As we highlighted in an earlier post, there is a clear desire in government to attract younger workers from the millennial generation. Whether the federal government is successful in attracting the best and the brightest remains to be seen, but the truth is [Tweet "Millennials will continue to grow in the workforce. What does this mean for event profs?"]millennials will continue to grow in number and influence in the workforce. So what does this mean for business event professionals?
This article does a decent job in breaking down the key elements that millennials expect in an event.
- Distinct Experience - what makes your event different? Is there a strong unifying theme/feeling conveyed throughout?
- Active Participation - from live polling to more Q&A time, this generation does not want to hear speakers, they want to interact.
- Networking Opportunities - despite the perception that this is a generation more comfortable behind a screen, the millennials see the value of networks and look for opportunities to make real-world connections. [Tweet "A generation more comfortable behind a screen, millennials see the value of real-world connections."]
- Social Connections - making it easy to share their experience only increases your event and brand exposure. From social walls that show tweets are being "heard" to promoting hashtag use, embedding social in your event is critical.
These tactics are not just good for millennials, they help all attendees. Building on a Forbes blog entitled, "We're all Millennials Now", MeetingsNet details how changes that cater to millennials will make the event experience better for everyone. The article points out that perhaps for the first time there are no longer kid brands and adult brands. Starbucks is just as cool to a 20-something as it is to their grandparent. Converse, the shoe of Gen X's youth, is also coveted by their kids. Making "millennial" changes will evolve our events to be more interactive, take advantage of the 'second screen' everyone is staring at anyway, and will personalize events.
Which of the changes discussed in these articles do you see having the greatest impact on the events you attend and plan?
Image Credit: DataMasons
