e4 Blog » Generational

Attracting the EVERY Generation Audience – Part 3

Kathy Macdonald — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:00:43 +0000

“Attracting EVERY Generation Audiences” – Part 2 – Kathy Macdonald – 2010 e4 Café Exchange Presenter

Kathy Macdonald — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:00:58 +0000

Resources for Learning MoreA

Generation Issues (all generations)

Rocking the Ages by J. Walker Smith & Ann Clurman
Boom, Bust & Echo 2000 by David K. Foot
Generations at Work: Managing the Clash or Veterans, Boomers, Xers & Nexters in Your Workplace by Ron Zemke, Claire Raines, Bob Filipczak
The Fourth Turning by Neil Howe & William Strauss
When Generations Collide by L. Lancaster & D. Stillman
Managing the Generation Mix by Carolyn Martin & Bruce Tulgan
Generation, Inc.: From Boomers to Linksters – Managing the Friction between Generations at Work by Meagan Johnson & Larry Johnson
From Boomers to Bloggers: Success Strategies Across Generations by Misti Burmeister

Millennials or Gen Y

Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to manage Generation Y by Bruce Tulgan
Managing the Millennials: Discover the Core Competencies for Managing Today’s Workforce by C. Espinoza, M.Ukleja, C. Rusch
The M Factor: How the Millennial Generation is Rocking the Workpace by D. Stillman, L. Lancaster
Managing Generation Y by Carolyn Martin
Millennials Rising: the next great generation by Neil Howe & William Strauss
Growing up Digital: the rise of the Next Generation by Don Tapscott
Employing Generation Why? Understanding, managing, and motivating your new workforce by Eric Chester
Millennials: A portrait of Generation Next — Pew Research Center – 2010 report (free download)
The M-Factor: How the Millennial Generation is Rocking the Workplace by Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman

Kathy Macdonald

“Attracting EVERY Generation Audiences” Kathy Macdonald – 2010 e4 Café Exchange Presenter

Kathy Macdonald — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:00:28 +0000

What are the biggest generational challenges you are facing?

Generations want different forms of entertainment
Marketing needs to vary to appeal to each generation
Socialization is different for each generation from Twitter to text to Facebook to email, etc.
Appropriate recognition/awards vary by generation
What attracts one generation may be different from what attracts another

What conference elements do each generation find MOST engaging?

Generation	Conference Element
Millennium	Want to network … Social Network opportunities Mentoring/professional development opportunities On-boarding experiences for first time attendees to break the ice Drop the first-timer ribbons; they are more of a stigma than a help Poster sessions as a way for younger attendees to get their way paid as they represent their local organizations Time outs – to text & check email
Gen x	Time outs – to check email Poster sessions as a way to add to a career resume
Boomers	Time outs – to check the office, email and voice mail Poster sessions as a way to share experience in a quick and concise format
All Generations	Discussion of new trends – all generations Futuristic trends and topics (what will the world be like in 5, 10, 15 years from now) Educational opportunities Forums for sharing ideas/best practices/successes (NOTE: Sharing of findings after the event may split generations by preferred mode of communication) Cross-generational mentoring Will vary by generational group – Motivational speakers … need to make sure the speaker’s appeal is not limited to a single generation unless by design Networking opportunities … Millenniums and Gen X may prefer Social Media while Boomers prefer face-to-face Organized social activities … Boomers may enjoy golf while Millenniums prefer a Frisbee golf tournament … what about a Wii tournament?

What can be done to better engage or provide value to each generation?

Recognize early in the planning cycle that there are generational preferences that permeate every aspect of the planning from site selection to menu planning
Let “them” (the generation you want to engage) know you are unclear about what they want; ask for their input
Learn what is important to each generation and what they value in life.
Targeted messaging prior to the conference for each generation and show the WIIFM. Include how each targeted generation will benefit from attending … what the value is to them?
Appeal to the values and issues each generation respects
Take the time for proper demographic and needs collection early in the planning; present custom programming (ala Amazon reading suggestions or Netflix picks … targeted sessions for participants)
Present the messaging using the media that appeals to their generation i.e. email, text, etc.
Add a social cause element with choice so each generation can connect to what is important to them
Make sure the evaluation process incorporates/solicits feedback from every generation (think of methods used)
Don’t just think in terms of what you can ADD for each generation … is it time to DROP elements that are past their prime for each generation (e.g., Do we all still want to go to the Awards banquet?)

