Get out and explore with a SCVNGR hunt!

A few weeks ago, I blogged about harnessing geolocation technology (specifically Foursquare) for your meeting. As usual, technology is changing at such a fast pace that a newer and more useful tool is already available.

I’m learning more and more about SCVNGR, a game about doing challenges at places. SCVNGR’s website describes the platform as part game, part gaming platform. At the time of this blog entry, SCVNGR has native apps for the iPhone and Android as well as SMS (text) capability that allows players with other phones to join in the fun.

At heart, SCVNGR is similar to Foursquare in the fact that you use your mobile phone’s GPS to identify your location, and see what else is nearby. But the SCVNGR developers have added a new dimension to the basic check-in, allowing players to create challenges for one another and awarding points for complexity.

There are one-location challenges, where players do something at a specific location for points. There are also points for multi-location challenges, called Treks, where players go from place to place in a predetermined route to unlock a prize. Treks can be performed in a specific order (set by the organizer) or by closest location. Talk about the perfect incentive for your attendees to explore the local area or map their way through your exhibit hall!

A grown-up SCVNGR hunt is a great way to get your attendees out of the meeting room and interacting with the world around them. Why not encourage teams to participate? I could even foresee revenue opportunities in an official meeting trek, when local businesses are sold the opportunity to be added to the route.

I can’t wait to add a SCVNGR hunt for my next conference!

Creating a Hybrid Expo Hall

Organizations are looking for ways to expand their audience, engage their members, and demonstrate return on investment of their precious conference dollars. Hybrid meetings that combine the real-life with online are gaining some traction.

Virtual tradeshows are an innovative way to increase value to exhibitors and sponsors, extending the show both in scope and duration. Meetings & Conventions magazine recently profiled a Cisco conference that successfully utilized Chicago-based InXpo’s virtual exhibit hall as part of a live event. The conference was marketed under a single brand, and included both physical and online components.

A virtual exhibit hall supports many methods of interaction, including instant messaging, video chat, e-mail, and business card exchange to create qualified, trackable leads for exhibiting companies. InXpo also offers “Intelli-booth," an interactive company experience that allows customers to engage with your company’s products and services in ways that are meaningful to them. Both platforms provide detailed metrics regarding when and how often customers visited and what content was of interest. The firm also offers webcasting, online job fairs, and other HR-type tools.

The InXpo software is pricey – ranging from $50K – $100K for a standard configuration and more for a highly customized event – but provides options for conferences currently constrained by space, time, or geography.