Written by: Vickie Sullivan | June 20, 2024
How Gen Z Is Driving Big Changes in Business Events
If you’re a thought leader hitting the speaker circuit this year, pay attention to the market shifts. One of the biggest is that younger people are attending business events, and they have different expectations.
Jennafer Ross, founder and CEO of JR Global Events, told the Philadelphia Business Journal that Gen Z attendees have a very different mindset.
“The responses that we’re getting is, well, how much of my time is required, where’s my free time built in? … People are prioritizing their personal space and time within whatever conference agenda or meeting agenda you’ve put out there,” Ross said.
Speakers can’t ignore that. They must adapt to these changes. Here are two things you can do:
• Focus on local and regional meetings. In the good old days, we assumed smaller meetings were not worth pursuing. Instead, we focused on prestigious annual events. Now that travel has lost its luster, smaller regional events are attendee favorites and deserve a second look.
• Get out of the conference room. Ross makes a great point: No one wants to be in a conference room all day. The bigger question for speakers is how we can go beyond the standard interactive format. No matter what “experiences” we create, folks don’t want to be inside for hours. We need to get out there and facilitate something instead.
As attendees get younger, these changes will become the status quo. Begin now to address their needs.
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