Nothing causes an event to fail faster than a lack of engagement. As an event planner, seeing guests tuned out, or worse, leaving your event in droves, is the stuff of nightmares. Yet, that’s always a possibility if you fail to engage your guests. Thankfully, there’s an easy solution: gamify your event. Here’s how to boost engagement with a little friendly competition.
Boost Engagement with Live Polls and Quizzes
Live polls keep guests engaged by allowing them to participate and give feedback throughout the event. They’re also great for you, as an event planner, because they alert you to problems and give you a chance to adjust your approach during the event.
Quizzes are also fun for guests. Everyone loves a little friendly competition, so try incorporating trivia throughout the event and offer the chance to win prizes. A leaderboard is always a great touch and keeps the competitive spirit going.
Make Use of Challenges and Scavenger Hunts
Challenges and scavenger hunts are excellent ways to keep guests engaged throughout your event. Challenges could include things like visiting every station to complete a passport book of stamps or being the first to solve a problem posed to the group.
Scavenger hunts are always fun and keep guests looking around throughout the event. There’s plenty of room to be creative with scavenger hunts, too. You could hide specific objects or merch throughout the venue, or make your hunt more interactive by hiding clues that must be solved to reach the final prize.
Go Big
There’s no place like NYC for going to extremes. We love to have the biggest and best of everything, so use that in your events! Try an oversize bowling set or a mechanical bull to inject a healthy dose of competition and humor into your event.
Alternatively, try a social media wall that encourages guests to interact with the event in real time. Posts are constantly updated so the most recent interaction is displayed. As a bonus, social media walls generate plenty of attention for your event, too!
Make Networking Fun
Networking can sometimes feel awkward, so help your guests forge new connections by making networking fun. For instance, try challenging guests to complete a networking bingo card by finding other guests who meet particular criteria, such as being from certain states or having specific hobbies.
Icebreaker games can also help facilitate networking. Consider offering rewards or incentives for meeting particular goals, too, such as a certain number of connections made on digital badges or collecting the most business cards.
Offer Enticing Rewards
Enticing rewards always increases interest in participation. Guests who might not be excited about participating in a trivia competition, for example, suddenly have a lot more interest when they know they can win a gift card or a new piece of tech.
Even small rewards are enough to drive engagement. T-shirts, coupons for free concessions, and certificates of achievement work well as incentives to boost engagement at events.
Stay on Top of Gamification Trends at The Expo
If you’re looking for new gamification ideas, attending The Event Planner Expo is a must. Don’t miss your chance to establish yourself as a top NYC event planner, all while staying on top of industry trends, like the latest in gamification. Apply to exhibit today!
