FROM THE
CONFERENCE DIRECTOR
ENSURING THE SUBOPTIC 2019 EXPERIENCE CREATES CONNECTIONS AND ENCOURAGES ENGAGEMENT
I
n the new digital era conference attendee engagement is one of the key themes and is equally important as any other conference element to the conference management and planning industries. The human attention span is notoriously short, and if meeting planning does not account for this, we can quickly fall into information overload. As we are designing the SubOptic 2019 Conference, we are looking at all areas of the conference and evaluating the experience a typical attendee. We want to ensure that your experience at SubOptic 2019 is one where we create connections and encourage engagement in New Orleans. SubOptic 2019 will be about engagement and creating experiences to promote learning. Remember when the coolest thing at a trade show was the bingo game or scavenger hunt? You know, go to certain booths, get a stamp or get a new clue to another booth, and complete the game you collect a prize. The excitement and the BUZZ that that created? Could you imagine doing that today? Gamification and attendee engagement is nothing new. You may wonder
60
SUBMARINE TELECOMS MAGAZINE
will SubOptic 2019 or my company need to create something to become more engaging on the on the exhibit floor. The short answer is yes! Adding features which create more attendee
We are designing SubOptic 2019 for participation. Traditionally, participation has been a job for committees, speakers, or the conference management team, but to increase conference attendee engagement it needs to be extended to the audience. engagement can lead to buzz, excitement, and an additional traffic to a booth. You may have an excellent location on the exhibit floor, but it may
Chris Noyes Conference Director STF Events
not be enough to create the buzz. But why does gamification succeed where content and high value may not? All of us naturally have the desire to compete and succeed. Gamification taps into that desire. Gamification is used to increase participation and improve retention, and used by many other industries such as retailers, employers and teachers. There are defining characteristics of a game: Goal (specific outcome); rules (limitations); feedback system and voluntary participation. How to add Attendee Engagement to a trade show and/or conference? • First is define the goal of the and purpose of what is the desired outcome • Drive traffic to the exhibit floor or booth • Drive traffic to your show’s website/ company website and social platforms • Increase Attendance experience The secondly determine the correct solution for your desired outcome. Some gaming solutions require some heavy lifting like integrating into their online, onsite registration systems.