Exhibitors
Points, prizes and leaderboards: gamification that sends people to booths
A points game can move attendees around the expo floor and into sessions. Here's how to design one that rewards the right things and can't be gamed.
Mike Sanborn · October 21, 2026 · 2 min read
Exhibitors want traffic. Organizers want full sessions and busy expo halls. Attendees, it turns out, like a little friendly competition. A points game, done well, lines all three up.
Done badly, it rewards tapping buttons in the hotel room. Here's how to get it right.
Reward being there
Points should go to things attendees do at the event, not in the app:
- Booth visits: scan a code that's only available at the booth.
- Session check-ins: check in while the session is actually on.
- Meetings: a meeting request that the other person accepts.
- Profile completion: filling in interests and goals, which makes matchmaking work.
- Posts: sharing a takeaway in the activity stream, in moderation.
The key is proof of presence: each booth and each session counts once, and only with the code at the booth or a check-in while the session is on. That's what makes the leaderboard mean something.
Weight what you need
Set the points to match your goals. If the expo hall needs traffic, make booth visits worth the most. If sessions are thin in the afternoon, raise check-in points. Meetings deserve a healthy reward, because they're the hardest thing to get people to do and the most valuable when they happen.
Prizes and the leaderboard
Prizes don't need to be expensive to work. What matters is that they're visible: on the leaderboard, at the start of the app and on stage at the closing session. A public leaderboard drives competition; a private one (where people see only their own points) can suit events where that doesn't fit the culture.
Give sponsors the credit
Booth check-ins are data sponsors care about. A list of booths ranked by visits, and of the sessions with the most check-ins, gives you something concrete to show sponsors after the event, and to sell next year's packages with.
Keep it optional
Not every event wants a game. Board meetings and small workshops may not. It should be a switch, not a commitment.
Eventlane's points game works this way: booth codes and live check-ins, points you set per action, prizes on the leaderboard, and booth traffic on the organizer dashboard.
