Designing Events for Multiple Generations: Gen Z And Older
13 min read • Wed, Nov 19th
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Your events are no longer built for one “typical” attendee. In the same room, you’ve got Gen Z creators sharing TikToks, Millennial managers hunting for ROI, Gen X decision-makers scanning for real value, and Boomers who’ve seen every event format under the sun.
If your program, tech, and environment only work for one of them, you’re leaving money, satisfaction, and repeat attendance on the table.
Loopyah’s Event Attendee Study 2025–2026 shows how diverse today’s event goers are. But their behaviours and interest can vary significantly.
For example, in ages 25 - 34, 47% said they're attending more events vs. last year (36% for 35-44 yo). For 25-34 year olds, 56% said lineup/performers is very important (67% of 35-44 yo). Overcrowding is a frustration for only 30% of 18-24 year olds (vs. 66% for 25 - 34 yo). In other words: you’re designing for wildly different tastes and comfort levels, even before you factor in age.
This guide breaks down how Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers tend to approach events—and how to design experiences that feel relevant, accessible, and exciting for all of them at once. No pandering. No age clichés. Just practical ways to make your event work across generations.
Generational traits are patterns, not rules. Use them as a lens, then validate everything with your own registration data, surveys, and on-site observations.
Gen Z grew up with smartphones. They research everything, sniff out inauthenticity fast, and want to participate—not just watch.
Characteristics: digital natives, value authenticity, socially conscious, short attention span for low-value content.
Event preferences: tech-integrated experiences, interactive zones, creator spaces, AR/VR, plenty of moments they can share on social.
In our Loopyah study, 78% of GenZ rely on TikTok to discover events whereas only 33% of millennials do. If your content isn’t visual, fast, and easy to share, you’re harder to find for Gen Z.
Millennials have lived through analog childhoods and digital adulthood. They care a lot about the quality of the experience and how it fits into their busy lives.
Characteristics: experience-driven, value social and professional connections, expect convenience and good UX.
Event preferences: unique and shareable experiences, networking that leads somewhere, seamless tech from discovery to check-in.
Many Millennials are now mid-career and budget-aware. In the Loopyah data, 50.4% of attendees said ticket price is “very important,” and 59.8% compare platforms based on fees before buying. That mindset is classic Millennial—value matters.
Gen X often sits in key decision-making roles. They’re the ones justifying budgets, approving sponsorships, and signing off on repeat attendance.
Characteristics: value work-life balance, pragmatic, time-conscious, sceptical of fluff.
Event preferences: tight agendas, clear learning outcomes, high-quality speakers, comfortable but not flashy environments.
If your event promises “immersive magic” but delivers vague sessions and poor logistics, Gen X will notice first—and they’re often the ones deciding if the team comes back next year.
Boomers have deep experience with live events. They know what “good” looks like and still value face-to-face time more than most.
Characteristics: value tradition and trust, prefer clear communication, may have specific accessibility or comfort needs.
Event preferences: structured agendas, strong moderation, good seating and sightlines, human support over self-service when problems arise.
Older attendees also care a lot about the basics: wayfinding, rest areas, clarity on food, safety, and schedule. When you get these right for Boomers, you accidentally make the event much better for everyone else too.
Most event creators accidentally optimise for one generation: big keynotes for Boomers, experiential zones for Gen Z, or dense breakouts for Gen X. You need all three.
A recent PCMA / Convene trends report found that attendees rank immersive experiences and customised agendas as top ways to improve their event experience. That’s your playbook for multi-generational design.
Think in content “modes,” not just tracks:
Inspiration: main-stage keynotes, fireside chats, live performances. Great for Boomers and Gen X who like structured sessions, but also energising for everyone.
Learning: workshops, labs, case-study breakouts. Millennials and Gen X love actionable content. Gen Z loves hands-on formats over lectures.
Play and experimentation: AR/VR demos, maker spaces, live art, gaming corners, photo/creator booths. Catnip for Gen Z and younger Millennials, but also a pressure release valve for older cohorts.
Concrete example for a conference:
Morning: tight keynotes with strong moderators and clear takeaways (Boomers, Gen X). Include captioning and accessible slide standards.
Midday: workshop rotations and skills labs (Millennials, Gen Z) plus a quieter “deep-dive” track for Gen X leaders who want serious content.
Afternoon: AR/VR or product demo zone, plus a low-tech idea wall where people can contribute with sticky notes or markers. Everyone can join in, with or without an app.
If you’re building out the full program, this guide will help you structure the day so these modes don’t clash.
