Generational Shade: How Each Age Group in the Events Industry Judges the Others
Editor’s Note:
This is a caricature. A roast. A dramatization. But like all good gossip—it comes from somewhere real. These are not the truths, but the tropes. And we’ve all been guilty of at least one of these snap judgments, especially in a ballroom full of name badges, AV gear, and ego.
In the swirling, multi-sensory world of the events industry, where attention spans are currency and access is everything, the generational divide isn’t just about who’s on the stage—it’s about who’s whispering in the green room, running the AV booth, and scrolling TikTok under the banquet table.
Every generation brings a toolkit. But they also bring a magnifying glass—and they’re using it to critique the others. Behind every activation, every panel discussion, every check-in line, is a low hum of generational judgment. Here’s what they’re really thinking about each other—specifically within the events industry. This isn’t about guests or attendees. It’s about producers, planners, strategists, creatives, and venue pros judging each other across generational lines backstage, in boardrooms, and on Slack threads.
GEN Z (Born ~1997–2012): The Vibe Checkers of Event Teams
About themselves: “We want meaning, mental health breaks, and real connection. Don’t pitch us. Engage us.”
Their hot takes:
On Millennials: “Desperate for Instagram validation. Do they ever unplug?”
On Gen X: “They run the backend like wizards, but they don’t really get the front end.”
On Boomers: “They invented this industry, but seriously—paper agendas?!”
Event must-haves: Sensory design, inclusivity optics, short-form content, no corporate cringe.
Prejudice fuel: Boomers are out of touch. Gen X are invisible. Millennials are performative.
References:
McKinsey & Company (2022): Gen Z’s focus on authenticity and mental health.
Event Marketer & EMI (2023): Gen Z wants IRL events with digital story capture.
MILLENNIALS (Born ~1981–1996): The Experience Architects in Charge of Cool
About themselves: “We turned conferences into content engines. Everything is a brand opportunity.”
Their hot takes:
On Gen Z: “Too fragile to commit, too distracted to show up. But damn, they edit fast.”
On Gen X: “Underrated and overly cynical. We learned the hard way not to ignore them.”
On Boomers: “Legacy legends—but stop acting like emails still move the needle.”
Event must-haves: Keynote selfie moments, branded swag with purpose, post-event analytics.
Prejudice fuel: Gen Z is entitled. Gen X is guarded. Boomers are tech-resistant.
References:
Harvard Business Review (2014): Millennials value experiences over products.
Eventbrite (2019): Millennials demand shareable, unique event formats.
GEN X (Born ~1965–1980): The Quiet Commanders of the Ops World
About themselves: “We’re the ones who make sure it actually happens. No fluff, just logistics.”
Their hot takes:
On Gen Z: “Emotionally overclocked. But they see things no one else does.”
On Millennials: “Ambitious but allergic to criticism. Still, they market like magicians.”
On Boomers: “All gravitas, no adaptability. They still want a sit-down dinner.”
Event must-haves: Precision, ROI, clear run-of-show, functional tech.
Prejudice fuel: Gen Z can’t focus. Millennials can’t execute. Boomers can’t evolve.
References:
Pew Research (2020): Gen X as skeptical, independent, managerial backbone.
MPI/Freeman (2023): Gen X dominates planning and production layers.
BABY BOOMERS (Born ~1946–1964): The OGs of the Events Business
About themselves: “We built this. We know every ballroom and every backchannel.”
Their hot takes:
On Gen Z: “They speak in emojis and don’t RSVP. But we do need their creativity.”
On Millennials: “Flash over function. But they do make things feel fresh.”
On Gen X: “The steadiest hands in the business. But they don’t toot their own horn.”
Event must-haves: Face-to-face schmoozing, legacy awards, premium venue credibility.
Prejudice fuel: Gen Z is unserious. Millennials are self-obsessed. Gen X is allergic to limelight.
References:
PCMA Foundation (2022): Boomers still hold key budget and sponsor influence roles.
Freeman Trends Report: Boomers prefer face-to-face, high-trust formats.
