Gamification in Conferinte – De ce, Cum si Ce?

We often get the question “What is gamification, really? A game, play or fun?”. The answer we give every time is the same: it is the application of a game mechanic (from filling in some blanks, using event badges, points or any other mechanism) to encourage behavior change. That's where the assumption that it's “fun” came from, but it gets results because it connects to our intrinsic motivations.

What motivates us?
There are so many reasons why Gamification motivates people. Richard Bartle has created the “Bartle Test of Psychology”, a research on motivational factors, which revealed 4 distinct personalities.
1. Achievers
They play to win and the ranking is their inspiration. For example, if you make a top with the results of their activity, those who are close to the top will work harder tomorrow to improve themselves, and those who are not at the top will do their best to get to the top. Achievers want to have a goal in front of them and aim towards it.
2. Explorers
They are motivated by the windfalls that come along for the ride. They are not interested in being number one but rather in exploring for something different. They don't care about the leaderboard but they do care about a windfall for their effort, for example a coffee for checking into the event.
3. Socializers
The friendliest category, as the name implies, they participate in competitions for the sake of the connections that are created. They are a heavyweight category in a conference, they are the ones who through gamification encourage socialization.
4. Killers
The opposite of the above category, the Killers are this very small group who want to be number one in every way possible. They will get involved and play the traditional form of conference challenges, so you need to keep that in mind. The good thing is that they are a small percentage of the whole group.

Spice Up your Conference
Once you have decided what you want from your participants, find the right methods. Below you will find a list of 5 fresh ideas on how to do this:
Catchbox
Catchbox is the world's first microphone that was used by throwing it around the room. It's a fun and colorful way to keep everyone active, asking questions and participating in the discussions launched by the speaker. Also, Crowdmics is a mobile phone application that turns your phone into a microphone that can be synchronized with the sound system in the room.
Presentations
Gone are the days when a presentation lasted 90 minutes and kept participants motionless from their seats. Today we increasingly see speakers using technology to present their views and create interactivity among participants.
Speaker
We also mentioned in a previous article how important is the role of a Speaker in a conference. The interactivity of the participants depends very much on the way in which the speaker delivers his/her presentation and how he/she can follow up during the event. The ball starts from him, that's why he has the challenge to launch it as creatively and in a unique way to the participants.
Badges
The organizers of an IT conference in Brooklyn challenged attendees to provide their parents“ contact details. They gave them a short Bio about the attendees, everything turned into a fantastic energy and discussion based on ”What did your parents say about you?". Another hack used was for each participant to turn in badge from front to back, so that those sitting in the back row knew the name of the person in front of them.
Social Media
Selfies, check-ins and quotes present at the event are elements that are part of the whole event experience. There's nothing new in that anymore. That's why most of the time events have their own hashtag, creating online communities of people. Take advantage of this and encourage constant posting on social networks, collect all these posts with the help of a platform and turn them into a LIVE wall.

Te invitam in sectiunea comentarii pentre a discuta mai multe despre provocarile de a mentine pariticpantii activi cu ajutorul metodei de gamification.