Tech should quietly make the event easier—not lock less tech-savvy attendees out.
Our data shows 30.0% of event goers have abandoned checkout because seat maps were confusing or good seats were hard to find. 19.8% walked away due to slow sites or errors. That’s not “fun innovation.” That’s lost revenue.
Use tech in ways that serve all generations:
Offer an event app—but keep it optional. Gen Z and Millennials will live in it. Gen X will use it if it saves time. Boomers may prefer a printed map and daily schedule.
Run live polls and Q&A. Younger attendees love it, and introverts across ages can participate without speaking on a mic.
Provide on-site tech support. Have help desks or roaming “tech concierges” to assist with the app, Wi‑Fi, or digital tickets. This instantly reduces friction for Boomers and less tech-comfortable Gen Xers.
On the ticketing side, use a platform that keeps checkout simple and mobile-friendly for younger buyers, while still offering clear seat maps and flexible payment methods for everyone.
“Networking” means very different things across generations. Gen Z wants collaborators and mentors. Millennials want career and business opportunities. Gen X wants high-value, efficient conversations. Boomers often want to reconnect and pass on knowledge.
Design a mix that respects those differences:
Structured peer meetups: topic-based roundtables, problem-solving sprints, or “birds-of-a-feather” sessions, grouped by challenges or interests, not age.
Speed networking with prompts: short timed conversations, with question cards that make it easy for quieter or older attendees to jump in.
Mentorship or reverse-mentorship lounges: pair experienced leaders (often Gen X/Boomers) with emerging talent (Gen Z/Millennials) for 20-minute slots.
For community-led growth, Ambassadors from different age groups can host meetups, welcome first-timers, and model cross-generational conversation.
Accessibility is not “nice to have” for older attendees; it’s non-negotiable for everyone.
The W3C’s event accessibility checklist highlights basics that benefit all ages: clear wayfinding, captioning, good audio, and quiet spaces. Combine that with ADA requirements for seating and routes, and you’ve got a robust baseline.
Key moves for multi-generational comfort:
Disperse accessible seating with good sightlines. Don’t relegate wheelchair users or those with mobility aids to the far corners.
Offer a mix of seating types. Stools and high-tops for younger attendees, chairs with backs and armrests for older ones, plus some lounge seating.
Create quiet rooms and low-sensory zones. These help neurodivergent attendees, introverts, older attendees who tire easily, and anyone overwhelmed by crowds.
If you’re deep into layout and venue planning, our venue layout tools can help you design flows and seat maps that actually work for humans, not just floor plans.
Personalisation is no longer a nice add-on. It’s expected—especially by younger attendees who are used to algorithm-driven feeds and recommendations.
In the Loopyah study, 67.0% of respondents said lineup, performers, or speakers are “very important” in deciding to attend. That’s your cue to help each person find the content that matters most to them, fast.
Easy wins:
Offer personalised schedules. Ask for session interests and learning goals at registration, then recommend tracks by email or in-app. Younger cohorts expect this; older ones quietly appreciate the guidance.
Segment your communication. Example: more social content and FOMO-driven messaging to younger attendees; more ROI, logistics, and comfort information for older ones.
Allow opt-ins for accessibility, networking, and content level. “Beginner / advanced,” “quiet / high-energy,” “looking for mentors / offering mentorship” are great toggles.
If you’re using email to drive these personalised journeys, pair your targeting strategy with the tips in our guide on event reminder emails to make sure the right people get the right nudge at the right time.
Imagine a large tech conference with everyone from student developers to C‑suite veterans in the same city. That’s a generational minefield—or a huge opportunity.
A recent edition of a major SaaS conference (think Dreamforce scale) nailed the balance by designing layers of experience:
High-tech build zones for Gen Z and Millennials: hands-on AI labs, code challenges, and creator corners where attendees could film and share content on the spot.
Low-tech collaboration spaces for Millennials and Gen X: whiteboard walls, facilitated design sprints, and simple “problem-posting” boards where teams pitched challenges and found collaborators.
Comfort and decompression for Gen X and Boomers: outdoor “forest” areas, quiet lounges, and plenty of seating with power outlets.
Crucially, the program respected time across generations: short, focused main-stage content with strong moderation; clearly signposted deep-dive sessions; and generous breaks for networking and rest.
“Outcome-first, experience-second” became the conference mantra: every activation had to help attendees learn, meet, or do business—then look and feel amazing.
That’s the multi-generational sweet spot: tech that invites participation, spaces that protect comfort, and content that respects attention spans at every age.
