Overview

Gamification adds a playful, competitive layer to your event by recognizing and rewarding participant engagement. It’s designed to encourage participation in sessions, networking, and exhibitor interactions, helping you drive traffic where it matters most. Whether you’re running an in-person, virtual, or hybrid event, gamification builds momentum and boosts visibility for key event activities.

Gamification is available for users in Premium and Ultimate plans.

Participants can complete gamification challenges using both the event website and the mobile app for the event. Actions performed on either platform will count toward their total points, as long as they take place within the active gamification window.

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Setting Up Gamification

1. Open your event in Zoho Backstage.
   
2. Navigate to Manage > Engagement > Gamification from the Dock.
   
3. Click Enable Gamification.
   
4. Set the time frame during which gamification will be active:
   
   
   
   
1. Start Date: The date and time when participants can start earning points.
   
2. End Date: The cut-off time after which no points will be awarded.
   
5. Click Enable. The Gamification > Settings tab will open. This tab lets you manage your challenges, leaderboard settings, rewards, and page sharing options.

Points earned outside this time frame will not count toward the leaderboard.

Pausing Gamification  

1. Navigate to the Manage > Engagement > Gamification > Settings tab from the Dock.
   
2. Turn off the Gamification toggle. The Pause Gamification dialog box will appear.
   
   
   
   
3. Click Pause.
   

When pausing gamification:

1. The leaderboard and challenges will be hidden from participants.
   
2. Participants will no longer earn points for completing challenges.
   

Enabling and Managing Challenges  

Adding or Editing a Challenge 

1. Navigate to the Manage > Engagement > Gamification > Settings tab from the Dock.
   
2. Click Edit in the Challenges section. The Challenges side panel will appear. 
3. Each challenge includes the following settings:
   
1. Challenge Title: The name of the action (e.g., “Join a session”).
   
2. Points: Number of points awarded per completion.
   
3. Max Occurrence: Maximum times a participant can earn points for this challenge.
   
4. You can enable or disable existing challenges by turning the toggle on/off next to each entry.
   

Available Challenges: 

1. Sign In (Web) – Earn points by signing in through the event website.
   
2. Sign In (Mobile App) – Earn points by signing in through the mobile event app.
   
3. Upload Profile Image – Upload a profile photo to complete your event profile.
   
4. Add Profile Bio – Add a short bio or introduction to your event profile.
   
5. Enter Event Space – Access the event space online or in person.
   
6. Event Check-In – Complete check-in at the event venue or online.
   
7. Session Check-In – Check in to a session before it begins.
   
8. Zone Check-In – Enter and check in to a designated event zone.
   
9. Bookmark a Session – Bookmark sessions you plan to attend.
   
10. Join a Session – Participate in a live or virtual session.
    
11. Engage in Session Q&A – Ask or answer questions during a session’s Q&A.
    
12. Engage in Session Poll – Vote in a poll during a session.
    
13. Engage in Session Chat – Take part in the chat during a session.
    
14. Share Session Feedback – Submit feedback or rate a session after attending.
    
15. Download Session Handout – Download handouts or resources shared for a session.
    
16. Enter Virtual Lounge – Join the virtual networking lounge.
    
17. Engage in Discussion Channel – Contribute to a discussion in event channels.
    
18. Chat with Attendee – Start a private chat with another attendee.
    
19. Meet with Attendee – Schedule or join a 1:1 meeting with an attendee.
    
20. Meet with Exhibitor – Schedule or join a meeting with an exhibitor.
    
21. Submit Exhibitor Inquiry – Submit questions or requests to an exhibitor.
    
22. Download Exhibitor Collateral – Download brochures or resources shared by exhibitors.
    
23. Badge Scan by Exhibitor – Have your attendee badge scanned by an exhibitor.
    
24. Engage in Event Poll – Participate in event-level polls.
    
25. Comment on Event Announcement – Leave a comment on event announcements.
    
26. Upload a Photo – Share a photo in the event gallery.
    
27. Add Exhibitor to Favorites – Mark an exhibitor as a favorite.
    
28. Like a Photo in the Gallery – Like a photo shared in the event gallery.
    
29. Post on Social Wall – Publish a post on the event’s social wall.
    
30. Comment on Social Wall – Comment on a post on the social wall.
    

Winners and Rewards  

1. Navigate to the Manage > Engagement > Gamification > Settings tab from the Dock.
   
2. In the Number of Winners dropdown, select how many top scorers should be recognized: 3, 5, or 10. 
   
3. From the Declare Winners dropdown, you can choose how the winners are declared:
   
1. Auto-declare winners when gamification ends
   
2. Declare winners manually: 
   
1. Click the Declare winners button. 
   

Setting Up Rewards 

Offering rewards adds excitement and stakes to your gamification strategy. By assigning prizes to leaderboard ranks, you can inspire healthy competition and reinforce positive behavior throughout the event.

