SkillFusion is the cross-industry carnival organized by LABA, where recognized business, creative and technology professionals came together to celebrate the power of knowledge, inspiration and connection. And the organizers called on us to amplify this message through the medium of play.

The way we approach play, it is never an end in itself. Play is a tool, placed in the service of a goal. Whether that goal is learning, strengthening team cohesion, conveying an agenda, or as we did at SkillFusion: amplifying a message and reinforcing the LABA brand.

We approached this goal through two separate activations.

Solo adventurers were tasked with deciphering LABA's slogan, "We are revolutionizing online learning!", hidden within a coded message. Each letter had been replaced with a symbol, and these symbols were embedded into the logos of LABA's three brands. The logos were hidden at numerous points throughout the conference, and finding them was the key to cracking the code.

This single activation achieved three objectives at once:

• it raised awareness of LABA's brands,

• reinforced the brand message,

• and guided conference attendees toward the venues of individual talks.

Those seeking social entertainment could challenge one another, or us, to a true strategic duel. We translated the current courses of LABA's three brands into the simple mechanics of "top trumps" cards, making the game not only easy to pick up but immediately understandable and accessible to everyone. The dueling cards were not mere playing pieces; they also brought the instructors closer to the audience. The experts behind the selected courses appeared on the cards by name, title and photograph, which made collecting them something more than simple competition.
It became a way of connecting with the instructors themselves, when participants could approach them with the words: "Can I challenge you to a duel against yourself?"

The activations culminated in a prize draw where every participant left with a guaranteed gift. Those who took part in the games drew from a lucky deck featuring course vouchers of varying value, team-building discounts, and the most active participants even went home richer by a business board game.

LABA demonstrated at the SkillFusion event that the attendees of a conference need not be merely an audience.
They can be a community.
One where connection, play, learning and work are not simply things we do, but parts of life we can truly enjoy. Together. As one.