Young Professionals IAEE Weblog

Most Gen X and younger are aware of their generational ‘title’. Gen X being the 1st to be named by Marketeers across the country looking to define this demographic.

Wikipedia Definition: Gen X

“Generation X is a term used to describe generations in many countries around the world born from 1965 to around 1982.^[1] The term has been used in demography, the social sciences, and marketing, though it is most often used in popular culture.”

Wikipedia Definition: Gen Y

“ Generation Y, also known as the ‘Millennial Generation’, refers to a specific cohort of individuals born from about 1980 through and including the year 1994. However this is disputed by demographers and varies across countries; so the years 1988-2008 is also somewhat widely used.^[1] “Generation Y” alludes to a succession from Generation X, a term which was originally coined as a pejorative label by the Canadian fiction writer Douglas Coupland in 1991.^[2] Generation Y are primarily children of the Baby boomers and Generation Jones (US only), though some are children of older Gen X adults.”

Meet the Millennials (Who are These People?) - FROM Association Meetings Article

“While the Silent Generation (ages 63 to 81) is still a vital force, baby boomers (ages 44 to 62) have been the lifeblood of associations for decades. Along comes Generation X (ages 27 to 43) — a smaller group (about 59 million compared to 80 million boomers) — and everything else being equal, the pool of potential conference attendees drops precipitously. That’s why the Millennials (ages 26 and under) — all 80 million of them — are vital for an association’s survival. And, like their parents, the boomers, they are prone to join, yet they are not afraid to blaze new trails if they are not getting what they want. In fact, they already are….”Complete Article

MORE FROM WIKIPEDIA

* The Lost Generation was a term originally used to identify a group of American literary expatriates living in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s; it is now used more generally to describe the generation of young people who came of age in the United States during and shortly after World War I.
* The Greatest Generation is the worldwide generation of Allies that served in World War II. This group overlaps with the G.I. Generation, the generation of veterans that fought and won World War II, later to become the Establishment, and the parents of children who would later become the Baby Boomers.
* The Silent Generation was the generation born between the two World Wars, who were too young to join the service when World War II started. Many had fathers who served in World War I. (1925-1945)
* (born 1944-1960) The Baby Boomers were the generation born just after World War II, a time that included a 14-year increase in birthrate worldwide. Baby Boomers in their teen and college years were characteristically part of the 1960s counterculture, but later became more conservative, eventually gave birth to Generations X and Y. Most academic and demographic literature uses 1946 and 1960 as the cutoff years of the Baby Boom generation.[1]
* Tweener, also known as Generation Jones, is the generation born between the Baby Boomers and Generation X. Tweeners are primarily the offspring of the Silent Generation; mostly they were children in the 1960s, and teens in the 1970s.
* (born 1960-1979) Generation X is the generation born between approximately 1964 to 1981. Other names used interchangeably with Generation X are 13th Generation and Baby Busters. Most of this generation are children of The Baby Boomers and The Silent Generation. They tended to grow up with video games and MTV, and those born before 1973 spent most of their teen years in the 1980s.[2]
* (born 1975-1986) XY Cusp, also known as the MTV Generation, was caught between the end of Generation X and start of Generation Y, mainly living out their childhood through the 80s and teen years in the mid-90s. This generation was influenced by the launch of MTV, and the popularization of Web technology after 1995. Their peak is usually given as (1975-1986). This is also sometimes referred to as the Boomerang Generation.
* (born 1980-2001) Generation Y, also known as the Echo Boom although Millennials is becoming the more common parlance for this generation. They grew up with many world-changing events including the rise of mass communication, the Internet, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Y Generation is known as a Culture War “battleground” with growing disagreements between conservative and progressive perspectives. 1981-2001 is the widest possible definition commonly cited, but generally speaking is the generation that was born in the 1980s.
* (after 1990) Generation Z, New Silent Generation or Homelander Generation is the youngest of generations thus far. These are the people that are born in the 1990s.
* (born after 1993) Generation I, is the generation born after the internet became mainstream (year 1993). This generation has also been referred to as “digital natives.”[3] as well as the “Net Generation.” They can come to be known as the Next-Net Generation or N2 Generation, having grown up in an era where the web/internet pervaded every aspect of their lives. These are generally the people that will be coming of age in the 2010s and the 2020s.

