By Mary Tucker, IAEE Sr. Communications & Content Manager
Captello is a True SaaS platform driven by dedicated event professionals equipped to deliver unique event experiences, increase interaction and event participation, drive event growth, and increase networking opportunities through flexible gamification solutions, premium lead capture, event management software & hardware solutions.
Captello designed the Expo! Expo! Derby Race for Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition held 13-15 December 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA in which attendees competed for more than $25,000 in prizes. This interactive game experience Powered by Captello offered participants the opportunity to earn points at “Derby stops” spread out across the meeting’s education sessions and on the show floor. Prizes were awarded at both the individual and group levels.
Here, Captello Director of Marketing Brad Froese explains the creative and logistic processes behind the Expo! Expo! Derby Race and how Captello continues to grow its offerings for show organizers.
Describe the process behind the Derby Race Captello created for Expo! Expo! and why it was a perfect fit for the show.
Every process begins with a vision. At the beginning of the process we discussed specific goals IAEE wanted to accomplish at Expo! Expo!, which we learned were “all about fun, embracing learning, and exploring new possibilities and innovative ideas while advancing personal and professional growth and development. Through unique and innovative learning environments, participants were able to join industry peers, hear from experts in their field of content, foster collaboration, and share ideas while making meaningful connections.”
Once we identified goals for the event, we started a brainstorming process with IAEE. Since Expo! Expo! was to take place in Louisville, Kentucky it was easy to draw inspiration from the industries, natural resources, and events that Kentucky is best known for; specifically, the Kentucky Derby.
With the vision for Expo! Expo! built on a structure of achievable goals and an engaging theme, it was easy for IAEE and Captello to form a partnership that would make the show an event like no other: “THE PLACE TO BE,” with key performance indicators for identifying show success.
To achieve the goals of making the event fun, providing increased opportunities for people to embrace learning, the exploration of new ideas, and advancing personal development, IAEE would need a fast and flexible platform capable of engaging large audiences with a variety of activations and interactions. The platform would need to quickly and efficiently adopt event branding and color schemes, and provide real time feedback and statistics for attendees and organizers.
Captello’s flexible event engagement platform and staff of Event Engagement Specialists made all this achievable for Expo! Expo! with additional supporting solutions like progress reports and instant rewards for participants. Captello integrated seamlessly with Swapcard’s attendee app and CloudTouch’s interactive displays across the show floor that provided real-time leaderboard results, interactive floor maps and participation instructions for attendees that needed reminders from the show floor or their personal device.
What challenges did Captello intend to resolve for Expo! Expo!?
Feedback from show organizers indicates the top two items on everyone’s wish list are:
- Grow event attendance
- Increase event engagement
Unfortunately, event engagement solutions are still being explored and researched by most organizers. Not everyone knows how to actually make it happen. Show organizers need to see how it is done in person with real examples and practical solutions. Captello’s goal with Expo! Expo! was to partner with the organizers to demonstrate total event engagement with a hands-on approach, provide support to ideate and develop show structure that was more engaging and would increase show attendance and participation, and make the experience more positive and memorable.
Captello provided IAEE with comprehensive data post-event including survey data from attendees in more than 40 educational sessions, participant data from every activation on the show floor, real time reports on participant progress, and world-class support before, during, and after the event.
What was the response you received from Expo! Expo!?
The response from Expo! Expo! was honest and exuberant. IAEE shared comments they heard from attendees on the show floor such as, “Was it really as easy as they make it sound?” and responded with enthusiastic praise of Captello’s solutions and support.
In post-event briefings, IAEE leadership said they would rate nearly every success indicator in the Captello/IAEE partnership executed as a “10” with a few mild exceptions on things they would like to improve or enhance for the year to come.
How did you use the leads generated at Expo! Expo!, and what have been the results?
At Captello, we treat every lead like pure gold with concierge-type follow up. Our connections at Expo! Expo! have resulted in partnerships with organizers worldwide who are taking the example they saw at Expo! Expo! and partnering with Captello to roll out similar plans at their events. Look for an increasing number of events “Powered by Captello” this year at locations including Louisville, Kentucky; Dallas, Texas; and Saudi Arabia, among others.
Organizers who are considering taking proactive steps toward total event engagement should know that Captello is a trusted partner for event engagement, premium lead capture, and event management for event success.
What are your plans for this year’s Expo! Expo!?
Captello is going bigger than ever at Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition 2023 in Dallas, Texas and planning a bigger round-two partnership with show organizers. Attendees should expect to participate in a truly unique and next level event that will showcase a host of new engagement and networking solutions to inspire, encourage, educate and set the pace for future events.
Booths are now open at Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting 2023 in Dallas, Texas. Reserve yours and find out more about partnership opportunities at Expo! Expo! by contacting IAEE Vice President of Partnership Relationships Rick Jennings at rjennings@iaee.com.
