How WhatsApp Groups Transformed Community Engagement at the ISPIM Innovation Conference

WhatsApp became the backbone for the International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM) as part of its engagement strategy in Bergen, Norway, turning 500 innovation professionals into active communities even before the conference began. Seven ‘tribes’ sparked instant connection, effortless networking, and a lively onsite atmosphere. With tribe leaders, playful challenges, and a creative Viking-themed campaign, the approach proved that powerful engagement does not require big budgets, just tools people could use.

Author: Sina Bünte – Events Strategist & Manager

Rethinking Event Communication

During the ISPIM Innovation Conference in June, held in Bergen, we welcomed around 500 innovation professionals from across the globe. As an external consultant supporting ISPIM, my brief was clear: develop an engagement approach that would activate the community before the event and strengthen peer-to-peer interaction onsite.

The official conference app included many of the features you would expect, including push notifications, but it was not used by the client for real-time communication. To fill that gap, and to create a more human, dynamic space for participants, I introduced WhatsApp groups as the backbone of our engagement strategy.

For events with limited budgets, this approach is particularly powerful, WhatsApp is free, widely used, and requires no technical setup. Yet its impact can be substantial.

Launching the Bergen ‘Tribes’

We opened seven WhatsApp groups, or ‘tribes’, one week before the conference. Each tribe was named after one of Bergen’s seven mountains, giving them a sense of identity from the start. Over 70% of attendees joined, and the momentum built instantly.

People began introducing themselves, coordinating transport, sharing local tips, and discovering common interests. As moderator of all groups, I could distribute updates quickly and ensure everyone felt supported. But the most rewarding aspect was how fast the groups became self-sustaining. Participants helped each other, answered questions, and exchanged advice long before they ever stepped into the venue.
 

Creating a Connected Onsite Experience

Once in Bergen, the value of the tribes became even more visible. Each attendee wore a badge displaying their tribe, which made sparking conversations effortless. Our seven-task networking game added an element of fun, whether asking people to take a selfie with their tribe members or share a LinkedIn post. The WhatsApp groups lit up with photos, reactions, and encouragement.

To guide newer attendees, every tribe included a designated ‘tribe leader,’ a returning participant who acted as an informal mentor. This structure supported both first-timers and regulars, helping everyone feel part of something bigger.

As ISPIM’s Executive Director, Iain Bitran, remarked: “It was great seeing members communicating already before the event and the buzz during the event with sharing photos and trying to complete the tasks.”
 

Sina Bünte at the ISPIM Innovation Conference
 

A Space That Lives Beyond the Event

What quickly became apparent is that WhatsApp is more than a communication tool, it is a community space. It allows for dialogue rather than broadcasts, and individuality rather than formality. In contrast to an event app, where interactions typically flow one way, WhatsApp encourages exchanges that feel spontaneous and natural.

The tribes were also designed to continue after the conference, and many participants chose to stay in them, using the groups to maintain connections, share follow-up insights, and support future collaborations.
 

The Broader Engagement Strategy

Of course, WhatsApp was just one part of a broader engagement campaign I developed for ISPIM. The Viking-themed #BeInBergen campaign, AI-generated Viking avatars created with Snapmatic, weekly social media content, and playful character videos all helped generate excitement and strengthen the community spirit leading into the event.
 

What Organisers Can Learn

For event organisers looking to deepen engagement without increasing costs, WhatsApp groups offer a practical and highly effective solution. They require no additional platform investment, they meet attendees where they already are, and they encourage a level of interaction that formal tools often struggle to achieve.

The experience in Bergen showed how a simple social media platform can bring people together, enhance the atmosphere onsite, and extend the community well beyond the closing session.

When used thoughtfully, WhatsApp can turn hundreds of individuals into a connected, active network, even on a tight budget.
 

Published by Meeting Media Company, the publisher of Headquarters Magazine (HQ) – a leading international publication based in Brussels, serving the global MICE industry and association community.