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What ever generation you are we invite you to participate in THE SHIFT!

Jeanavive Marie Janssen - 415-254-0732 c.

Chair - IAEE Young Professionals http://www.ypiaee.com
Director of Sales - Event Productions Inc. (GSC) http://www.eventproductions.com

Over the past several years there has been a true push in the industry to begin to understand the incoming professionals within our industry. What may have begun as concern or trepidation has turned into quite the wave of enthusiasm and open-minded curiosity. Questions emerging include:

- How do we track talented young professionals?
- How do we tap into their skill sets?
- How do we develop and work with them?
- How do we best bridge the generations within our organization in order to maximize the strengths and contributions each individual brings to the table?
- WHAT MOTIVATES THEM?

Please feel free to share your thoughts or even your own questions here, no matter what generation you are a part of. Enjoy the future!

Nora Johnson, YP IAEE Secretary

Cross-Post from : Young Professionals Discussion Group:
http://groups.google.com/group/young-professionalsee

There is a lot of talk about the next generation of events, related to Green and CSR…on top of that though I have been thinking about Sales and the way its always been done….

Here are some stereotypes that come to mind related to Sales People:
“The Widget Sales Person” doesn’t matter what it is the person can sell ice to an Eskimo
“The Brown Shoe/Brown Briefcase” been pedaling wares since the 70’s and you can spot them coming a mile away so you hide
“The Elevator Pitch” sounds like a wind up doll so practiced so rehearsed you can’t wait for the ride to be over
“Card Dropping Street Pounder” Ok, we know we don’t like them when they pop up when you least expect it and want to play the card trade game

To me these are old school practices which I hope will retire with the work force. As a Young Professional, who does Sales this method ‘bums me out” and over time has kept me down because management believed in only these methods. Sales is a word I personally would like removed from my title/and our cultures vocabulary. I hope going forward that our culture/generation can bring a higher calling to this portion of business and define a new term.

I look at this as relationship building, giving people what they want not brainwashing them that they need this “thing” - why does there have to be 100 different widgets competing against each other, there certainly shouldn’t be a monopoly on “things” but I do see two viable avenues in the future - the one-stop kings, who thru partnerships/collaboration can provide you everything you need at competitive prices and those who cater to very specific needs and personalities.

I think this should apply to booth sales too, it shouldn’t be about just filling space it should be about bringing the right people in. I went to the WonderCon event in San Francisco and I think it should be a model for all event planners - it was very simple, the exhibitors “would buy what they are selling” there was a mutual love. You could feel the energy from the attendees and the exhibitors. They weren’t in your face selling. Mind you this is a comic book event but why can’t that ‘love’ for what you do extend to all industries. Which goes back to get away from sales tactics, focus on people and give them what they desire. I have been to many events were there is very few attendees on the exhibit floor and the exhibitors are upset but as an attendee why do I want to walk thru a sea of generic pitches…

Well that’s my two cents. Was wondering if there is any other Young Professionals out there in sales and what you think about the traditional sales images…

Jeanavive Janssen
Chair
IAEE Young Professionals
http://www.ypiaee.com

An excellent comment I wanted to include it in the body of this post:

1. Nora Johnson | April 4, 2008 at 10:05 am

While reading through the stereotypes, I couldn’t help but chuckle. The stereotypes exist, and while it may be painful to some who feel they personally relate to one of the groups mentioned, what can we do but acknowledge that they exist and find the humor in it?

(more…)

We need to know where we have been to understand where we are going… Jeanavive

Participants of the January Multi-Generational Caf’e created a wall of memories and observations about their lives:

1930’s
World Events: Depression, the dustbowl, westward immigration, locusts, invasion of Europe by Germany/Emergence of Hitler, Lindbergh’s son’s kidnapping
Political Movements: Kristallnacht, WPA/Roosevelt years
Pop Culture: (Music, Cars, Slang, Film, Books)
Sonny Boy, Ford, Swing, WPA support to artists, foreign cars, Fred/Ginger movies

1940’s
World Events: WW11, Creation of the U.N., Born in a displaced person camp, Holocaust, Japanese Internment, Hiroshima/Nagasaki, Israel becomes a state.
Political Movements: New Deal, Jewish Immigration to U.S., draft, Labor unions organized, WPA, ACLU, Victory Gardens
Pop Culture: Top ten Hit parade, TV, Grapes of Wrath, “Little songs on big subjects”, Fireside chats, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Musicals,

