10 Things Planners Get Wrong About Designing Events for Younger Generations

Event planners tend to speak about their Gen Z and Millennial attendees in terms of sweeping generalizations. It’s time to ditch the assumptions, said the experts at this week’s Backstage Briefing, Events for a Multigenerational Workforce — Beth Surmont, head of strategy and design, 360 Live Media; Juliano Lissoni, managing director Canada, MCI Group; and Olivia Louderman, travel account manager, Maritz.

The biggest conclusion the group reached is that planners must integrate participants into the programming, allowing them to drive formats and co-design their own content experiences, and listening to their feedback — and that goes for attendees of all ages.

A good place to start is by breaking down existing misconceptions about younger attendees. Here are 10 common ones around events.

Misconception #1: Younger generations can be hard to engage.

Not when it comes to CSR. Bringing people together around meaningful impact is always a win with Gen Z and Millennials, and mixing business with doing good fosters connection.

Misconception #2: They like to network, like everyone else.

Not always. Planners can get the conversation started by adding teasers like “Talk to me about ___” or “What was your first concert and last concert attended?” to name badges, and providing affinity spaces (for cat or dog lovers, for example) to create a comfortable setting for sharing.

Misconception #3: They’re tied to their phones.

Actually, there’s a digital detox movement taking hold, with phone-free concerts and restaurants — and now, even events. Pinterest recently held a phone-free activation at Coachella, a festival known for its social media coverage. Special pouches are being used by entertainment venues, so phones can remain with the user but can only be re-opened at designated stations.

Some people will refuse to separate themselves from their phones, but a growing number prefer “phones down” so they can disconnect and connect in person. 

Misconception #4: Apps are essential. 

Many younger attendees eschew conference apps with fancy bells and whistles. Especially for smaller groups, a WhatsApp group is a way to share photos and information, and to keep the conversation going, while apps lose their value the minute the meeting is over.

Misconception #5: They are still kids.

Surmont cautioned that sometimes, generational conversations among older planners end up taking a turn toward, “Oh, kids these days.”

“It goes much deeper than that. First, because they’re our audience, and second, because they’re our future audience. Understanding how these incoming generations learn, absorb information, and the types of formats they want helps to build loyalty and create a professional home that’s going to keep them coming back.”

Misconception #5: The main reasons they attend meetings are content and networking.

The main focus of event design used to be about content, and then networking. “What this new generation is looking for is belonging, momentum, and identity,” said Lissoni. “So you have to put in perspective that they have these specific things they are looking for when they join an event, or a community.”

Misconception #6: They’re comfortable in their own skin.

In an internal research project done by MCI, interviewers found that social anxiety was the number one reason younger people shy away from attending business events. Coming of age during Covid did some damage to their social skills — especially members of Gen Z, who missed out on high school activities like sports and proms.

“Networking cannot be something left for chance, You have to engineer that to remove that social anxiety,” said Lissoni.  

Misconception #7: They only want to connect with people their age.

Not always, said Louderman, whose age is on the cusp between Millennial and Gen Z. “I don’t want to stand in a room with only Gen Zers, even though that might be comfortable. That’s not going to help me grow my career.”

It’s up to event organizers to learn who their audience is through registration data — asking questions such as age range and interests — and to put them together with other people who share things in common, regardless of age.

Misconception #8: They embrace AI more than older attendees.

The younger generations are the most wary of AI because they see it as a potential source of job displacement, a threat to authenticity, and they are acutely aware of its environmental impact.

They view it as a tool, not a replacement, that should be used transparently. “We have to be very mindful, especially when we’re helping brands represent a level of authenticity, of how we’re showing up as using AI to the Gen Z population,” said Lissoni.

Misconception #9: They like fancy dinners.

Formal dinners may not be the best option for younger attendees. They don’t want to commit to being somewhere all night. Instead, they prefer events they can pop into, eat, and stay — or leave if they wish.

“I’m 40, and I loathe the idea of a formal dinner,” said one audience member. “I dread being stuck next to someone boring for two hours!”  

Misconception #10: They’re very different from Gen X and Boomers.

Surmont cautioned against designing for Gen Z  or Millennials versus designing for Boomers or Gen X. 

Also, there are attendees on the cusp of two generations, such as Generation Jones (a microgeneration born between 1954 and 1965, spanning the late Baby Boomers and early Generation X), whose members have little in common with either group. 

“Audiences in general are changing, and these event ideas apply to every age,” she said.