5 Strategies to Engage Younger Event Participants

Event Company Singapore: 5 Strategies to Engage Younger Participants

Event Company Singapore: The need to attract and retain emerging professionals and young executives to events should never be an excuse to stereotype participants. There will always be individual differences in all generations. Instead, it’s important to collect information regarding the preferences of your specific target market and event participants. In other words, don’t design event marketing or programming based on assumptions. Surveys and participant profiles incorporated into the registration process can be extremely helpful.

Keeping this caution in mind, one cannot ignore the fact that in-depth research into demographic trends can help event professionals identify trends and some approaches that are likely to resonate with their target demographics. There are some important takeaways from this data to identify strategies to consider before, during, and after events and conferences to make event marketing and content more engaging to younger generations.

1. Leverage Smartphones and Other Technology for Engaging Younger Participants.

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Instead of letting smartphones become a distraction, they should be leveraged for event company Singapore event marketing and content delivery. Invest in Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram marketing.

Pre-Event:

Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are much more likely to be fruitful for attracting participants from younger demographics than LinkedIn or Twitter
Share videos, promote discussions with speakers, and post photos on these channels
On registration forms, ask participants to identify the social media channels they use most frequently. Use these networks to promote the conference, event and profile speakers
A few questions on registration forms to give participants an opportunity to identify preferred music, artists and TV shows will yield very useful data for customizing programming and marketing

Registration and Logistics:

Incorporate technology into the registration process
Facilitate technology assisted check-ins
Deliver schedules, handouts, and workshop summaries online and via apps, rather than paper

Content Delivery:

Ensure that there is enough bandwidth to support the needs of participants
Provide ample table space for mobile device

2. Customise Content.

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Deliver content in shorter sound bites
Remember, shorter attention spans do not translate into a parade of wall to wall talking heads. So, make sessions interactive with live polls, Q&A, and more!
Expand the opportunities for networking at your event company Singapore event
Include targeted career advice breakout sessions
Host student conferences and workshops both on and off-campus
Offer scholarships to conferences and trade shows

3. Make Gaming A "Go-To" Strategy for Engagement.

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According to the 2016 Entertainment Software Association’s Sales, Demographic And Usage Data Report:

29% of 18 – 34 year olds are gamers
41% of gamers are female
PCs are the most popular platform for gaming (56% of users)
36% of gamers use smartphones for gaming

Implications: Gaming

Make your event company Singapore events interactive and search for opportunities to deliver content through games, contests, and game show formats

4. Embrace Shifts in Generational Entertainment Preferences.

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It should come as no surprise that entertainment preferences shift with the generations. It is extremely important for meeting and conference organizers to keep abreast of entertainment trends and embrace them to keep programming, themes, and entertainment fresh and engaging.

Music: Based on its analysis of 20 billion tracks, Spotify revealed that hip-hop is the most popular musical genre globally. Royal Society Open Science Journal’s study of Billboard Hot 100 Charts since 1960 highlighted the fact that hip-hop, rap, and related styles are the most important musical genres of all times. Yet, many conference and event company Singapore event planners exclude it from their programming as it does not appeal to their personal tastes. Pushing your own hot buttons instead of appealing to participant preferences is a surefire strategy for declining enrollment.

Implications: Music

Use music in event marketing, for presentations, during breaks, and for entertainment
During presentations, use upbeat video clips with great backing tracks
Mix it up: Instead of relying on standard fare, incorporate rap, hip-hop, and electronic music into the musical mix
Add dance crews, hip-hop, and rap, and rap artists to the entertainment line-up

Television: Based on Nielsen studies, the most popular TV programming with 18 – 34 year olds includes:

Sunday Night Football
Empire
The Big Bang Theory
The Voice
Big Brother

5. Monitor Trends and Cater to Food and Beverage Preferences.

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Flavour and the Menu’s Generational Flavours Report highlighted the fact that food and beverage preferences vary significantly with the generations. Based on their studies, local, fresh, and unprocessed menu options are most likely to be appealing to younger participants. The report also suggest experimenting with cajun spices, saffron, miso, and wasabi.

According to Technomic Inc.’s Generational Consumer Trends Report, in addition to pizza and burgers, the most appealing dishes for younger demographics include Chinese food, Mexican dishes, BBQ, and chicken dishes. How Millennials Will Shape Food in 2017, published by Forbes, stressed the importance of delivering a multi-sensory experience. The article also highlighted the importance of high quality food photography to build excitement and the importance of ethnic cuisine and customizable menu options for your event company Singapore event when catering to the 19 – 34 demographic.

Implications: Menu Planning for your Event

Experiment with multi-cultural dishes including Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and Caribbean menu selections
Present menu highlights in your marketing. Photos, videos, and sample menus can give participants a taste of what is to come

H/T: Eventmobi

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