Posted by

Barry Siskind

UFI’s Community Manager

On December 10th, UFI is organizing a meeting for UFI member organisations specifically designed to address issues facing HR professionals. The keynote speaker is Thimon de Jong. Thimon is a Sociocultural Consultant and Insights Director of the Netherlands based TrendsActive.

The title of his presentation is Trends and Strategies to Benefit from Generation Y – alongside older demographics. There has been a great deal of discussion over the past year or so about the impact of demographics on the exhibition industry. I was interested in what Thimon had to say about its impact on our industry’s HR professionals. I asked him a few questions in advance of the December meeting.

Barry:

What will you cover in your presentation?

Thimon:

I will address the key characteristics of Generation Y as they reflect on four areas:

– Addicted & Unconnected – on the addiction to IT and the reaction to tech/information overload.

– Smart & Conscious – on new ways of learning & working and the rise of conscious behaviour.

– Me-centric – on the fact that Generation Y is also called the ‘me me me generation.’

– Visual – on growing up in a visual culture with screens everywhere.

I will also cover:

– The end of the generation gap.

– Rise of the p2p and sharing economy

Barry:

Is there a difference between what HR professionals face in the exhibition industry in comparison to other industries?

Thimon:

No, I do not think the HR function in the exhibition industry differs from other industries. I do think there is difference in HR depending on the kind of exhibitions or venues HR is recruiting for. Compare it to fashion, not all fashion brands are Nike or Gucci.

Barry:

What is the key message you will be leaving the audience with?

Thimon:

Generation Y is a great, positive, knowledgeable generation which can prepare your organisation for the future. The exhibition industry has to involve Generation Y on all levels within the organisations. They must make sure all generations understand each others characteristics for this to become a success.

You can check out the full agenda at:

www.ufi.org/hrnetwork

Gen Y and the future of the exhibition Industry