Now picture an open-street summer festival in a busy city. The organisers want locals, tourists, families with kids, groups of friends, and older residents all to feel welcome—day and night.
One city’s multi-night “arts and culture” festival pulled this off with smart dayparting and zoning:
Early evening family blocks: kids’ art activities, interactive light installations, and short performances that finished early enough for bedtime—perfect for Millennials with children and older locals.
Later-night programming for adults: DJ sets, pop-up bars, and late retail openings aimed more at Gen Z, younger Millennials, and night-owl Gen Xers.
Comfort-first infrastructure: extra seating, clear signage, well-lit paths, quiet pocket spaces, and plenty of staff on hand—critical for seniors and families, but appreciated by everyone.
The result: social feeds full of Gen Z and Millennial content, strong footfall from families, and repeat visits from older residents who finally felt like the city hadn’t forgotten them.
Not every Boomer hates apps. Not every Gen Z attendee wants everything on TikTok. If you design from stereotypes, you’ll annoy everyone.
Instead, segment by behaviours and needs:
Ask during registration: “How do you prefer to get event updates?” (app, email, SMS, printed guide). Then honour that.
Capture goals: “I’m here to learn / meet peers / find vendors / recruit talent.” Route them into the right content and networking.
Use on-site observation and post-event surveys to refine. Our guide on the topic has examples and ideas you can plug straight into your forms.
Every event team has this argument: “We need something new and exciting” vs. “Let’s not scare off our core audience.” The answer is rarely either/or.
A simple rule: protect familiar anchors, experiment at the edges.
Keep some classic formats: a clear opening keynote, structured panels, printed day summaries. These reassure long-time attendees.
Layer new experiences around them: interactive installations, new networking formats, or digital scavenger hunts for those who want to play.
Communicate changes clearly in your pre-event emails and landing page. Spell out what’s new, what’s improved, and what fans of the old format can still count on. If you need help positioning that value, check this read.
Costs are up. Expectations are up. Budgets are… not always up. You can still design for multiple generations without gold-plating everything.
Prioritise spend where it hits everyone:
Content quality over decor. Better speakers and facilitators, not bigger stage sets, will win Gen X and Millennial loyalty and still impress Boomers and Gen Z.
Comfort and wayfinding over gimmicks. Clear signage, enough seating, and accessible routes do far more for satisfaction than another hologram wall.
Reuse what you can—stage builds, signage frameworks, content templates—and invest instead in better attendee data, so each year your programming and segmentation get sharper for every age group.
Your tech stack should help you personalise, segment, and simplify—not add complexity.
Look for features like:
Custom registration questions and fields so you can capture generational and behavioural data without being intrusive.
Flexible ticket types and seat maps to support different budgets, comfort needs, and access levels. (VIP for younger superfans, reserved comfortable seating for older attendees, etc.)
Email and CRM integration so you can segment messages by cohort, interest, and behaviour.
To design well for four generations, you need their actual input, not guesses.
Use quick, mobile-first surveys:
Pre-event: goals, preferred content formats, accessibility needs, communication preferences.
During event: ultra-short pulse checks on session quality, crowding, comfort, and tech usability.
Post-event: satisfaction by age band, goal attainment, NPS, and ideas for next year.
Tie these directly to your event KPIs. If you’re still fine-tuning what to measure, our article walks through the metrics that actually matter.
Finally, keep a light but regular eye on generational research. Attitudes shift, especially as Gen Z and Millennials age into more senior roles and Boomers retire.
Our own Loopyah Event Attendee Study 2025–2026 is a good benchmark on how people discover events, what blocks them at checkout, how far they’ll travel, and more. You can overlay that with your own audience data to spot where your event is aligned—or out of sync.
Designing events for Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers at the same time isn’t about pleasing everyone equally. It’s about giving each person a clear path to value.
To recap:
Mix content modes—inspiration, learning, and play—so every generation finds formats that work for them.
Use tech to enhance, not gatekeep—with apps, simple checkouts, and human support in parallel.
Design structured networking for outcomes—mentorship, roundtables, and topic-based meetups that work across ages.
Make comfort and accessibility non-negotiable—for bodies, brains, and budgets.
Personalise with data, not assumptions—and keep testing what each cohort actually uses and loves.
When you design with generational diversity in mind, your events get sharper, not softer. Your content gets clearer, your logistics get kinder, and your marketing gets smarter.
Do that consistently, and you don’t just fill this year’s seats—you build an event brand people grow up with, not out of.
The Loopyah Content Team shares expert insights, practical guides, and industry updates to help event organizers create unforgettable experiences and stay ahead in the event planning world.
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