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3 Reasons Millennials Aren't Coming to Your Meeting & What to Do About It

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This is a guest blog post authored by Meredith Fineman, an entrepreneur, writer, media expert, and founder of Washington, DC-based leadership and communications company, Finepoint.

It's no secret that millennials are rising faster in the ranks of businesses from technology to finance and energy. But companies still struggle to target this sector of the population, many of whom are their employees.

While the media tends to continue to put millennials in the frame of young people who are too "entitled," the millennial population are adults under 40 with serious purchasing power and marketing sway. It's important that companies create initiatives and prove their values and pillars of business are in line with what the young American workforce strives for and cares about.

Here are three key reasons millennials aren't at your annual meeting:

1. YOUR COMPANY VALUES AREN'T PROPERLY ON DISPLAY

Millenials care about giving back, where their purchases go, and more and more social good initiatives. Whether it's sustainability or community-mindedness, it's now an essential part of business as usual. If your company doesn't have a set of values—like making employees feel heard and valued, a commitment to changing the world or changing the sector in which you operate, don't expect your millennial employees to show up. American workers in their 20's and 30's want to work for a company that wants to better them, better the world, and better the economy. 

THE SOLUTION: More effectively display who you are and what you're about, and you'll be sure to see more millennials at your next meeting. Be sure to include a socially-focused element of your meeting. We've worked runs and walks geared at generating funds for a cause important to a company, and have helped groups recognize internal stakeholders making impacts in their communities. Try to think about your meeting from a millennial's perspective, and be sure to focus on more than just the bottom line. Read more about this 2018 event trend here.

2. YOU AREN'T TALKING TO MILLENNIALS, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THEM

There have been several pieces of recent about the infantilization of millennials and thinking this segment of the working population is basically teens. But that's far gone, and it's Gen Z who is taking up the airwaves (the YouTube waves, that is) with ingenuity and an entirely different viewpoint. Millennials are children of Boomers who want to be taken seriously, and to not be lopped all in one "under 40" group.

It's time to ask yourself: Are you asking the millennials in your company what they want from their employer? What matters to them? How are you truly reaching them? There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and listening is key. 

THE SOLUTION: Talk to millennials, and involve them in the conversation, and you'll be amazed at what can happen. We have helped clients organize Young Professional meet-ups at their events, and have encouraged clients struggling with millennial attendance to develop panels prominently featuring millennials to make sure their voices are heard. You can also ask a millennial staffer to MC your next meeting to make sure they are given face time.

3. YOU AREN'T INVESTING IN THE GROWTH OF YOUR MILLENNIAL STAFF

Millennial American workers care about their work—so much so that the lines between work and play are blurred like never before. Jobs are no longer a 9 to 5 experience, but extend way beyond just the cubicle or workspace.

Are you investing in your millennial workers by giving them options for continued learning, greater immersion into key communities and spaces, and making sure that they are getting professional development budgets? The only way to "manage" the under 40 in your company is to invest in them, so they can invest in you.

THE SOLUTION: Make the jump to elevate your millennial staff, and you'll surely see greater event turnout. One way to do this is by recognizing significant contributions from your younger staffers. We've worked with groups to create "Top 30 Under 30" awards. In one case, we created full-screen graphics to showcase these team members' accomplishments as they walked across the stage to receive their awards.

Want To Guarantee Millennials Attend Your Next Event? LAI Live Can Help!

Now that you know the three most common reasons that the growing millennial population are not attending your events and meetings and simple tactics you can implement to fix that you are ahead of the game and ready to recruit millennials for your next show or meeting.

But if you’re also looking to increase attendance and revenue, refresh and re-energize your main stage program, or deliver a flawless, high-energy program to your attendees, it’s time to enlist the services of a production company.

Ready to take the next step and submit an RFP to find the perfect Production Company to help out with your next live event or show? Contact our team today!

To get in touch with us, you can also fill out the form below, send us an email, call us at 202-783-0300, or live chat with a member of the team right now.

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