Just when the baby boomers thought they had Gen X figured out, along come the Millennials. With a population that rivals the size of their parents' baby boomer generation, the Millennials are often hailed as the future for associations — and their meetings.

The problem is that many Millennials, also known as Generation Ys, “are not wired for traditional meetings,” says Eric Chester, president, Generation Why Inc., Lakewood, Colo. Creating meetings that appeal to Gen Ys is one of the major challenges associations are facing today.

“If there are any organizations out there that are saying [connecting with Gen Y] is not an issue, they are lying or their heads are still in the clouds, because every well-established organization is going through this,” says Regina Barr, president, Financial Women International, Rosewood, Minn. Associations have to connect with Gen Ys now, or risk losing them later when they dominate the workforce — which means planners need to re-examine everything about meetings, from education to networking, and reinvent them to meet the needs of the 21st-century workforce.

Meet the Millennials (Who are These People?)

While the Silent Generation (ages 63 to 81) is still a vital force, baby boomers (ages 44 to 62) have been the lifeblood of associations for decades. Along comes Generation X (ages 27 to 43) — a smaller group (about 59 million compared to 80 million boomers) — and everything else being equal, the pool of potential conference attendees drops precipitously. That's why the Millennials (ages 26 and under) — all 80 million of them — are vital for an association's survival. And, like their parents, the boomers, they are prone to join, yet they are not afraid to blaze new trails if they are not getting what they want. In fact, they already are. So, who are the Millennials?

Millennials had the “most provided for and structured childhood in history,” says Sarah Sladek, president and chief executive officer, Limelight Generations, a Minneapolis-based consulting firm, and author of Rock Stars Incorporated. They were shuttled off to play dates and soccer practice and were awarded for participation. Unlike self-sufficient Gen Xers, they are very group-focused, and they like collaboration and interaction. Also, they expect a lot of structure, feedback, encouragement, and instant gratification. “The most defining workplace characteristic of Gen Ys is this hunger for instant gratification — they want ongoing communication and quick feedback,” says Jason Ryan Dorsey, an Austin, Texas-based generational consultant, author, and speaker known as “The Gen Y Guy.” That's no surprise, considering they grew up with everything just a mouse click or text message away.

Baby boomers and their Y children often have a complex relationship in the workplace — and the association world. On one hand, they often butt heads, yet, on the other hand, they are very close. After all, many Ys live at home well into their 20s, much longer than past generations. “We like hanging out with [boomers],” says Dorsey, a Gen Y himself, “but we just want a situation where we're not going to feel put down or talked down to, “ he says. “If [an organization] doesn't work for us, why not create our own?” adds Dorsey, author of My Reality Check Bounced.

Sladek says that the younger generations are forming their own young professional associations out of frustration with the traditional association format. These YPAs, which now number more than 300, are not trade-specific, but instead are organizations where young people of all stripes can get together and share their career development experiences. (See sidebar, left.) While they are more of a threat to social groups like the Elks and the Rotary Club, the growing YPA trend clearly shows that this generation wants to be part of an association community — although maybe not a traditional association community, like yours. To get them to see the value of belonging to your association, planners must invent new ways to tackle age-old concerns — how to relate, involve, engage, connect, educate, and promote to potential attendees.

Relate (What's in It for Me?)

Due to a major societal shift, what young professionals are looking to get out of associations may not be what previous generations wanted. “Gen Ys have never believed they were going to work for one company or one industry for 40 years,” says Dorsey. So, in addition to education and networking that will help them climb the company ladder, they are also looking to develop skills that are transferable to other jobs in other industries. For example, sessions that focus on career development — such as job-interviewing techniques — or self-improvement, are appealing to Gen Ys. Also appealing is any kind of training or program that leads to a tangible certification, perhaps a young leaders program or training in a new technology. “Something that we can put on our resume,” says Dorsey.