Skift Take
Millennials value experiences over things, so getting them to your event is easy. But once they're there, will they look up from their phones long enough to engage?
Americans are attending events and are feeling community-minded when they do, and Millennials are in the forefront.
A survey conducted in April by Eventbrite, a global event technology platform, in partnership with Ipsos and Crowd DNA, found that 78 percent of American adults respondents age 18 and older attended a live event in the past 12 months.
Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) agreed that attending an event makes them feel more connected to other people, their community, and the world, a marked increase from 2014 (66 percent).
Among Millennials (ages 18-34), the numbers are even higher. In the past year, 89 percent said they attended at least one live event, up from 82 percent three years ago. As with the general adult population, a significant portion (79 percent) feel more connected to other people, their community and the world through attending events, up from just 69 percent in 2014.
Significantly for the events and conferences industry, 74 percent of Millennials surveyed said attending a live event expands their perspective more than reading about things online.
Here's the kicker: Three-quarters of Millennials also prefer experiences to things, according to the survey.
