By Julie Vincent, head of Meet Blackpool
While multi-generational workforces have always existed, the acceleration of technological advancements through time has definitely widened the gap between older and younger employees more than ever before.
Research shows that most generational conflicts in the workplace revolve around technology and communication, with 90% of teams reporting a conflict over digital tools. Almost half of Gen Z respondents thought that older employees slowed processes down with outdated working techniques, while 33% of respondents reported confusion over younger generations’ use of emojis.
This convergence of age demographics has left employers with a new challenge of bridging the generational divide at work and creating a united workforce that can work efficiently together to deliver strong results. And this is a concern that we see time and time again when working with organisations to host their corporate events – how do we make this interesting and inclusive for everyone?
Divided expectations around corporate events
The objective of hosting company-wide events and corporate getaways is often to bring employees together and encourage team-bonding, but organising activities that suit the preferences, expectations and abilities of four or five generations is no easy feat. Each generation will have different expectations for events – for example, Gen X often expect events to be family friendly, while Gen Z prefer clear separation between work and leisure. ResearchAn impossible tightrope to walk, but one that event planners have to navigate nonetheless.
If the multi-generational workforce is experiencing conflict over technology in the office setting, it’s no surprise that these tensions may also bleed into an increasingly tech-first events arena. While conferences used to just require a large room and in-person stands, hybrid formats that merge in-person and virtual into one are now the norm – throwing AV systems, streaming platforms, and personal devices into the mix.
Bridging the generational gap
As such, it’s crucial that event professionals work with organisations to help them strike a balance between keeping events exciting and interactive for the younger, digital-native cohort of workers, while ensuring they remain accessible and don’t overwhelm the older generations – who still crave that authentic in-person connection.
Ultimately, everyone shares the same goals of achieving better team cohesion, but they just have different views on how to get there, and it’s our jobs to figure out how to make that happen across the board.
Nostalgia as a tool for connection
For me, the best approach is to focus on what brings a group of cross-generational delegates together. And what connects delegates better than a shared sense of nostalgia? In the same way that iconic musicians like ABBA, for example, have a timeless appeal that brings people of all ages together, sparking memories and creating new moments of joy across generations, the same goes for places deeply rooted in the national psyche, like Blackpool. For many, it’s a place of childhood memories of walking along the Promenade, watching the illuminations, and eating ice cream on Pleasure Beach.
Hosting events in these iconic locations that hold cherished memories can foster a real sense of community among an otherwise divided workforce. And when it happens, there’s something really wonderful about watching delegates of all ages bond over a collective, quintessentially British experience. As well as picking a rich-in-history destination, event organisers can also tap into this further by curating experiences that celebrate this collective nostalgia through music, activities, or settings that evoke those familiar feelings. It’s a simple but powerful way to create genuine connections across the workforce, and we find that organisations that come to Blackpool are increasingly looking to lean into this nostalgia in the name of workforce unity.
When we scratch beneath the surface, we can see that all generations value connection, a sense of purpose and belonging, and opportunities for networking and development. Sometimes, it takes one memorable and immersive event away from the 9-to-5 office grind to make employees see this for themselves. Events are more than just a collection of people; they’re about creating shared experiences for employees that help build strong connections. I’ve found that it often helps to tap into existing shared feelings of nostalgia first, in order to create new collective experiences that will unite delegates for a very long time.
