Building engagement takes more than adding something fun to the agenda. It is about creating opportunities for people to connect, participate, learn, and find value in the time they spend at the event.

That was the idea behind the Expo Punch List Game, a new engagement initiative introduced at CxEnergy 2026, the conference and exposition presented by ACG, AABC, and EMA. The goal was simple: Encourage attendees to visit participating exhibitor booths, start real conversations, learn about products and services, and spend more intentional time in the Expo Hall.

On the surface, the game was easy to follow. Attendees visited “gold” and “silver” booths, asked questions, collected unique booth codes, checked in through the mobile app, and earned badges toward prizes. Behind the scenes, however, the project required sponsor planning, app coordination, staff training, signage, testing, communication, and a clear understanding of how the experience would benefit everyone involved.

The Expo Punch List Game shows how a simple engagement idea can become a structured event experience when it is planned with purpose. The goal wasn’t entertainment; it was supporting larger event priorities, including sponsor value, engagement, app participation, and Expo Hall interaction.

Starting With Purpose

For sponsors and exhibitors, the CxEnergy Expo Hall is an important opportunity to showcase technologies, services, tools, and solutions that can help energy management professionals improve their work and stay informed about what is happening in the industry.

The Expo Punch List Game was created to support that purpose in a more active way. Instead of having attendees walk through the Expo Hall casually, the game gave them a reason to stop, ask questions, and learn something useful. It also gave gold and silver sponsors an opportunity to speak directly with attendees who may not have otherwise started a conversation.

Before building the game, the team focused on one key question: How can this be valuable for both sponsors and attendees?

For sponsors, the benefit needed to go beyond booth traffic. The game had to encourage actual conversations, not just quick code collection. For attendees, the benefit needed to be more than the chance to win a prize. They needed to feel that their time was being used well and that the conversations could help them discover services, products, or ideas relevant to their companies or projects.

That balance shaped the rest of the planning process.

Designing a Game That Encouraged Real Conversations

To support meaningful conversation, the team developed sample questions that attendees could use as starters when visiting participating booths. For example, “How can your product or service help my company or project?”

This kind of question created value for both sides. Sponsors had the opportunity to explain their work in a practical, relevant way, and attendees had the opportunity to understand whether a product or service could be useful for their needs.

Building the Badge System Through the Event App

Once the strategy was clear, the next step was making sure the existing event technology could support the experience. The planning team worked through the backend process of identifying how the conference mobile app could support the game, badges could be assigned, and attendees could check in after completing activities.

The game relied on a badge-based structure: Attendees earned badges by completing different activities, including visiting participating booths and collecting a unique booth code after engaging with each sponsor. Attendees then entered the code in the mobile app to receive the corresponding badge.

Creating this process required more than simply assigning codes. The team had to think through how the codes would work, how to make them unique, and how to reduce the chance of attendees sharing or duplicating codes without visiting booths. The goal was to protect the value of the game for sponsors by making sure the booth visit and conversation remained central to the experience.

This required careful planning and coordination with the app vendor, as well as testing the process from the attendee perspective before the event. Staff walked through the app, reviewed the sponsor badge process, tested code entry, and anticipated the questions attendees might ask on-site. This step helped the team not only evaluate the technology but also prepare the staff communication needed to support attendees during the event.

Expanding Engagement Beyond the Booths

While sponsor booth visits were the center of the Expo Punch List Game, the team also added badges to encourage broader participation across the event and support larger goals around app usage, social media visibility, session engagement, and post-event feedback, including:

App Explorer: Awarded when attendees checked in to the mobile app to encourage app adoption and help attendees become familiar with the platform.

Social Star: Awarded when attendees posted a photo from the event on LinkedIn using the hashtag #CxEnergy to encourage sharing with professional networks and build community beyond the event.

Showcase Hunter: Awarded when attendees participated in a Technology Theater session, drawing attention to a key show feature and companies presenting their technologies, products, and services.

Survey Pro: Awarded for completing surveys through the app, facilitating feedback collection and helping event organizers better understand attendee experiences, session sentiment, and opportunities to improve.

Making the Game Easy to Understand

Introducing a new activity at a long-standing event requires clear communication. It was important to make sure everyone had enough information to participate confidently.

To support this, the team developed clear instructions and signage that explained how the game worked. Standees were placed on-site so attendees could understand the rules without needing to wait for a staff member or search through the app for details. The signage also listed the participating gold and silver sponsors.

The back of the signage explained the steps in a simple way: Visit participating gold and silver sponsor booths, ask a question, collect the unique booth code, enter the code in the mobile app, earn badges, and compete for prizes.

Even the best engagement idea can fall flat if attendees do not understand how to participate. Visible, easy-to-follow instructions helped reduce confusion and made the game feel approachable.

Adding Energy to the Expo Hall

The Expo Punch List Game helped bring a new layer of energy to the event. It gave attendees another reason to explore the Expo Hall, speak with participating sponsors, attend Technology Theater sessions, use the app, complete surveys, and share their experiences on LinkedIn. Most importantly, it supported the associations’ goal of making the event more interactive and valuable. 

Wrapping Up With Prizes

The prize selection process was another important part of the experience. The team wanted the conclusion of the game to feel fun, fair, and visible. Instead of selecting the top three winners privately, the team created a public prize drawing using a name randomizer. This allowed attendees to gather, watch a transparent selection process, and feel included in the final moment of the game.

Turning Ideas into Execution

The Expo Punch List Game was successful because it was supported by many layers of planning. It involved strategy, sponsor and attendee communication, app coordination, badge setup, code planning, sample question development, signage, staff training, on-site support, and prize coordination.

For association teams, the lesson is clear: Engagement ideas need structure. A game, challenge, or interactive activity can be fun, but it must also be connected to the event’s larger goals. The project also reflected a broader approach to association event planning—consider every audience involved, understand what success looks like for each group, and build a process that supports the full experience.

Why This Work Matters

Events continue to evolve. Attendees want experiences that feel meaningful, interactive, and worth their time. Sponsors want more support than logo placement. Associations want to create conferences and trade shows that deliver value, strengthen relationships, and support long-term community growth.

The takeaway isn’t that every event needs to replicate this game. The takeaway is that small, intentional engagement tools can make a real difference when they are designed around clear goals, audience value, and thoughtful execution.