To increase engagement at a conference, give the audience a small job in every session: a poll in the opening ten minutes, a word cloud before the panel, a two-question feedback form at the close. Add points for taking part and show one leaderboard. Sociana runs these in the app and in a browser, so the whole hall can join.
Who this guide is for
You chair or organise a conference of a few hundred delegates and you have watched the second afternoon empty out. You want a plan that is not a gimmick: a handful of interactions placed where attention drops, measured so you can say afterwards what worked.
What engagement means for a conference
Engagement is not noise. It is the share of delegates who did something other than sit: answered a question, asked one, networked, visited a sponsor, gave feedback. The easiest definition to defend is participation rate: delegates who took at least one action divided by delegates present. Decide the denominator before the event.
The demand is real. Indians spent about 1.2 trillion hours on mobile devices in 2025, a figure the FICCI-EY report links to rising appetite for in-person experiences (FICCI-EY via Storyboard18, 2026). Delegates arrive with their phones in hand; the choice is whether the phone is a distraction or a part of the session.
The interaction menu
| Interaction | Best moment | Effort | What you learn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening poll | First ten minutes | Low | Who is in the room |
| Word cloud | Before a panel | Low | What the room is thinking |
| Live quiz | After lunch | Medium | Who is paying attention |
| Session feedback | End of each session | Low | What speakers should hear |
| Delegate directory and chat requests | Breaks | Low | Who wants to meet whom |
| Points and leaderboard | All day | Medium | Who took part |
| Games or hunt | Evening or break | Medium to high | Reach beyond the hall |
Step by step
Step 1: Pick two interactions per session, not six
Over-engineering kills engagement. For each session choose a before and an after: a poll to open and a feedback form to close, or a word cloud and a quiz. Place each in the run-of-show. The conference run of show glossary entry covers the format.
Step 2: Open with a poll that costs nothing to answer
One question, three or four options, answerable in ten seconds: “How many of you are here for the first time?” Display the result on the venue screen. Delegates see themselves in the room. Show how the no-login route works in running a no-login poll on a venue screen.
Step 3: Use a word cloud before the panel
Ask one open question, such as “One word for the biggest risk in the next year”, and project the cloud as it forms. The moderator reacts to the largest words. It takes a minute and sets the panel’s agenda. See word clouds.
Step 4: Ask for feedback at the right minute
Per-session feedback forms unlock after each session, as at the GCOO Conclave. Two or three questions, not ten. Offer points for answering. Speakers read feedback that arrives while they are still in the building. See feedback forms.
Step 5: Give points, but only for what you want
Participation can award leaderboard points per answer or per correct answer. Reward the actions that matter: polls, feedback, sponsor visits, connections. Show one board. A leaderboard that tracks everything tracks nothing. See unified leaderboard.
Step 6: Make networking easy
The delegate directory with search and chat requests, as at APMI’s conference, helps people find each other. A first message is a request that needs acceptance, which keeps the chat clean, and delegates can block a user. See delegates directory and QR contact exchange.
Step 7: Plan for day two, not just day one
Engagement dips on the second afternoon. Schedule a boost: a quiz after lunch, a prize draw at a sponsor stand, a team challenge by table. Announce it that morning with a scheduled notification.
Step 8: Measure and tell the speakers
Export responses per session, participation by group and feedback summaries. Send each speaker their own numbers. Keep a record for next year’s planning.
A sample run-of-show with interactions
Opening plenary: a one-question poll in the first ten minutes, shown on the screen. Mid-morning panel: a word cloud collected over the previous break and displayed at the start. Late morning: a two-question session feedback form unlocked at the close. After lunch: a short live quiz to bring people back. Afternoon: a networking break with the delegate directory open and a prompt to send two chat requests. Evening: a light game or hunt for those who stay.
Mark each of these in the run-of-show with the person who triggers it and the minute it happens. Rehearse the poll and the quiz with the AV team at the venue the day before. The point is not the number of interactions; it is that each is placed where attention drops and each takes less than a minute to answer.
Checklist for the programme team
- Each session has one opening and one closing interaction, written in advance.
- Poll and quiz questions are prepared with visibility off.
- The QR is built into the slides and held long enough to scan.
- A manager is assigned to trigger each interaction from their phone.
- The feedback form for each session is ready to unlock at the close.
- Points are set for the actions you want and nothing else.
- Networking prompts are scheduled for the breaks.
- A moderator watches the feed and chat.
Finally, decide what you will report: participation rate by session, feedback response and the most-used interaction. If you cannot name the figure before the event, you will struggle to defend it afterwards.
Pitfalls
- A poll that is really a survey. Keep it to ten seconds.
- Leaving the QR on screen for two seconds. Hold it long enough to scan.
- Leaderboard inflation. Do not award points for logging in alone.
- Interactions for their own sake. Each should serve the session.
- Skipping moderation of chat and feed. Assign a moderator.
India and SAARC notes
Indian conference audiences are often senior, time-pressed and wary of gimmicks. Choose formats that respect that: short polls, word clouds, structured feedback and directory-based networking over loud games. Quizzes in the style of KBC and housie suit informal evenings. Use English and, where the audience prefers, Hindi or regional-language prompts; content and labels can be in any script. Many conferences are association-led with volunteer secretariats, so prepare interactions in advance with visibility off and release them from the stage. For ICCA-style international congresses in Indian cities, keep prompts short for non-native English speakers.
How Sociana handles this
Polls, quizzes, word clouds and feedback run on one engine, in the app and on the open web, with results on a venue-screen display; points flow to the unified leaderboard, and managers trigger questions from their phones. The APMI 3rd Annual Conference on 30 September 2026 at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, combined live polls triggered from the panel, All Guests and My Chats networking, a feed and paid meeting-room booking. See the live poll on a venue screen demo and the related guide on offering bookable meeting rooms.
FAQ
How many interactions are too many?
More than two or three per session. Measure by participation, not by the count of interactions.
Can delegates take part without the app?
Yes, for polls and votes: the no-login web route lets anyone in the room answer from a QR.
Does Sociana generate polls with AI?
No. AI features are summaries (approved by organisers), avatars and activations. Polls and quizzes are written by the organiser.
How do we reward engagement?
With leaderboard points for chosen actions, and badges or a reward store where the programme has them. Keep wallet points separate from leaderboard points.
Related reading
Glossary: participation rate, engagement score, word cloud, session feedback, unified leaderboard. Occasion hubs: conferences, association events, town halls.