Gen Z – a generation characterised by unique traits and life experiences, and the youngest individuals now entering the workforce. According to this McCrindle report, Gen Z currently make up 27% of the global workforce. By 2035, they’re predicted to be the largest generation in the workforce, at 31%.
There are over 2 billion Gen Zers in the world, and the events industry is seeing a steep rise in the employment of Gen Z event planners. So, it’s important to understand more about this emerging generation, as they continue to enter the workplace and revolutionise the sector over the coming years.
Born between 1995-2009, Gen Z is the first ‘digital native’ generation, meaning that the internet has been a part of daily life since the day they were born. They’re acutely aware of the impact that climate change has on the planet. Many of them were either completing their education or beginning their careers when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so they may only have experienced remote or hybrid working.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the common trends that make Gen Zers tick and what their key priorities are in work and life. We’ll also look at some of the most effective ways of promoting your events to appeal to and engage Gen Z attendees.
Gen Z workers have been Influenced and shaped by technology throughout their lives, so they’re adept at using a range of digital platforms and innovative solutions. They expect employers to have the systems and tools in place to optimise efficiency and collaboration in the digital space.
Finding the right work-life balance is incredibly important to Gen Z workers. Having been introduced to flexible schedules and remote and hybrid working environments early in their careers, they’ve grown accustomed to this reality and actively seek employers that offer this.
While they’re no strangers to Zoom or Teams, Gen Z find formal meetings tiresome and tend to prefer online, real-time collaboration. When attending meetings, they’re keen to bring meaningful contributions to the table. But when surveyed, they were 2-3x more likely to say they often feel left out of the conversation, compared to Gen X and Boomers (Source: Jabra).
This generation hugely values connection and engagement, but to harness the full potential of this, it’s important to consider how your business aligns with Gen Zers’ core values. These include authenticity, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), and social impact – among others.
Typically, Gen Z workers have a big appetite for learning and are quick to embrace opportunities to gain valuable experience and upskill to enhance their career progression. They look to employers to support their learning, and to champion personalised development – ultimately leading to career advancement.
However, the current economic and employment climate – driven by the increased cost of living and perceived lack of opportunity – has taken its toll on their ambitions. This Gen Z – Redefining Dream Jobs study conducted by LADbible for The King’s Trust, revealed that just 32% of young people claim to have a dream job and 57% of young people say they’ve lowered their long-term aspirations over the last two years.
Gen Z delegates will be motivated to attend events they feel are representative of their core values. So, to maximise your appeal to this audience, it is crucial to consider the following factors when planning Gen Z events:
With their desire to learn and advance their careers, the educational and networking benefits of attending events are a high priority for Gen Z. Make sure your content programme is dynamic, varied, and can be curated to offer personalised agendas based on delegate preferences.
To really maximise Gen Z attendance at events, your marketing communications should clearly convey what the event will entail, what they’ll learn, and the key benefits their attendance will bring.
As the first generation to grow up in a social media world, this form of interaction and engagement is widely used by Gen Z. Your event should offer plenty of social media-friendly experiences, as this will directly appeal to this audience and give you huge scope for leveraging social media coverage and reach.
These days, although still important, this goes beyond simply having an event hashtag. You could also consider running pre-event challenges or competitions on socials, inviting industry influencers to engage with your event, and providing shareable photo and video opportunities on the day.
Interactivity is another way to capture the attention of Gen Zers. So, embracing event technology for gamification, VR and AR experiences, live polling, Q&A sessions and hybrid event options will really maximise engagement.
The fast-paced, digital world Gen Z attendees are familiar with means that this audience tends to have a short attention span. If your event is an intensive one-day programme, this may not be the most effective way to drive engagement and deliver on their learning and development goals. Instead, you could look to extend your itinerary over two days, comprising of shorter sessions that have more impact. Be sure to include some downtime and networking opportunities too, especially if an overnight stay is required. Think about combining their values and goals beyond the seminars!
Your choice of venue is critical too. Utilising a venue that offers plenty of breakout spaces allows you to provide more intimate networking and collaboration opportunities, separate from the main event. Gen Z places great value on forming meaningful connections and shared interactions with a smaller number of people will help facilitate this.
Our purpose-built, central London venue is ideal for hosting Gen Z events. With 16 flexible spaces available and state-of-the-art AV and tech in-house, you can create the perfect event programme that satisfies every expectation for your Gen Z attendees. Our expert team has over a century of combined events management experience, so you’ll be supported every step of the way for a seamless and enjoyable event planning process.
Contact our team today at co*************@tu*.uk or call 0207 467 1318 to discuss your requirements.