Gamified Event Experiences
In this final section, we discuss ways to address common challenges that may arise during the implementation of gamified activities.
Communication Issues
Some delegates may not be familiar with gamified activities, which could lead to misunderstandings about their purpose and benefits. Prior to each activity, ensure that participants understand the scope and rules that apply, so they have the right expectations and a more enjoyable experience.
Accessibility and Inclusiveness
Although delegates will have a common interest in the event’s subject matter, their individual characteristics are far from homogeneous. Plan all activities and game-like elements considering their impact on participants with different abilities, skill levels, goals, cultural backgrounds, and interests.
Related: How To Bring Gamification Into Conference Design – Congrex Switzerland
Integration with Other Systems and Technologies
It is particularly important to ensure that gamification technology does not present any compatibility issues with other forms of event tech, especially with analytics platforms. Integrating both technologies will help organisers determine the effectiveness of their gamification strategy and measure attendee engagement accurately.
Conclusion
Due to their very nature, gamified learning experiences offer multiple benefits, ranging from better knowledge acquisition and retention to active participation and an improved sense of ownership and value throughout the entire conference experience.
By weaving gamification into a conference programme, event organisers can foster deep involvement and pleasant learning, ensuring that every event session gets delegates closer to their desired outcomes.
To find out how to best implement gamification in your professional events, contact the Congrex team by clicking this link. We will be happy to discuss the best personalised strategies for your unique needs.
