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Written by Kelsey Lawrence who has been an intern at CDS for three years and will soon be joining the Marketing Department as a full-time employee. She is currently finishing her MBA and looking forward to joining the events industry.
As a show manager, you want to attract young professionals to the events industry. Millennials love to travel, have flexible schedules, and maintain a work-life balance—making our industry very attractive to them. The events industry has offered me many opportunities and can do the same for other millennials. Here are three recommendations show managers should follow for recruiting young professionals:
1. Entice young professionals
Most often, millennials seek internships during college to obtain a feel for what they want in a future career. These internships are usually found on job boards, an internal website from their colleges, or through word-of-mouth. One way to gain attention is to attend career fairs at nearby colleges and universities. Paid internships always receive more attention, but unpaid ones can be just as successful. Make sure the internship offers real-world experience and not just printing and filing papers. During my first internship at CDS, I worked alongside the marketing team to develop a rebranding strategy and helped implement the changes. It was such a unique opportunity that I can boast about forever!
2. Train your entry level employees
Entry level and intern employees are vital to the success of any industry because they are your company’s future. Positions should be available in each department to attract a wide variety of millennials. Making sure these employees are trained correctly ensures that they provide quality work and grow with the company, ultimately reducing turnover and related costs. Continuing education and training programs are an excellent way to entice millennials to grow professionally within your company since millennials love the opportunity to ask questions and gather information. Incorporating technology into these programs can help attract millennials and provide a way for them to effectively process information.
3. Retain your workforce
Millennials are focused on maintaining a work-life balance, while enjoying going to work every day. Having a flexible schedule is a factor in a millennial’s decision on future employment. An inviting, team-like culture is important as well to ensure that millennials feel welcomed and wanted at their place of work. Internal growth opportunities are vital to millennials when choosing a company because it means less change for them. Key benefits to millennials include regular performance reviews, competitive pay, mentorships, and student loan assistance.
Working in the events industry has been a great experience. This industry is unique by offering travel opportunities and encompassing professionals from a variety of backgrounds. Following these three recommendations is a great start in order to gain the attention of millennials and retain them in the events industry.