Generation Why:  What Show Organizers Should Know About This Group

While Baby Boomers and Generation Xers buy their products now, there's a new generation that trade show organizers must understand and appeal to for future success. It's the group referred to as Generation Why.

People who make up Generation Why were born between the years of 1977 to 1994. Generation Why is already making an impact in our culture. There are 68 million people in this age group (three times more than Generation X), and 40 million of them are working full-time.

Why is it important to appeal to this audience? Because Generation Why is so future-oriented and trend-setting, winning over this group will also attract Baby Boomers and those from Generation X, according to Eric Chester, a Lakewood, Colo.-based consultant and Generation Why expert (www.generationwhy.com). "If you appeal to this skeptical market, you'll be future-oriented, and that'll attract all the other groups," he said.

Show organizers must first understand this group and their characteristics before attempting to appeal to them. Chester lists the following five factors to be considered when marketing to Generation Why.

They're skeptical.

Generation Why demands honesty and integrity. "A lot of the 'let's come at 'em with a hook' won't work with this group," Chester said. "And they demand verification. If you tell them something, you must back it up." He stressed that all advertising, promotion, and other "claims" must be backed up with real-world, verifiable proof.

They're desensitized.

This group has been so overwhelmed with stimuli that they're numb to all but the most interesting or flashy. "Those in Generation Why are stimulus junkies," Chester said. "Show organizers must appeal to their senses. This group needs to be entertained, so show organizers must design out of the box." Show organizers must appeal to senses other than sight and sound, he said.

They're participants.

Generation Why doesn't just want to watch, it wants to experience. As examples, Chester points to the success of extreme sports and reality based television shows such as "Survivor" and "Big Brother." "Show organizers must ask, 'Are they caught up in the experience? Are they not just walking aisle by aisle, but are they being engaged? Are they somehow caught up in the experience?"

They're multi-taskers.

Generation Why likes to do several things at one time, such as listening to headsets while viewing something else. "How can a show appeal to this?" Chester asked. "Maybe it could provide headsets while people walk the aisles, or offer some other technology to keep this group doing several things as once. New technology is the key: Search out what's new, what's hot, what's cool." Chester suggested going to technology conferences or surfing the Internet to learn about rapidly advancing technology.

They crave the limelight.

This group not only wants to participate, it also wants to be recognized. "The best shows for this group will somehow appeal to their desire to seek the limelight, to be singled out," Chester said. "What are ways to reward this group? And what rewards will be most valued? The best shows will 'make 'em make a star.'"

Savvy show organizers will consider the competition to develop ideas that appeal to Generation Why, according to generational expert Eric Chester. The competition, as Chester defines it, is any event that demands the attention or attendance of Generation Why, such as rock concerts, movies, and television shows.

"Show organizers should constantly seek out the competition, always asking themselves, 'What elements from these events can I incorporate into our show?'" Chester said. "The goal is for each show to develop a 'complete package,' a total program that will appeal on many levels to Generation Why."

Chester added that changes in show structures are needed. "Generation Why is radically different from any previous generation, so they must be marketed to and approached in a completely different way," he said. "Show organizers must examine every element of a show and ask, 'What can be done differently?'"