How biocrates Generated 150 Leads at a Conference with PuzzleMe

When biocrates prepared to launch their new modular metabolomics kit at scientific conferences, their marketing team knew traditional booth tactics wouldn’t cut it. They needed something memorable, engaging, and authentically connected to their product story.

What they created was a puzzle competition that generated 150 qualified leads, brought attendees back to their booth multiple times throughout the event, and left conference-goers disappointed when they couldn’t all win.

About biocrates

biocrates develops quantitative metabolomics kits for research and clinical applications. Their latest product—a modular kit with different pieces that can be combined together—represented a significant launch requiring strong conference presence to reach their target audience of scientists and researchers.

The Challenge

Scientific conferences are competitive environments where dozens of companies vie for researchers’ attention. biocrates needed a booth experience that would:

• Stand out in a crowded exhibition hall
• Communicate the modular nature of their new kit
• Engage time-strapped conference attendees quickly
• Generate quality leads with contact information
• Create memorable brand moments

Anna Shtulick, who works in marketing at biocrates, led the effort to develop a campaign concept that would resonate with their scientific audience while reflecting the innovation of the product itself.

The Solution: A Puzzle-Themed Campaign

The breakthrough came from the product itself. “It started with the fact that our new kit is modular—it has different pieces that you can stick together,” Anna explained.

“We wanted to build this campaign on a puzzle theme, which was natural since the kit is modular.”

The team conceived a two-part strategy:

The Physical Element

biocrates commissioned a custom 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle measuring 50 by 70 centimeters. The puzzle image depicted all the metabolites their kit could measure, visualizing the complete metabolic pathway in one striking image. A completed version would serve as the booth’s centerpiece—an eye-catching display impossible to miss as attendees walked by.

The Digital Competition

Rather than simply giving away these expensive physical puzzles, Anna developed an innovative idea: create an online version of the same puzzle where conference attendees could compete to win the physical versions.

“I came up with the idea that it would be nice to kind of maximize the puzzle theme and do an online jigsaw puzzle for people to win the actual physical puzzle. That’s how this whole concept started.” – Anna Stuchlik, Biocrates

Finding the Right Platform

Anna searched for “online jigsaw puzzle providers” and found PuzzleMe among various free options. “We obviously can’t use [free websites] because we’re a company doing this for commercial purposes,” she noted. PuzzleMe offered the commercial licensing and professional features Biocrates needed.

Key features that made PuzzleMe the right fit:

• Brand customization with corporate colors and logos
• Built-in lead capture through name and email collection
• Leaderboard functionality to drive competition
• Customizable completion messages
• Mobile-optimized experience
• Easy setup without technical expertise required

“It was really easy to use, and the customer support was excellent. I loved how you could brand your puzzle,” Anna said. “We added our corporate colors to the background and customized the messages that people see when they pause and submit the puzzle with our logo and links.”

The Booth Experience

biocrates designed their booth around the puzzle concept:

Visual Centerpiece: The completed 1,000-piece physical puzzle displayed prominently, showcasing the metabolic pathways and serving as a conversation starter.

Clear Signage: Large QR codes with simple instructions on how to participate in the competition, along with information about prizes.

Active Engagement: Booth staff who actively explained the competition to passersby and encouraged participation.

Leaderboard Display: Current standings visible at the booth, creating excitement and encouraging repeat attempts.

The mechanics were intentionally simple: attendees scanned the QR code with their phones, completed the digital puzzle on their own devices, entered their name and email to submit their time, and competed for a spot on the leaderboard. The top five finishers would win physical puzzles.

Testing and Refinement

biocrates launched the puzzle competition at two conferences. The first served as a learning experience. “The first conference was less successful, but not due to the puzzle software—just the logistics behind it were quite difficult,” Anna explained.

They refined their approach for the second conference, and the results spoke for themselves.

The Results

At the second conference, the puzzle competition exceeded expectations:

Lead Generation

• 150 qualified leads captured with names and emails
• Leads were engaged prospects who voluntarily provided information
• Natural lead capture that felt like part of the experience, not a transaction

Engagement Metrics

“At the second conference, it went amazing. The engagement was huge. People loved the puzzle and actually came multiple times to check where they were on the leaderboard.”

The leaderboard feature proved particularly effective, giving attendees a reason to return to the booth throughout the event. Each return visit created additional touchpoints with Biocrates’ team and reinforced brand awareness.

Unexpected Benefits

The competition provided value beyond lead generation. “Our booth staff highlighted that it was a fun way for people to have a short break between poster sessions and presentations—just one to two minutes of fun with our online puzzle,” Anna noted.

In the intense environment of a scientific conference, the puzzle became a welcome microbreak for attendees. Rather than feeling like just another marketing tactic, it offered genuine value.

The demand was so strong that attendees “were sad that only five people were able to win a puzzle,” according to Anna—a remarkable indication of emotional investment in a booth activity.

What Made It Work

Several factors contributed to the campaign’s success:

Authentic Brand Connection: The puzzle theme directly connected to the modular product, creating coherent brand storytelling rather than arbitrary gamification.

Mobile-First Design: Using attendees’ own phones eliminated equipment bottlenecks. With only one tablet available, the QR code approach meant unlimited simultaneous participation.

Low Time Investment: Completing the puzzle took one to two minutes—perfect for busy conference attendees moving between sessions.

Competitive Element: The leaderboard transformed a simple activity into a competition, driving engagement and repeat participation.

Valuable Prizes: The physical puzzles were desirable items that attendees genuinely wanted to win, not throwaway swag.

Staff Activation: Booth staff actively promoted the competition rather than relying solely on signage, dramatically increasing participation.

Moving Forward

The success has made puzzle competitions a core part of Biocrates’ event strategy. “We’re planning to do more puzzle competitions in autumn at several events,” Anna confirmed. The company continues working with the PuzzleMe team to refine and expand the program.

Key Takeaways

Biocrates’ puzzle competition demonstrates how digital tools can transform traditional booth marketing when thoughtfully implemented:

• 150 qualified leads from a single conference activation
• Multiple booth visits per attendee throughout the event
• Positive brand associations through enjoyable experiences
• Clear connection between campaign creative and product attributes
• Scalable approach that can be replicated at future events

For companies seeking innovative booth marketing approaches, the biocrates case proves that gamification—when authentically connected to brand story and executed with the right tools—can deliver measurable results while creating genuinely engaging attendee experiences.