Virtual Event Gamification

What gamification means in a virtual event

Gamification is the use of game elements, such as points, ranks and rewards, in something that is not a game. In a virtual event it is applied to the things you want attendees to do: join sessions, visit exhibitors, meet other attendees and answer questions.

Done well, it replaces a passive experience of watching with an active one of exploring. Done badly, it rewards clicking and annoys the people who came to learn. The mechanics below are the same either way. What changes is which behavior you choose to reward.

Eventdex describes its virtual event gamification as trivia challenges and real-time leaderboards inside the event app, where attendees earn points for completing tasks such as answering themed questions, visiting exhibitor booths or attending sessions. This guide uses those as the working examples, and treats everything else as design advice you would run yourself.

• Attention is the scarce thing

  Online, people can leave at any moment. Points and challenges give a reason to return after a break.

• Exploration is the goal

  Attendees can miss the exhibitor area or networking lounge. Rewards can point them there.

• It is optional

  Attendees who ignore the game should still get the full event. The game is an extra layer, not a gate.

The building blocks

Most virtual event games use some mix of five mechanics. Think of them as ingredients rather than a recipe. Choose the ones that suit your audience, and use fewer rather than more. Each one asks something different of the attendee, so mixing too many at once makes the event feel like homework.

• Points

  Numbers earned for actions. In Eventdex you choose which in-app actions count, such as adding sessions to a personal schedule, sharing a post on the feed or connecting with other attendees, and whether points are given once or every time.

  Trivia and leaderboards

• Leaderboards

  A ranked list of attendees by score. Eventdex's leaderboard updates as soon as points are awarded and can appear on the event homepage, in session rooms or in the app.

• Badges

  A mark for reaching a milestone, such as visiting five booths. Badges reward breadth, where points reward volume. Eventdex's pages do not describe badges as a feature, so treat them as a design idea you would run another way.

• Challenges

  A set of tasks with a deadline, such as 'attend one session in each track'. Good for steering attendees toward parts of the event.

• Trivia and quizzes

  Questions about the program, speakers or sponsors, scored on correctness or speed. Eventdex supports customizable trivia with the leaderboard.

Design principles that hold up

A few rules separate games people enjoy from games people tolerate.

1. 1

   Start with the behavior

   Decide what you want attendees to do more of, then reward that. Do not start with the points.

2. 2

   Make it simple to understand

   One sentence should explain how to score. If you need a table of rules, simplify.

3. 3

   Reward effort and quality, not only speed

   A race to click first rewards people with the fastest connection. Reward doing the thing, not doing it first.

4. 4

   Keep it visible

   Show current standings often. A game that nobody can see is not a game.

5. 5

   Give more than one way to win

   Prizes for top scorers, plus a draw among everyone who took part and perhaps a prize for most connections, keep the middle of the pack involved.

6. 6

   Be fair and transparent

   State the rules, prizes and how winners are chosen before the event. If rules on prize draws matter in your region, check with a lawyer or local authority.

Sponsor-linked tasks

Virtual events can be quiet places for sponsors. Gamification gives them a way to be found without a hard sell. The test of a good sponsor task is whether the attendee learns something or gets something, not whether they were simply sent to a page.

Eventdex's trivia and leaderboard pages say you can include sponsor branding in trivia questions, offer sponsor-branded prizes and create rounds sponsored by exhibitors. The virtual meeting app also supports virtual tradeshow booths, so a task can send attendees to a booth.

• Visit and learn

  Points for visiting a sponsor's booth and answering a question about what they do.

  Virtual meeting app

• Sponsored trivia round

  A round of questions presented by a sponsor, with their branding on the screen.

• Sponsor prize

  A prize provided by a sponsor and awarded for rank or participation.

• Report back to the sponsor

  Eventdex's trivia pages mention analytics on participation and sponsor engagement; use the numbers to show sponsors what the game delivered.

  Participation analytics

Pitfalls to avoid

Most failed games fail in the same few ways.

• Rewarding the wrong thing

  If points are cheap to get by clicking, people will click. Choose actions that show real participation.

• A few people dominate

  If repeated actions score without limit, one attendee can pull far ahead and others give up. Limit repeats or award once.

• Too complicated

  A long list of ways to earn points leaves people unsure what to do. Pick four to six.

• Prizes that do not suit the audience

  Prizes should be something your audience wants and that you can deliver, including to attendees in other countries.

• Ignoring accessibility

  Do not make timing-based games the only route to rewards, and make sure the game works with assistive tools your attendees may use.

A sample point scheme

This scheme is illustrative. The point values are examples to show the relative weights, not recommendations from research. Adjust them to your own event and decide whether each action counts once or each time.

[Event name] GAME RULES

How it works
Earn points by taking part in [event name]. The leaderboard shows the current top [number] and updates as points are awarded.

How to earn points (example values, change to suit your event)
- Complete your profile: 10 points, once
- Add a session to your schedule: 5 points each, up to [limit]
- Attend a live session: 20 points each
- Visit a sponsor booth: 15 points each, once per booth
- Connect with another attendee: 10 points each, up to [limit]
- Post in the community feed: 5 points each, up to [limit]
- Answer trivia correctly: 10 points each
- Complete the event survey: 10 points, once

Prizes
- Top [number] on the leaderboard: [prize]
- A draw among everyone who earns at least [number] points: [prize]

Fair play
- Points are checked before prizes are awarded.
- Anything that looks like an attempt to cheat may be removed.
- The organizer's decision on prizes is final.

The game closes at [date and time]. Winners are announced at [session or channel].

How to measure whether it worked

Measure the behavior you set out to change, not the points. Compare against your previous events or against attendees who did not play.

Set the measures before the event. Pick two or three behaviors, such as booth visits and live session attendance, note your starting point from a past event if you have one, and review them together after the event rather than in the middle, when the numbers are still moving.

• Participation

  How many attendees earned any points, and how many earned a meaningful amount.

• Target behaviors

  Booth visits, session attendance and connections made, compared with a previous event or with attendees who did not take part.

• Trivia results

  Which questions were missed, which sessions had the best answers and how long people took. Eventdex reports trivia participation, question performance and average answer times.

  Trivia analytics

• Feedback

  Ask attendees about the game in your survey, including what they would change.

  How would you rate the event?

• Sponsor value

  Share the numbers with sponsors afterward.

  Event KPIs