Freeman’s newest occasion organizer developments report identifies ‘Innovators’ as a brand new group of occasion planners who acknowledge the necessity to attain and design for Gen Z attendees.
In response to the report, Innovators deal with non-attendees. They deal with their wants. By attending to know this viewers, they will extra completely handle what retains them away. They think about non-attendees an untapped market.
As well as, they aren’t afraid to vary their occasions from one to the following. At current, 27% of occasion organizers are innovators, in line with the report.
“Innovators perceive shifts and are doing issues otherwise,” mentioned Ken Holsinger, senior vp, technique, Freeman. “You’re in a little bit of an echo chamber the place you’re speaking to the people who went to the occasion in regards to the occasion as a substitute of why did individuals not come to the occasion and who’s not there? That’s tougher, a special perspective however vital to have a look at.”
Gen Z Reshapes Attendee Expertise
One large group to focus on? Gen Z.
This era has formally overtaken Boomers within the workforce, and inside the subsequent 5 years, Millennials and Gen Z mixed will characterize 75% of the general workforce, in line with a Glassdoor evaluation of Census Bureau information.
“The rise of Gen Z within the workforce just isn’t solely reshaping attendee expectations however redefining how the business thinks in regards to the worth we ship,” mentioned Janet Dell, CEO of Freeman.
These attendees is not going to attend occasions only for the sake of attending. There have to be a compelling motive.
Participating with these new audiences requires new approaches. For instance, 65% of organizers keep on with conventional classroom codecs, but 56% of attendees want interactive, hands-on studying for a extra collaborative expertise.
“Regardless of the writing on the wall of the place the generations are shifting, nearly all of the organizers actually haven’t modified their occasions but,” mentioned Holsinger. “Two-thirds of occasion packages are in stasis. They don’t seem to be altering.”
Why? Occasion organizers don’t really feel empowered to take action. The information means that many occasion organizers aren’t simply confronted with attendee and exhibitor misalignments, however misalignments with management that restrict or stop occasion evolution.
The “Occasion Organizer Developments Report Fall 2024” will be downloaded right here.
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