Getting the Game On

Boothtag launched a major update with the Alliance 2012 National Conference - a full mobile app for events that powers attendee participation with game mechanics integrated in every feature.

This was the first time the Alliance for Children and Families included event app technology in their conference offering, and BoothTag gives a big tip of the hat to their event and technology team for structuring the experience to truly amplify the level of attendee excitement and engagement.

Getting the Juice Flowing

BoothTag creates QR code scan destinations and motivates attendees to circulate and check in. Alliance took full advantage of flexible administrative tools, creating barcodes for every exhibitor in the expo hall. Then, they generated barcodes for every workshop and break out session in a full two-day schedule with multiple tracks.

Personal Networking

All attendees received accounts with their email address. With their account, every attendee was given a personal QR code available from right within the app. When attendees understood they could earn game points for networking and exchanging contact information by scanning each others bar codes, the amount of interpersonal activity increased dramatically, fostering business relationships and motivating connections that may not have otherwise occurred. Gathering areas between sessions were clogged with professionals adding to their app 'Rolodex'!

Promoting Participation

Alliance promoted the game component to great effect during general sessions and presentations. During general sessions, the leaderboard was displayed on the big screen, with progress prizes given away to the top point earners at the beginning of the session. This simple announcement and reward strategy inspired one presenter to award his own prize at the beginning of his presentation!

Alliance's promotions had a cumulative rolling effect. Using the Push Notification feature of BoothTag, other Bonus scan opportunities were announced. Each announcement had the effect of steering attendee traffic to specific destinations - a photo booth, giving a candid photo or video testimonial to the event photographer and checking in at the registration desk.

Game-powered Social Sharing

They even began awarding points to fellow attendees using Boothtag's Recommend and Share features, publishing short, twitter-like messages of recommendation to the private social activity stream created by BoothTag's app.

Exhibitors, using a special area in the event mobile app dedicated to them, viewed in real time the attendees who had checked in at their exhibit booth. Using the Qualify button, each connection could immediately be qualified as a sales lead for follow up.

Reporting, wrap up and ROI

Alliance for Children and Families "got the juice" flowing at their annual conference. It will be exciting to debrief with them, review the real time data reports and establish clear event ROI. If one measure of success was excited attendee involvement, Boothtag is proud to have contributed to that success.

Mobile Games Amp Up The Fun - And The Business!

Games continue to engage when people play. Merely adding points to something and a badge doesn't do it.

Creating an environment of play, fun and recognition helps event attendees join in and participate in an immersive experience. 

At SourceMedia's 24th Annual Card Forum, BoothTag was given a mascot dog, BoothTag Bruno. Bruno, wearing a smartphone dangling around his neck, was boldly featured on a tee shirt awarded at the 100 point level. 

Affinion, a loyalty solutions company, sponsored prizes for the Card Forum and Expo game, including a first prize of $1,000, an iPad 3, Amazon Kindles, and several gift cards for the top 10 points leaders playing BoothTag. 

Affinion's Vice President of Sales and Strategy, Charles Christianson, spoke at the Card Forum on gamification for the loyalty and credit card industry. In a one-on-one conversation Charles noted that with increasing competition among health care providers offered opportunities to engage consumers with game-based interactions to increase levels of loyal and thoughtful interaction.

After-hours conversations with the good folks from MasterCard additionally revealed that consumers are going mobile - with every type of interaction and transaction available. 

Acknowledging behavior with a badge puts a label on specific behaviors. The Card Forum and Expo attendees using BoothTag this week demonstrated that:

• At industry events, attendees want to connect with each other

• Attendees feel empowered when *they* are scanning exhibitor barcodes, not the other way around

• Fun happens, when game mechanics are shaped around real-world business interactions

• Engaged players provide amazing feedback on both what they love, and what they don't love about a game - and continue to play no matter what 

What exhibitors said:

• This game is awesome! (yep, we had an 'awesome')

• They universally love downloading an excel spreadsheet with all the contact information of attendees who scanned the booth barcode (average unique scan connections per exhibitor at the Card Forum = 31)

• Not all booth traffic is qualified, but "you just send us the traffic, and we *will* qualify it!"

Finally, some thoughts on managing an event with a game, successfully demonstrated by Source Media (thanks, Alicia, Sasha, Rebecca and the whole team - you did a great job!):

• Receive player feedback thoughtfully and graciously

• Encourage people to play

• Create incentive for participation

• Actively support anyone with a question

• Reward sustained engagement

• Create additional play opportunities when players ask for more!

There's no substitute for human interaction.

BoothTag at EXHIBITOR2012

BoothTag was integrated at EXHIBITOR2012, the world conference and exhibition for trade show and corporate event marketing, March 4-8 2012, in Las Vegas.

Exhibitor Media Group used BoothTag to drive attendee traffic to exhibitors that were in the Exhibitor Magazine's Find It - Marketplace, the buyer's guide to trade show exhibiting.

Hear what the Find It - BoothTag winner had to say on how BoothTag helped him experience the entire trade show floor!

Also, check out the photos from the show!

Startup Growth: Mobile Game for Business Events Steps On To National Stage

In a world where trade show mobile apps are ever more common, BoothTag was selected by EXHIBITOR 2012, the trade show industry's largest exhibit hall, to drive foot-traffic to key exhibitors in its new Find It - Marketplace at the event.

BoothTag, a mobile game for trade shows and expositions, steps onto the national stage in Las Vegas next week at EXHIBITOR 2012.

The BoothTag game awards points to attendees as they scan exhibitor booth bar codes, and engage in event-wide scavenger hunts. Exhibitors create their own bonus bar codes and download spreadsheet lists of all attendees who scanned at their booth.

Not only is BoothTag a mobile game product, it's a successful Milwaukee, WI technology startup company.

After a 2010 pilot and 2011 launch at the BizTech Expo in Milwaukee, BoothTag incorporated in July 2011 and gained key customers regionally and nationally, including InBusiness Madison, CompTIA Breakaway 2011 in Washington D.C. and national corporate internal trade shows.

Exhibitor Media Group chose BoothTag for the trade show industry's largest exhibit hall because of the "gamification" employed in generating attendee traffic to exhibitors.

Event attendees scan QR codes using the iPhone or Android BoothTag app that has been branded for EXHIBITOR 2012. On-screen notifications in the app encourage the attendee to explore new areas, connect with fellow attendees by scanning their personal game barcode, level-up by acquiring more points, and win prizes provided by the event. Exhibitors and attendees can also manage their game connections and profile information through a dedicated portal at http://findit.boothtag.com.

With an anticipated 6,500 attendees, the game activity is anticipated to be high for the nearly 130 destination booths with barcodes. "Even limiting the participating booths the Find It - Marketplace, roughly half the total exhibitors at the event, we believe the scan activity will eclipse previous, very successful BoothTag events. The best part is, BoothTag now shows feedback graphically to attendees in real time, as it occurs, on both mobile devices and a series of big-screen leader displays. That user feedback critically motivates attendees to play, generating real-time trade show floor analytics for the event."

BoothTag is a company delivering traffic and driving engagement at trade shows and business events using mobile barcode technology and game theory for increased attendee activity and measurable exhibitor value. For fast response, contact us at info@boothtag.com.

More information on BoothTag can be found at http://youtube.com/boothtag.

More information on EXHIBITOR 2012 can be found on their website

In Business Conference & Expo

On October 19, 2011, business professionals around the Greater Madison area, attended and exhibited at the first annual In Business Conference & Expo, which took place in Madison, Wisconsin. We were very excited and honored to participate in such a great event!

Here are some of the results!