June 23 @ WEC, 9-10 a.m.
"Gamify Your Hybrid Meeting Experience"
Amani Roberts, chief musical curator, The Amani Experience, discussed gamification ahead of his June 23 WEC session, “Gamify Your Hybrid Meeting Experience.”
What do you hope attendees to your session will take away from it?
My goal is for attendees to understand how impactful adding various elements of gamification to all of their meetings can be. Whether it is adding a fun game to introduce the keynote speaker, engaging with the audience during a break or reviewing all of the content that has been shared via an interactive game, studies have proven that gamification greatly increases the retention of material. The beauty of my session is that we will have multiple opportunities for attendees to experience the impact of gamification through observation and participation. Plus, we are going to have fun!
Have you seen interest in gamification change during the pandemic?
I have seen the interest in gamification increase dramatically as we worked our way through the pandemic. At first, many companies were just hosting virtual or hybrid meetings as a way to share content and stay connected with their audience. Then, as the hybrid meeting experience matured, there became a need for more elements within each event to ensure participation, retention and attendance. Gamification fulfilled this need to a great extent. Now, the expectation is that the attention of our hybrid meeting attendees needs to be maintained throughout the entire program with an unheard-of level of interaction and participation.
Have you seen successful gamification options that involve both in-person and virtual attendees?
There have been multiple instances where I have seen gamification across platform work at a high level. I have personally hosted a version of Family Feud where two members of the family were in person and two other members were virtually attending. There was another edition of a show called “The Squares” where all of the celebrity panelists were virtual, and the two contestants were in-person playing the game. It was extremely memorable and successful. The capabilities of our technology and bandwidth now allow for people to participate from all over the world and add more possibilities for hybrid events. Imagine being in Los Angeles, and competing with people live in Tokyo, London and Miami at an event. I think we are only now seeing the possibilities and power of blending in-person and virtual attendees together.
Can you comment on how gamification best practices differ between in-person and virtual events?
With in-person events, you have to encourage crowd participation throughout the gamification by moving around and looking at the audience and engaging with them physically. Question and answers and paying attention to the non-verbal cues are crucial. Also, with in-person events, cadence is very important. I focus on keeping the shows moving along very quickly to maintain a high attention level. For virtual events, the chat is where it is at. When people are typing in the chat, you must take that, run with it and engage. A great tip is to find out where people are tuning in virtually and speak about what the local time is. With various time zones, this is a simple practice that makes a huge impact. Finally, for virtual events, we are very reliant on technology to assist us in executing a flawless performance. I have learned to always have a backup and there is no shame in having to manually play a game if tech issues arise. Once again, you can use the chat to move the game along and keep the audience engaged. I have my experience as a live streamer on Twitch to thank for this lesson!
What are some of the greatest challenges for successful gamification at meetings/events?
I believe the main challenge is proving how effective gamification at meetings/events can be. Similar to showing the value of having a DJ at an event, many event planners don’t realize how much gamification can elevate the overall meeting experience. Plus, in a day and age where our industry is continuing to create unique events, gamification can be a simple addition that can create new memories. An additional challenge is continuing to educate attendees and planners on what exactly gamification is. Gone are the days when earning points on an app qualify as the only form of gamification. We are in an era where every event is a major production and gamification is like the flavor and spices to the main entree. We can’t have bland main courses! High-level gamification (like interactive game shows) should be considered for every hybrid event. Information retention is key! The final challenge would be to continue to show the industry that there is no end to gamification. It is here to stay and should be required at all of your events. Your attendees will thank you!
