Young Professionals IAEE Weblog

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

IAEE offers student membership to individuals enrolled full time in a college or university approved by the IAEE Board of Directors. While student members do not have voting privileges, they are allowed to enjoy IAEE benefits including chapter participation, web conferences, IAEE publications, and much more!The rate for student membership is only $35 annually. To take advantage of IAEE’s student membership, visit http://www.iaee.com/join/.

Questions: Contact IAEE at (972) 458-8002 or email us at membership@iaee.com.

One of the Young Professionals programs we are developing is reviewing various events for multi-generational attractiveness. If you are a Young Professional who would like to contribute reviews contact, Jeanavive or if you have an event you would like to offer a behind the scene tour of we will connect you with Young Professionals in your community who want to write reviews.

MacWorld - by Jeanavive Janssen

MacWorld, well what can I say…its like a Rock Concert, my friends from all walks of life and interests were talking about this event weeks before it happened on their Blogs. People waited in line to get in, there were even tie-dye T-shirts…

JOIN THE COMMUNITY, gleams like a beacon on their website - the community provides features found in social networking sites so attendees can stay connected all year, share photos, discuss the event and much more. If your event can’t afford to create its own social networking site consider utilizing Facebook / Myspace / or Tribe.net Group Features (YP how-article in the works).

If you missed some of the MacWorld action you can also order a DVD set of the conference sessions or view them in your web browser for FREE - now that is a great service!

The Apple booth was clearly the height of activity; with its theater screen and sound system featuring ‘Transformer’ clips…blurring the rest of the exhibitors in comparison. Being my first time at this event I assumed all the exhibitors would have had a feast for the eyes but most echoed of a standard trade show space. There was an exhibitor that didn’t make the cut but I give him an ‘A’ for creativity, his booth furnishings were constructed from his cardboard shipping boxes taped together - perhaps may be a fun idea to utilize at a Green Event.

3 more reviews in the works by Jeanavive.
Events: MPI Meet Different, WonderCo, Carbon America

Sunday, January 20th from 1-5 PM for a special Multi-generational World Café Gathering - Alameda, CA

Our goal is to create an opportunity for people from many decades of life — teens to eighties — to experience conversation and deepening of relationships across seeming boundaries of age differences. We will discover new ways to learn from one another and find out what will emerge from our cafe conversations.

An observation from Nora Johnson, YP IAEE (Secretary):

Just this morning, I was reading a recap of perspectives and
discussion topics brought up at Expo! Expo! Two documents were sent
my way, including a recap from this year and the recap from last
year. In both, there is a glaring similarity where the younger
generations were discussed: the inevitable connection of younger
generations and newer technologies.

Granted, younger generations are using newer technology, and they are
doing so more easily and efficiently than others. However, this has
always been and will always be the case, from the time that fire and
steam engines became the way of the day to the first transition from
typewriters to computers.

One of the challenges we will face as a committee is to get people to
see beyond the technology. Why are younger professionals using
technology? How, when and where are they using it? Technology is a
tool. What the younger generations consider “valuable” extends beyond
the tools.

Example. As a committee, we’ve already touched on this by looking at
the need to change the “speaking-head” format of session programming.
Some may be quick to say that we need blogs and live polling - via
technology offerings or text messages. We need to get people past
that. We need to have people look at what is no longer favorable
about the past structure and what can be changed based on those
findings. It may be seating arrangements, the length of the sessions,
the depth (not breadth) of information covered, etc.

If we only stop at technology, our industry will miss the boat. This
is more an opinionated-musing/blog/post. Please let me know if this
is what we are okay with as a committee, or if we’re looking to keep
this forum business-task oriented around our meetings. Either way
works for me.

Thank you,
Nora

There has been a lot of great groundwork laid by various Industry Associations and I am happy to be a part of the launching of the new IAEE Young Professionals Committee. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to collaborate with other Association leaders such as PCMA and MPI who have been working on this generational question for years. Jeanavive Marie Janssen - YP IAEE Chair

Check out this PCMA article from 2001 -

The Generation Gap - Nancy Mann Jackson
Convene Magazine PCMA December 2001 Read the Full Article, lots of great info.

(Jackson) ” Optimum learning occurs when generational differences are understood, appreciated, honored, and shared.”

(Jackson) “One of the trademarks of Xers, Wyess noted, is their willingness to speak up against the status quo. Now that younger attendees are willing to voice their displeasure about instruction that doesn’t meet their needs, other groups are also reaping the advantages.

What is most remarkable about training Generation Xers is that the training approaches that work well with them make sense for almost everyone, regardless of age, Shari Caudron wrote in Training and Development. Some of the Xer preferences she suggested that seem to work for every age group include focusing on end results, placing learners in control, providing flexibility and a choice of ways to learn, and emphasizing eye-catching visuals.”

(Janssen) I think that this is an excellent point, that enhanced programs developed for Young Professionals will not exclude other generations but will make programs attractive to multi-generations - this is a win-win for everyone involved.

From 2001 to the Present:

PCMA Students Speak: The Future Is In Their Hands

Heidi Genoist — Tradeshow Week, 1/14/2008

“With an aging population at the helm, all the convention and exhibition industry’s trade associations – not just the Professional Convention Management Assn. – are working to cultivate a pool of viable future leaders.”

Meet, Nancy Johnson (Gen X) sub-committee head for “developing and attracting new talent” to the industry.

“I would love to work more with high schools and even college departments to get information on our industry out there. I had such a hard time when I went back to school for my certificate. They only taught meeting planning and special events classes. I knew I wanted to do trade show mgmt right off the bat, but I was discouraged from pursuing that avenue. I’m very glad that I kept at it because I’m now doing what I love to do. My motto is “I don’t care about the size of the muffin”, which is why I’d never want to be a meeting planner.”

Read Nancy’s Letter to her Mentors and Teachers:

(more…)

Based on our first meeting these were the Young Professional Committee, 4 Key Goals:

1. Develop Mentor Programs
2. Create better events and educational programs
3. Recognize people as they come into the industry
4. Develop and attract new talent to the industry

2008 Proposed Programs

- The Young Professional Review: a program where our YP members
review conferences in their area for ‘attractiveness’. Also, to
review new Technologies/Programming being used in Conferences.

- Inside Young Professionals: an opportunity for YP to share their
case studies & Career experience featured on our Blog & IAEE News.

- Young Professionals Linkedin Group - Launched Jan 2008.

- Lunch Time YP Program -

- IAEE Conference Areas/Lounges at Conferences for YP - “a place to be
you”, lounges and activities developed and set aside specifically for
YP’s at IAEE events.

- Mentor Program for High School students, bringing in the YP’s to
High Schools perhaps teaming up with the unions or other companies who
want to attract young talent.

- Mentor Program for the YP - Identify ‘movers and shakers’ in the
industry who would allow YP’s behind the scenes & offer Mentorship.