News

A survey of meeting and event planners carried out by the Meetings Show has found that millennials value networking more highly than any other generation, but are reluctant to attend events on their own.

Overall, 59% of participants in the survey regarded networking events as an important part of their job, but this figure rose to 85% among 18-30-year-olds, who cited making new contacts (80%) and raising their profile in the industry (71%) as the key reasons for attending.

While the younger generation clearly see the value in networking, the majority – 85% – were averse to attending on their own, preferring to go with a colleague or group of colleagues.

More experienced event planners were happier to go it alone, with over a third (36.4%) of 31-45-year-olds preferring to attend by themselves.

Motivations for attending differed among the older generations too, with generating new business leads and meeting with existing industry contacts and friends being cited as key drivers by more than 50% of respondents over 30.

The survey also looked at the logistics which make the ‘perfect’ networking event and found that midweek events were most popular, with 69% preferring events held on Wednesdays, while more than half (52.2%) said they would be willing to travel no more than an hour to attend an event.

When it comes to the format of events, paired or group activities was the most popular option, chosen by 53% of respondents, although for the 31-45 age group appointment-based networking was preferred, while for planners aged 46 and over, seat rotation at a dinner was chosen by 70%.

Our source – Meetings Industry Association

Cavendish Venues has a variety of event spaces in London perfect for any networking event. Whether you are looking for a city venue or Westend, we can accommodate up to 270 guests for conference, exhibition or drinks reception. We also offer variety of meeting rooms and training spaces across all our event venues.