1950’s
World Events: China invades Tibet, Hungarian revolution,
Political Movements: Montgomery bus boycott, McCarthyism, Communism, Beginning of Civil Rights Movement, Hanging of the Rosenbergs.
Pop Culture: Rock n Roll, TV, “Catcher in the Rye”, “Naked in the Dead”, Pete Seeger and the Weavers, Catch 22, Leave it to Beaver, Howdy-Doody, Our Miss Brooks, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Playhouse 90, Omnibus, Edward R. Murrow, Alistair Cooke, “On the Road”, 57 T bird.

1960’s
World Events: First computer, Assassinations of MLK, JFK, RFK, Cuban Missile Crisis, Birth control pill, Vietnam War, Woodstock, Moon Walk.
Political Movements: Free Speech, Anti-War, Feminism, United Farm Workers, Saul Alinsky organizing, Civil Rights, Peace Corps, Loss of Idealism: Nixon.
Pop Culture: Bob Dylan, Rock n Roll, Joan Baez, Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Aretha, Beatles, Stones, Betty Friedan “Feminine Mystique”, Rachel Carson ” Silent Spring”, Mary Tyler Moore, Dick van Dyke, Hippies, Flower Power, Easy Rider, Beach Boys.

1970’s
World Events: Vietnam, Cambodia,
Political Movements: Roe v. Wade, Spiritual Experimentation, Women’s Movement, Free Schools, NOW conference, Anti-War, Human Potential, Gay & Lesbian, Prop 13
Pop Culture: Apple computers, Ms. Magazine, Hippy, NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming), Holly Near, Chris Williamson, Meg Christiansen.

1980’s
World Events: U.S. engagement in Central America, SF earthquake, Fast Food, John Lennon’s assassination.
Political Movements: Nuclear Freeze, Consciousness raising groups, beyond war
Pop Culture: MTV, Nation Magazine, Computers, Wired Magazine, Bob Ross, “Love Medicine” by Louise Erdich.

1990’s
World Events: Molecular biology revolution, fall of the Berlin wall, disintegration of Soviet Union and Balkan War, fall of apartheid in South Africa
Political Movements: Rise of China, New Economy in Brazil, Birth of the World Café, Peace Movement, First Gulf War and opposition, Perot Town Halls, MoveOn. org
Pop Culture: Craig’s List, Blair Witch Project, Hip-hop, Video Games, Electronic Music, “Vagina Monologues”, Plastic Surgery

2000’s
World Events: Continuing rise of China, World Trade Center, WTC/911, Iraq Invasion and Occupation, Assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Latin America changes leaders
Political Movements: Slow Food Movement, Eco-movement,
Pop Culture: “An Inconvenient Truth”, Hybrids, I-Pod, I-Phone, Wiki, Blogging, Digital journalism, changing media, social networks - Myspace, Facebook.

Table Talk: Threads & Themes from table conversations amongst Multi-Generational participants:

- “The truth is best understood from multiple perspectives”
- “Consider hope as the antidote to fear”
- “To live a good life I need the other generations”
- “Now I understand career confusion can happen at all ages!”
- “What works for everyone at Multi-Gen Cafés? Everyone is a teacher, everyone is a student = collective intelligence”
- What else could happen: More humble, End of Separation, Becoming Ageless
- “Am I ready and able to re-energize the commons in my life?”
- Theology of Space - what could that look like?
- “I’m happy to be my age”
- How can we F2F and the online/texting generations, learn from each other?
- What are the challenges of being an “I.M.P.” In the moment person; in all generations?
- How might we use YouTube to connect live Café events in a region?
- Lots of interest among generations in learning more about each other
- Children are full participants in this conversation
- We see threads, themes, running from generation to generation that weave/connect us
- Age doesn’t seem like such a big differentiator
- Notice how is some cultures generations are connected, for example people known by name of father and father’s father
- Want to get together with various age groups again — noticing similarities and differences among us
- As parents some of us make a point to parent differently than our parents did –some good parenting styles were passed along, too, although many focus more on being different than their parents were.
- Multi-Generational Gatherings balance between smaller and larger community