Gen Ys like smaller, more intimate gatherings. Planners can accommodate that desire for peer-to-peer networking by creating young professional lounges or activities. And if the party is in one large space, experts suggest creating a variety of different environments — perhaps a band in one area, a lounge in another — so people can socialize in areas that appeal to them.

Connect (Facebook is so Last Week)

Gen Ys have grown up online, building communities, making connections, and interacting with others, explains Jeffrey Cufaude, founder, Idea Architects, Indianapolis. Meeting planners should be thinking about how to take those online communities and tie them to a live gathering in a way that might deepen those connections. For example, an association could create a listserv, message board, or blog specifically for the conference to get people talking about it and to establish connections, similar to what happens on other social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. When the meeting rolls around, live networking will be much easier because people already have made the online connections and can skip over all the awkward introductions when they meet in person, says Cufaude.

Of course, creating a vibrant online community is easier said than done. Many people already participate in online communities and may not want to join a new one. You may want to think about establishing a presence on the social networking sites where likely attendees already congregate, Cufaude says.

One of Sladek's clients created a “Facebook Fiesta,” where, during a networking break, conference attendees could post videos and photos from the conference on Facebook. It created a place where attendees could visit after the conference to network and discuss the event. It also allowed attendees to interact in real-time with those who could not attend in person.

However, Janssen cautions associations not to be too shortsighted in establishing an online presence. Whether it's a blog or message board, it should be set up a year in advance so that the community has time to grow organically. It's unreasonable to expect people to use the site if it's slapped up a few months before the meeting.

She recommends a social networking site that includes photos of the participants so that people can put the face to the name at the live meeting. “When you get to the conference, it's such a big landscape; how are you going to find anyone?”

Also, Janssen warns meeting planners not to “chase” certain technologies because they are popular. Don't get too involved with something that is going to evolve tomorrow, or is already passé. “If their moms are on Facebook and MySpace, [Gen Ys] have already jumped ship,” Janssen says. Instead, if you focus on what the technology is really trying to do — create a sense of community, young professionals will join, she says.

Educate (No Talking Heads)

For Gen Ys, the best education fosters peer-to-peer learning, collaboration, and interactivity. “It's in line with this whole user-generated content movement,” says Stuart Mease, special projects coordinator for the City of Roanoke, Va., who works with the local YPA. Whether it's voting with your cellphone on “American Idol,” writing blogs, or spouting opinions on a message board, Gen Ys want a voice.

“If I'm at a conference and I've got the option of attending a breakout session where I can listen to some CEO talk about how he conquered such and such, or a session with 20 other people where we can all talk to each other, I might go for the smaller group so that we can interact more,” says Dan Rozycki, president, The Transtec Group, an Austin, Texas-based engineering company. Rozycki, a young executive who regularly attends big industry conferences like the World of Concrete, gets the most out of his membership in the Entrepreneurs' Organization, formerly the Young Entrepreneurs Organization. In each EO chapter, 10 or so young executives from the region meet monthly to share experiences and swap ideas on how to run their businesses.

Interactive learning can be achieved in other ways, too. IAEE's Janssen prefers “world cafe”-style roundtable discussions, where tables of participants collaborate to answer questions or solve problems. They are popular with YPAs. Instant polling or audience-response systems can be used to provide immediate feedback. Cufaude says speakers should think about ways to incorporate text messaging into meetings as a way to communicate and respond.

The use of video and visuals is also important. “Gen Ys are used to getting information packaged with high-speed graphics and an adrenalin rush,” says Chester. With the transfer of information being the primary reason for meetings, “the very core of how they are planned and produced must be reexamined.”