How Paystand Aims to Foster Community at Summit NA with the Arcade Experience
In this Community Summit North America update, Giuseppe Ianni, VP, Community Director, Attendees & Activations, hosts David Gersten, Director, Emerging Partner Ecosystems, Paystand, to discuss the Arcade experience, sponsored by Paystand, at Community Summit North America.
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Key Takeaways
- Why the Arcade: One of the reasons Paystand chose to sponsor the Arcade was because “Who could say no to Pac-Man?” They considered the demographics of attendees and thought about what might encourage someone to migrate off their normal route at Summit.
- Attendee engagement: This is Paystand’s third year participating in Community Summit. While it’s been in the A/R space for a while, the company is still newer to the Microsoft community. “Our product is significantly better than it ever was,” he says. “Feature-rich. Our partner community is great. Our install base is great…And now, it’s about branding.” By sponsoring the Arcade, Paystand aims to engage with more attendees, give away swag, and invite people to their booth.
- A memorable experience: While attendees are engaging with the Arcade, Paystand wants them to remember the event and make it memorable. It provides a space to rest and play games in the middle of the conference mindset. “The concept of an expo hall has to change, it has to be unique…And this is a really easy way for us to participate in that,” David shares. “I think activations are a lot of fun and they’re important because nobody wants to be sold to every booth they go to.”
- Organizational creativity: Paystand is tying some of its effort creatively to the 80s arcade theme, tapping into the nostalgia of the games. “I could just imagine like Space Invaders, credit cards and transaction fees coming down and the little guy shooting them,” he names as an example. “We’re trying to drive participation and excitement.” With networking, education, and community being three core reasons people attend these events, David notes that Paystand wants to be part of this experience to build that community.
