Meetings don’t look how they used to. Today, planners are racing to adapt to trends that make conferences and events more engaging and dynamic than ever before.
But when it comes to trends, where should meeting industry professionals put their focus? While the shifts are plentiful, there are five that stand out from the fold when it comes to modern event design.
Here are five meeting industry trends that are changing the game.
1. Millennials are the decision makers now.
In 2016, millennials became the largest segment in the U.S. labor force, at 35%. Because of that, they’re also now the largest pool of potential meeting attendees.
Design with Ease
Since the meeting industry is shaped by attendee expectations, successful events have to cater to millennials.
So what do millennials want? Like every generation before them, their desires are shaped by the realities of larger historical events.
Here’s how Skift reporter Greg Oates put it: “Think about graduating in the last 10 years and how competitive it is — jobs aren’t guaranteed, there was a recession, there was everything after 9/11. Events became the professional development pipeline for that generation.”
For these reasons, millennials value networking over almost any other aspect of events. As a demographic, they also:
Value experiences over material goods
Want to share those experiences usually via social media
Have higher technological literacy
Are 62% more likely to travel than their generation X counterparts
As the average screen time per day increases, millennials place more value on face-to-face meetings.
All of the above is driving the generation’s expectations for meetings and events, ultimately redefining the meeting industry entirely.