1. Navigate to the Manage > Engagement > Gamification > Settings tab from the Dock.
   
2. Enable the Rewards for Winners toggle. 
   
3. Click Edit. The Reward details for winners side panel will appear. 
   
   
   
   
4. Enter the information in the Reward Details fields. 
   
5. Click Save. 

Leaderboard 

Sharing the Leaderboard 

1. Navigate to the Manage > Engagement > Gamification > Leaderboard tab from the Dock. 
   
2. Click Manage Leaderboard Page. The Manage Leaderboard Page side panel will appear. 
   
   
   
   
3. Go to the Leaderboard Page Link tab. 
   
4. Enter a password where it is prompted. This step is mandatory.
   
1. (Optionally) You can use the default system-generated password. 
   
5. Click Generate Link in the Share Leaderboard section.
   
1. If you have generated a link already click Generate New Link in the Share Leaderboard section. 
   
6. Set the Link Expiration:
   
1. Event End Date & Time: The link will automatically expire when the event officially ends.
2. One Day After the Event Ends: The link remains live for 24 hours after your event concludes. This is useful if you want participants to check their final scores post-event.
3. Custom Date: Select this option if you want to manually define when the leaderboard link should expire. When Custom Date is selected:
   
1. A date picker will appear where you can choose the expiration date.
2. A time field will appear below it, allowing you to set the exact expiration time.
3. This option is helpful if you want to extend leaderboard visibility for a specific period after the event, such as during a wrap-up session or internal team review.

1. Once generated, the link and password must be shared together. Users must enter the correct password to access the leaderboard page.
   
2. Once the expiration time is reached, the link becomes invalid and the page is no longer accessible. 
   
3. Password protection is required for all leaderboard pages. Zoho Backstage does not store this password. Make sure to save and share it securely.
   

This is a public link. Share it only with trusted contacts. 

Customizing the Leaderboard Page Appearance 

Customizing the leaderboard page ensures it blends seamlessly with your event branding. You can tailor the visual experience with theme options, background images, and color choices.

Uploading a New Background Image

1. Click Upload Image in the Page Background section.
   
2. Select a background from the library or upload a new image.
   
   
   

Monitoring Leaderboard Page Sessions    

Viewing Participant Activities 

Sometimes it’s not just about who’s on top—but how they got there. Activity tracking offers transparency by showing a challenge-by-challenge breakdown for each participant. This is especially useful for manual winner declaration, resolving score disputes, or understanding user engagement trends.

1. Navigate to the Manage > Engagement > Gamification > Leaderboard tab from the Dock.
   
2. Click View Activities next to the attendee whose participation you want to review. The Challenge Activities panel will appear on the right.
   
   
   
   
3. The panel displays a table that breaks down the participant's engagement across individual challenges. Each row represents a challenge the participant has participated in.

1. Challenge Title: Displays the specific action completed by the participant.
   
2. Occurrence: Shows how many times the challenge was completed, followed by the maximum allowed for that challenge. For example, “2/5” means the participant completed the action twice out of five allowed times.
   
3. Points Scored: Reflects the total number of points awarded from that specific challenge based on the number of valid completions.
   

Exporting Leaderboard Data 

1. Navigate to the Manage > Engagement > Gamification > Leaderboard tab from the Dock.
   
2. Click the Export button on the top-right corner. The Export Game Leaderboard popup will appear. 
   
   
   
   
3. (Optional) Enable Password Protect the File, then enter a password of your choice.
   
4. Choose your preferred File Format: XLSX / CSV.
   
5. Click Export to generate and download the file.
   

Zoho Backstage does not store the password. Save it securely.

The exported file includes:

• Participant rank
  
• Full name
  
• Email
• Designation and organization (if available)
  
• Total points earned during gamification
  

Tips:

1. Use a mix of session-based, social, and exhibitor-related challenges to boost interaction across all event areas.
   
2. Enable auto-declaration to simplify winner announcements.
   
3. Export data post-event for marketing or rewards fulfillment.
   

Zoho Backstage supports a limited set of custom gamification tasks to help you align with your event’s engagement goals. If you’d like to explore a challenge outside the predefined list, please contact our support team at support@zohobackstage.com. We’ll review the request and let you know if it’s feasible for your event setup.