Welcoming Generation Y & Z into a More Attendee Centric Events World
15 Nov 2011By: Shuli Golovinski, CEO, Newtonstrand Limited
The issue which we must begin to prepare for as soon as possible is, who will be attending our meetings and conferences in the next ten years and what will this group be like?
Where We Have Been
The typical meeting, conference and exhibition model has changed very little, typically consisting of a set of exhibitors showing their offerings, speakers presenting their ideas with slides, and vendor exhibits in the spaces adjacent to the speaking areas. Traditionalist and Baby Boomer (born approximately 1946 to 1964) attendees have been completely satisfied with the overall nature of the meeting, which has brought them back again and again.
Where We Are Right Now
Generation Y (also known as the Millennials) - born between 1981 and 1999 - is a significantly more technologically savvy group who generally follow in line with the Gen X mindset (born between 1965 and 1980).
It is in the shadow of this pressing call to upgrade the structure or our meetings for Gen Y that we come upon a whole new generation, who fortunately has not yet sufficiently come of age to be attending business events as of yet: Generation Z (born since 2000). Gen Z, who are also known as Millennials, were literally raised on technology, having never lived in a world where you couldn’t just "google" something. For the rest of us above their age group, there has been a period of "catch-up" with all of these new technologies.
No one is completely certain what will happen once Generation Z is fully integrated. But as for the meetings people attend, there are some reasonable expectations we can put forward.
Where We Are Going
As Gen X takes over, the meetings we attend must accommodate the growing desire we each have to network with people who matter most to us. It is only through a balance of industry specific knowledge and high quality professional contacts that we can effectively advance our goals. If we try to impose too much of our older, "proven" ways on Gen Z, they will simply work around us through their increasingly sophisticated network of websites, forums and social networking sites. If ever there has been a generation which conforms to the notion of "six degrees of separation," it is most certainly Gen Z.
How We Can Adapt To Get There
The following is a brief model of what a meeting of the future may end up looking like - The event will start with a brief keynote speech designed to "kick off" the meeting, and simultaneously set its tone and energy level - not become a source of boredom for those in attendance.
Following the keynote, the day will be broken up into two basically matched segments: structured networking and AGC (Attendee Generated Content) on the Pecha Kucha model developed earlier this century. In this, we won't be inviting speakers anymore. The attendees themselves will submit their topics of expertise, and their short abstract, generating a bottom – up alternative to the currently known agenda, and they will have the opportunity to give those presentations after the audience votes on who will be speaking.
Take time to visit the Future Events Experience (Stand P350) during EIBTM to find out more! www.eibtm.com/future