What conference elements have the potential to resonate across multiple generations?

Good food and drink; lots of variety
Networking
Teambuilding
Charity or community service
Exhibits
Expert panels at sessions
Location of conference
Social events with options
Cyber cafes

What planning techniques/processes can be used to ensure the optimal generational appeal?

Cross generational planning committees – all the way down to menu planning
Cross generational team activities
Multi generational mentoring
Different mediums to target different generations
Roundtable seating
Communicate to each generation in a way that appeals to them
Make sure you use varied marketing pieces to reach each generation
Different pricing structures

Kathy Macdonald

The Generation Behind Me

Kathy Macdonald — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:19 +0000

At some point, you realize there is a generation behind you and they are not the same. My realization came a number of years ago while watching a beer commercial. I commented, “I don’t get it.” My husband who was obviously into the finer aspects of beer commercials, replied simply, “You weren’t supposed to.”

Kathy Macdonald

It was that simple. I can almost point to the date on the calendar when I realized Madison Avenue was no longer interested in female drinkers of my age group. I was not heart-broken … but it did raise my level of awareness. There were a lot of advertising campaigns that were no longer targeting Boomers. How could this have happened?

Easy. There were now enough Gen X’ers in the buying population to be of interest to those in marketing. They understood better than I did at that moment that what is funny and appealing to one generation may not even be understood by another!

Unfortunately, many of us in event planning and conference planning fail this test daily. We do it in the music we pick, the choice of theme, and even the colors of the program. I learned this from my daughters when I returned from a national workshop carrying a case in colors only “someone my age” would like … duh!

Some of our worst sins are committed in our choice of language with the use of phases such as “he sounds like a broken record.” This makes perfect sense to anyone born before CDs or the iPod … it dates us otherwise. I’ve been collecting words and phrases that a whole generation may not know … pagers, 8-tracks, microfiche, filling station, encyclopedia, picture film, long-distance call, mimeograph … the list goes on.

Should we care? Is this being too sensitive or overly PC? I don’t know. Now that Mad Men is popularizing Madison Avenue once again … I am safe referring to Madison Avenue as a phrase for a few more years.

Attracting the EVERY Generation Audience to Your Conference

Kathy Macdonald — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:00:54 +0000

Over the past few months, there have been a number of great pieces written about Gen Y or what others call the Millenniums. This is the generational cohort that most experts place as born between the late 1970’s and 1995. There are a lot of them (80 million), so they are worth paying attention to now that they are entering the workplace in large numbers.

Kathy Macdonald

This group will leave its mark on future conferences as well as the workplace. They are 24/7, high-tech, and some feel, way too entitled. I happened to love them and am very excited by how they will challenge us in the years to come. My concern is that it is easy to get side-tracked in our planning by overly focusing on their needs … or at least guessing at them.

Most large meetings will need to appeal to fairly wide generational span for at least the next decade. Many organizations still have a number of very active Traditionalists (those over 65). Their needs may include reduced mobility, sight/hearing loss, and less familiarity with some forms of technology. Boomers (most are over 50 yet under 65) still dominate the numbers. They present planning challenges in many emerging forms from dietary needs, mixed feelings about change, and uncertainty about moving into their legacy years. Most organizations have unfortunately ignored the needs of Gen X (most are over 30 or into their 40’s) since there are so few of them. As this age group moves into leadership roles, their needs can no longer simply be ignored. It is time to wake up to Gen X … and of course, the newest cohort, the Millenniums.

I encourage my colleagues to make sure they plan events that will appeal to MORE than their own generation or their event will tend to attract only others who look and think a lot like them. Can it be done? Yes. It just takes a bit of effort, but it can be done. Learn more at this year’s e4 café session on “Attracting the EVERY Generation Audience.”