From the conference app to playing in seconds

One of the most important parts of the AIEC implementation was making Deckle feel like a natural extension of the conference app rather than a separate experience.

Think Business Events could link directly to the Conference Quest using a personalised Deckle URL:

https://web.deckle.app/#?pin=XXXXX&email=example@email.com&name=Lex

When a delegate tapped the Conference Quest icon inside the conference app, the link opened Deckle in their external browser. The event PIN, delegate email address and name could all be passed through the URL and automatically populated.

The flow was simple:

Conference app → Tap Conference Quest → Deckle opens with delegate details pre-filled → Start playing

There was no need for delegates to search for the event, manually enter a PIN or retype information the conference platform already knew about them.

This also allowed AIEC to retain email-based participation and reporting while keeping the delegate experience seamless.

AIEC 2024 — Melbourne

The 2024 Conference Quest transformed the Melbourne conference into a 20-task scavenger hunt worth 180 points.

Rather than creating a standalone game disconnected from the program, the Quest was built around the conference itself. Delegates encountered challenges relating to sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, South Australia, sustainability initiatives and conference activations.

Tasks included finding a platinum sponsor, discovering when South Australia gave women the vote, taking a selfie at the Adelaide University booth, recording a five-second video on the smoothie bike and scanning a QR code during the opening plenary.

The variety encouraged delegates to explore different parts of the event rather than simply answering a series of trivia questions.

Around 256 delegates entered the Quest, with 115 completing at least one challenge, producing 868 submissions and earning a combined 6,405 points.

The participation data also showed which activities were most effective at generating engagement.

Simple sponsor and conference trivia performed particularly well. The platinum sponsor challenge received 88 submissions, the South Australian women’s voting history question received 80, and the Wednesday lunch sponsor challenge received 66.

Higher-effort physical and session-based challenges naturally attracted smaller groups. The Welcome Reception selfie received 33 submissions, the opening plenary QR challenge received 30, the Adelaide University booth selfie received 28 and the smoothie-bike video received 31.

That distinction provided organisers with useful evidence about how delegates interacted with different types of conference activations.

AIEC 2025 — Canberra

Think Business Events returned to Deckle for AIEC 2025, evolving the same proven format for Canberra.

The Quest again contained 20 challenges, this time worth 205 points, with tasks covering Canberra, conference exhibitors, networking, plenary sessions and sponsor activations.

Delegates could be asked to identify Canberra’s famous spring festival, learn the meaning of “Canberra” in the local Ngunnawal language, visit the Ascent One booth, take a selfie at StudyCanberra’s media wall, capture a five-second video at a conference coffee cart or photograph the live podcast booth.

A strong prize pool provided an additional reason to participate, including a hot-air balloon experience and hotel stay, a Canberra hamper, vouchers and other prizes from conference partners.

A total of 182 delegates joined, with 79 completing at least one challenge and generating 741 submissions worth 7,225 points.

Although the overall player count was lower than 2024, completion improved. Sixteen delegates completed all 20 challenges in 2025, compared with 10 in 2024.

The Quest was also adjusted based on the experience of the previous conference. Easy Canberra-focused questions appeared early in the experience and the opening plenary QR challenge used in 2024 was removed.

The result was a game that remained familiar to returning organisers while being tailored to the new host city, conference program and exhibitors.

Creating measurable sponsor and exhibitor engagement

One of the strongest applications of the Conference Quest was its ability to turn sponsor exposure into an action delegates could complete.

Instead of only displaying a sponsor logo, AIEC could send delegates to a specific booth and give them a reason to interact with what was there.

At AIEC 2025, for example, 58 delegates completed the sister-city challenge connected to the Ascent One booth. Other challenges directed delegates to StudyCanberra, Adelaide University, IEAA, dinner sponsors and conference activations.

Delegate completing a challenge at the opening plenary:

Deckle’s reporting then provided a measurable record of those interactions. Organisers could see which challenges delegates attempted and completed rather than relying solely on estimates of foot traffic or general event attendance.

Designed for participation, not screen time

The Conference Quest deliberately mixed digital interaction with things happening around the physical event.

Across the two live events, challenges included text answers, photos, video, multiple-choice questions and QR interactions. Delegates had reasons to walk through the exhibition, visit booths, pay attention during sessions, discover conference activations and interact with the host city.

Deckle acted as the layer connecting those experiences rather than becoming the experience itself.

The public leaderboard was also hidden for both events. This allowed AIEC to use prizes and completion incentives without turning the conference into a highly competitive public ranking.

What the numbers show

Across AIEC 2024 and AIEC 2025:

• 438 delegates entered the Conference Quest.

• 194 delegates completed at least one challenge.

• 1,609 task submissions were recorded.

• 13,630 points were awarded.

• 26 delegates completed every challenge in their respective Quest.

The percentage of entrants who started a task remained remarkably consistent at 45% in 2024 and 43% in 2025, while the number of complete 20-task finishes increased from 10 to 16.

The task-level data also revealed a clear pattern: accessible conference and host-city trivia generated the broadest participation, while tasks requiring delegates to be at a particular location, session or activation attracted a smaller but more targeted group.

For conference organisers, that makes the Quest useful beyond engagement alone. Each task can become a measurable touchpoint.

A repeatable format for a changing conference

AIEC demonstrated how Deckle can provide a consistent engagement format without making each conference feel the same.

The underlying experience remained straightforward: a 20-task individual Conference Quest, email-based participation, hidden leaderboard, conference and sponsor challenges, and prizes for participants.

The content could then change with the host city, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and conference program.

For Think Business Events, that meant the experience could evolve from Adelaide in 2024 to Canberra in 2025 without rebuilding the underlying engagement mechanic from scratch.

For delegates, it remained even simpler:

Open the conference app. Tap the Conference Quest. Start exploring.

And because Deckle could receive the delegate’s existing details directly from the conference app link, that journey could happen with almost no additional friction.

At a glance

• Events: AIEC 2024 Adelaide + AIEC 2025 Canberra

• Organiser: Think Business Events

• Conference: Australian International Education Conference

• Presented by: IDP Education and IEAA

• Experience: Deckle Incredible Race / Conference Quest

• Live quests: 2

• Challenges: 20 per conference

• Total entrants: 438

• Task submissions: 1,609

• Points awarded: 13,630

• Full Quest completions: 26

• Integration: Direct link from conference app with event PIN, name and email pre-filled