Global gamification expert to tell communications professionals how to use game mechanics to transform brands and consumer loyalty

Canadian Gabe Zichermann will speak with Canadian Public Relations Society members at national gathering in Banff

TORONTO, May 20, 2014 /CNW/ - Is there a physiological impact that causes the release of dopamine as video game players receive rewards or high scores?  Can companies and organizations create the same motivational rush for their employees and customers by using the strategies video games employ?  Is there a better way to interact with the 're-wired" brains of the millennial generation?  These questions will be among those answered by leading author and "gamification" expert Gabe Zichermann when he delivers the annual Diana and Charles Tisdall Lecture in Communications at the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) national conference at the Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at noon. 

Zichermann is the chair of GSummit, an organization which brings gamification experts from various industries together to share knowledge and insight about customer and employee engagement and loyalty. He is the Founder and Editor of Gamification.Co and EQ magazine an author, and a highly rated public speaker. His latest book, The Gamification Revolution looks at how leaders are leveraging gamification strategy against their competitors.

His previous books, Gamification by Design (2011) and Game-Based Marketing (2010) have helped define the industry's standards and frameworks, and continue to be key reference materials.

Zichermann is co-founder of strategic consultancy and product lab Dopamine where he works with leading brands and startup companies. A Canadian, Gabe resides in New York City, where he is co-director of startup accelerator The Founder Institute, and a board member of StartOut.org.

The Tisdall lecture is considered a highlight of the CPRS conference.  It is presented in partnership with the Communications + Public Relations Foundation. Past speakers represent a who's who of Canadian communications professionals and business leaders who traditionally share insights and provocative reflections about the value of communications.

Established by the Tisdall family through the Communications + Public Relations Foundation, and in partnership with the Canadian Public Relations Society, the Diana and Charles Tisdall Lecture in Communications aims to demonstrate the societal power and value of public relations and communications thinking.

Charles Tisdall was a recognized leader in public relations in Canada and the United States having established Tisdall Clark in the early 1950s. He died in 2007. During his career, he was named one of the world's 40 outstanding public-relations professionals by Public Relations News.

The Communications + Public Relations Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization that is committed to increasing public knowledge and awareness of the role of communications and public relations by providing support to educational initiatives that advance the profession.  It promotes an advancement of communications and public relations as a vital function in society and is dedicated to the public interest. 

Founded in 1948, the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) is a not-for-profit organization whose members are engaged in the practice, management or teaching of public relations. Members work to maintain the highest standards and to share a uniquely Canadian experience in public relations. CPRS is a federation of more than 1,800 members across 14 Member Societies based in major cities or organized province-wide. 

SOURCE: Communications + Public Relations Foundation

Karen Dalton, APR, CAE, Executive Director, The Canadian Public Relations Society, Inc., Office: 416-239-7034, Cell: 416-258-3168 [on site], [email protected]; or Barbara Sheffield, APR, FCPRS, Executive Director, Communications + Public Relations Foundation, Office: 416 242-6146, [email protected]