This past July, Chapter supplier member Ascend Media sponsored a PCMA webinar that busted the biggest myths about planning multigenerational meetings. During the 1:11 hour webinar (1 CMP Certification Clock Hour), presenter Jeff Hurt (CEO-Chief Epiphany Officer at Empowered Epiphanies) covered technology, marketing and content. He discussed what motivates each generation and how to capitalize on it at your event. He explained that likely up to five individual generations are present at your meetings, and you’ll find they share more commonalities than differences.

Here are the five ideas that generated the most buzz among the attendees of the live webinar:

1. All generations learn the same – through active engagement. Baby Boomers do not like lectures any more than any other generation. Lectures need to be replaced with “learning experiences.” Shift from speakers to facilitators.

2. Adults are problem-centric not content-centric. They come to your meeting seeking solutions to their problems. All generations need a mix of networking (informal learning) and organized education.

3. 50% to 80% of the brain’s processing power is dedicated to processing visuals. It’s not just Generation Z that needs stimulating visuals in presentations! Free resources for graphics include
www.unsplash.com and www.pixabay.com.

4. Bring education to the show floor to drive traffic and enhance the buying process. Younger generations may not be decision-makers, but they are influencers – and they share their insights on
social media! Consider pop-up meetings crowdsourced and promoted by attendees, theaters, content mazes and game shows.

5. Millennials do respond to direct mail, and Boomers are also social networkers. An integrated marketing strategy with direct mail, email, text, social networking, a website and video clips is the
best way to market your meeting. Segment your audience by personas, not generations.

Get the details on these and other great ideas by logging in to the free, archived webinar presentation
on the PCMA website: https://www.pcma.org/webinar-10-myths-about-multigenerational-meetings/ 

Webinar Learning Objectives:
 Distinguish between generational stereotypes and true generational differences.
 Understand how to create learning experiences for everyone in the room.
 Leverage the opportunities that multiple generations bring to your meeting.