There’s no shortage of advice on how to design events for Gen Z, although real insights are rare. Freeman has spent the past few years studying their preferences, behaviors, and expectations with the goal of helping organizers adapt existing models to better meet the needs of this cohort. And while that research has proven valuable, many event professionals are leaving another resource largely untapped — the Gen Z employees and stakeholders within their own organizations.

Despite being the fastest-growing segment of both the workforce and event audiences, Gen Z event professionals are still frequently excluded from strategic conversations. Their lack of tenure can be mistaken for a lack of perspective. But when it comes operationalizing Gen Z insights within events, their input may be your organization’s most underutilized advantage.

Here’s how Gen Z engages with events and where organizations can more intentionally bring Gen Z voices into the design process.

In-Person Has to Be Justified

Insight: For a generation that grew up in digital environments, attending an event in person is not a default behavior, it’s a decision. That decision is increasingly based on whether the experience offers something that cannot be replicated online. Information alone is rarely enough. What matters is the combination of energy, interaction, environment, and the unplanned moments that occur when people gather physically.

Action: One way to evaluate this is to assign Gen Z team members to assess the experience through that lens: What would justify showing up? What feels interchangeable with a virtual format? This perspective can be especially valuable when reviewing programming, show-floor design, and/or ancillary experiences.

Connections Matter

Insight: For Gen Z, networking is a primary driver of attendance. But they don’t want more networking, they want better networking. Unstructured receptions often fall flat with this cohort. What resonates more are curated, facilitated, or interest-based connections that make it easier to engage meaningfully.

Action: Consider involving Gen Z team members in designing networking formats, or even testing small, structured pilot programs. Pre-event input like short surveys or informal focus groups with Gen Z attendees can also help identify what formats reduce friction and are mostly likely to maximize participation and desired goals.

Experience Drives Emotion—and Emotion Drives Return

Insight: Gen Z evaluates events not just on outcomes, but on how those experiences feel. Feelings of connection, inspiration, and belonging are central to whether an event is considered successful. This places new importance on elements that have traditionally been viewed as secondary: arrival experiences, flow, atmosphere, and overall environment. These are not just logistical considerations; they are emotional ones.

Action: Select Gen Z volunteers who are close to your show to perform experience-mapping exercises, like walking through the event journey step-by-step, to help identify where those emotional moments are working and where they are falling flat.

More Isn’t Better. Better Is Better.

Insight: Freeman research consistently shows that overprogramming leads to disengagement, not deeper participation. Gen Z values the ability to recharge, process, and be selective about how time is spent. That requires a shift from maximizing activity to designing intentional flow.

Action: One practical approach is to involve Gen Z team members in agenda reviews. Ask them to pressure-test schedules to surface where things might feel overwhelming or unnecessary. On site, assign a Gen Z staff member or volunteer to experience the show as an average attendee would, documenting where energy drops or decision fatigue sets in.

Learning Has to Be Earned

Insight: Gen Z places a high value on learning, but not in passive formats. Long, lecture-style sessions are increasingly seen as low-value, especially when similar content is available online. What resonates are formats that are interactive, practical, and grounded in real experience.

Action: This is where representation really matters. Education programming is often developed by senior professionals, which can unintentionally reinforce traditional formats and familiar perspectives. Incorporating Gen Z voices into education committees, again whether as staff or task force volunteers, can help shift both format and content. Post-event feedback loops can also be useful. Quick debriefs or targeted surveys with Gen Z attendees can identify which formats actually delivered value.

Familiar Is Forgettable

Insight: Predictability is one of the fastest ways to diminish the perceived value of an event. When content feels repetitive or overly safe, engagement drops. Gen Z responds to novelty, like new ideas, unexpected perspectives, and content that challenges assumptions. This doesn’t require radical reinvention, but it does require a willingness to move beyond what has historically worked.

Action: Emerging professionals often bring a fresh lens to content development. Including them earlier in the ideation process can help identify opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked. Informal input sessions or brainstorming workshops can introduce variety that keeps programming from feeling repetitive.

Clarity Is a Competitive Advantage

Insight: Gen Z attendees are early in their careers and many may find large-scale business events unfamiliar or overwhelming. Complex schedules, unclear pathways, and lack of guidance can create friction that limits engagement. In contrast, clear direction, intuitive navigation, and thoughtful prompts can significantly enhance the experience.

Action: Gen Z perspectives can be particularly helpful in simplifying the experience. Assigning team members or volunteers to review communications, apps, and on-site wayfinding through a first-time attendee lens often reveals unnecessary friction. Also, on-site intercept interviews — short, informal conversations with attendees — can provide real-time insight into the user experience. 

Access Builds Trust

Insight: Access to real expertise through subject matter experts, practitioners, and hands-on demonstrations is a key driver of value for Gen Z. Freeman research shows that attendees are far more engaged by opportunities to interact, ask questions, and experience something firsthand than by static displays.

Action: This has direct implications for the show floor. Consider creating a Gen Z advisory group made up of staff or volunteer attendees to evaluate their experience. A short focus group on the last day of the event or immediately post-show can indicate which booths delivered meaningful access and which did not. Those insights can then be used to guide future exhibitors toward more interactive and trust-building experiences.

Stand for Something

Insight: Lastly, Gen Z places a high value on purpose. They are more likely to engage with organizations that demonstrate a clear sense of meaning and impact. This can be reflected in sustainability efforts, workforce development initiatives, community engagement, or simply thoughtful consideration of an event’s broader impact.

Action: Gen Z team members are often attuned to how these efforts are perceived. Involving them in identifying, shaping, and communicating these initiatives can help ensure they feel authentic rather than performative.

From Insight to Action

Yes, Gen Z professionals are the future leaders of the event industry. But they also are current participants in shaping its direction. When given a seat at the table, they bring both lived experience and intuitive understanding of evolving expectations. The opportunity for event organizers is straightforward: Move beyond studying this audience and begin collaborating with it.

Kimberly Hardcastle is chief strategist at The Freeman Company.