Creating an association sector that's attractive to the younger
generation is a challenge faced by many European associations, AMI learned at
the recent European Association Summit in Brussels.
More than 100 associations, representing sectors including sports,
medicine, science, education, and law, gathered for the Summit in the Belgian
capital on 22 May to discuss the challenges they face.
The well-attended ‘Crafting events to engage
multi-generational communities’ panel discussion and workshop focused on how to
engage younger generations in the association community.
This first step, explained 27-year-old panellist and event
coordinator at the European Society of Surgical Oncology, Dante Meeus, is to “get
young people out of a passive state and into an active state.”
He urged leaders to give younger team members more
responsibilities and involve them in
decision-making processes. “We will happily embrace new responsibilities and
tasks. If you provide the space to let us be heard, we’ll happily fill it.”
Christina Strohschneider, who heads up the Vienna office
for accommodation specialists bnetwork, added that mentorship programmes are a
relatively simple yet surefire way to not only support new people in an
organisation, but upskill existing team members too.
“If I hadn’t
been involved in mentorship programmes at the beginning of my career, I’m not
sure I would still be in this industry,” Strohschneider said. “Mentoring is a
two-way street, and you can develop very meaningful relationships."
Strohschneider
issued a word of caution around assumptions too. “Don’t assume people know how
to network, especially when they’re new to an industry.”
Amanda Millard, event and office manager at the International
Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) shared a successful case study they
developed to entice young professioals. “We provide half-price tickets for up to 25 young people. We also nominate a young professional coordinator, and we
have a mentorship programme that helps connect young people with different
aspects of the wool and textile sector.”
Francesco Bottegal, project and communications assistant at
the European Association of Communications Agencies added that pre-event
communications are vital for delegates of all ages to have a positive
experience on site.
“You must define the culture of your event so that people
know what to expect when they come to your event. You can do this through having
ambassadors who communicate this culture to prospective audiences.
“Remember that young people inside of the event are the
mouthpiece for the young people outside of the event.”
The session also addressed event dress codes and their function.
If your event requires a dress code, then consider explaining what you expect
from ‘smart casual’, ‘business attire’ or ‘cocktail attire’, for example. The
Covid-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way we work, including how we dress
for work, and young professionals entering the workforce now may not have been
exposed to event dress codes before, so guide them through it.
The panel agreed that there’s no silver bullet to engaging
younger generations in associations and association events, but it starts with early
career engagement. It might not be a quick win, but the trickle down effect will
help people later in their careers.”
