Wikipedia defines design as the creation of a plan or convention for the construction of an object, system or measurable human interaction (as in architectural blueprints, engineering drawings, business processes, circuit diagrams, and sewing patterns). So, when you read the word design, what pops into your mind? Artists? Fashion Designers? City planning? Interior design? Graphic design? Meeting and conference professionals? Wait! Go back and read that last phrase: meeting and conference … [Read more...]
En Route For Next-Gen Conference Audiences
Will Millennials be joiners and conveners? Who are some of your next audiences to attract? Will your organization accumulate comparable lifetime customer value from next-generation members as it did from loyal Boomers? This is the first of two posts that are intended to be a helpful resource for conference organizers as they develop their attendee succession-plan strategy. Key Indicators For Most Conferences While every association and profession has its unique issues, I’ve picked up on a … [Read more...]
Four Ways To Attract NextGen Conference Participants
Attracting the next generation of participants is an urgent priority for most professional conference organizers. Too often we think that means injecting conference botox to give our event a more youthful, trendy hip vibe. Yet it is much more than giving our conference a face-lift. The Conference Demographic Bell Curve Recently, I was involved in analyzing attendance demographics for an organization. The x-axis of the graph displayed age ranges, each one spanning about a decade (under … [Read more...]
Strategies To Create Conferences That Angry Millennials Love To Attend
Millennials are angry, vocal and hungry for social change says Nancy Lublin, CEO of dosomething.org and Umair Haque, director of Havas Media Labs in a September 2013 Fast Company article You need to adapt your conference or die! (Paraphrasing these two thought leaders). “You have to [change] if you want to stay in business. You're listening to your target market and your target market cares. They are angry, they're posting about these things, they're hungry to have an impact on the world. … [Read more...]
Follow These Tips To Engage Millennials In Your Conference Experience
Millennials are eager to connect, participate and give says the 2013 Millennial Impact Report by Achieve. Since 2009, the report has focused on Millennial behaviors that would interest many nonprofits and conference organizers including trends in communication, service and giving. The report illustrates that the next generation is passionate about people not hierarchies, institutions, organizations or structures. One of the biggest report takeaways that conference organizers should capitalize … [Read more...]
Today’s Youth Are On A Quest For Authenticity And Community
Imagine the following conversation. Eeeeghads! Our organization will fade away in 10-15 years if we don't start reaching a younger generation. Our membership is mostly Baby Boomers. Most will retire in 15 years. We're not sure if they will retain membership with us or not. We've got to attract more GenX and Millennials. What do we do? Where do we start? This conversation is one of the most common we hear from association leaders. What Motivates Youth Today So what motivates young people … [Read more...]