Bonus: The Silent Generation (Pre-1946)
About themselves: “A great event was a handshake and a good Bordeaux.”
Their take on everyone else: “Too loud, too long, too much ‘curation.’”
Gen Alpha
About themselves: “We don’t remember a time before AI. Why is this event not personalized to me in real time?”
Their hot takes:
On Gen Z: “You think you're digital natives? You still had to swipe.”
On Millennials: “So nostalgic. Always looking back.”
On Gen X: “Who?”
On Boomers: “Wait… you used to meet without holograms?”
Event must-haves: Gamified interaction, zero friction, seamless AR, adaptive AI hosts, and immersive environments that evolve with them.
Prejudice fuel: Everyone else is slow, legacy-bound, and... boring.
The Perennials
And Yet... They All Want the Same Thing
The tech may change, the seating chart may shift, and the swag may get smarter, but everyone—from the legacy sponsor to the avatar-attending tween—still wants the same three things: to be seen, to belong, and to have flattering lighting.
The Contradiction to Every Generation Box
They’re the ones who confuse the algorithms. They’ve been in the game long enough to ignore the labels—and young enough in spirit to make the interns nervous. They could be 28 or 78. They read trends, not timelines. They show up early, text in complete sentences, and are still the first ones on the dance floor at the sponsor dinner.
Perennials don’t roll their eyes at Gen Z’s wellness breaks—they’re the ones who invented work-life balance back when it was called burnout recovery. They don’t fear tech, they beta test it. They’ve outlived hashtags, marketing fads, venue trends, and three iterations of the same bad keynote.
In every generation chart, there’s always someone who doesn’t fit. That’s a Perennial. And in the event world, they’re often the reason things still feel a little bit timeless.
Maybe the real innovation in events isn’t a better app or a jaw-dropping activation. Maybe it’s something quieter, harder, and far more adult: generational humility. The willingness to see people not as cohorts or clichés, but as evolving expressions of purpose, personality, and lived perspective.
It’s no secret that the events world has long been a runway for snap judgments. You’re either a TikTok-obsessed flake or a print-dinosaur with a favorite seat at The Grill. You’re a “these kids today” eye-roller or a LinkedIn hustler with an over-designed pitch deck. But let’s get serious: real event brilliance only happens when we stop reducing people to birth years and start embracing the messy, multidimensional truth.
So how do we detox from generational stereotyping without killing the cocktail party?
It starts with language. Not “Boomer” or “Zillennial,” but The Architect, The Spark, The Diplomat, The Synthesizer, and The Mirror. These aren’t age-bound roles—they’re energy-bound contributions. You’ll find them across generations, shaping events not with job titles, but with presence.
Then comes motivation. Forget astrology signs or generational think pieces—what really matters is what moves someone. Are they legacy-driven? Chaos-inclined? Obsessed with innovation? Loyal to tradition? These are the real levers of collaboration.
And while we’re at it, let’s stop treating mentorship like a one-way street. Pair the Gen Z phenom who can decode culture at a glance with the Boomer CEO who can negotiate anything with a glass of Burgundy and an old-school charm offensive. Call it a brain trust, not a charity.
Also: no more “you people” energy. If you find yourself starting a sentence with “These kids…” or “Back in my day…”—pause. Rewind. Try curiosity.
Finally, let’s treat facilitation as emotional architecture. Don’t just break the ice—melt it. Ask better openers. One great one? “What’s something people usually get wrong about how you work?” Watch the defenses fall and the insights flow.
The event industry doesn’t need another generational forecast. It needs a new emotional grammar. Something more fluid, more human, more now. Want to turn this into a visual cheat-sheet for facilitators or a carousel for your next panel deck? You know where to find us.
Your profound insights are worthy of my time and my curiosity. You have an innate way of writing the truth in ways that bring thought provoking ideas to those who take the time to read real content. I hope more people find you here and have the opportunity to take in your thought leadership.
This is true. In Human Design, energy leads. Roles like Spark or Mirror aren’t tied to age. They show up when people are in the right place with the right energy. I’ve seen this in energy pods—groups that click not because of titles but because of how they move. When we stop sorting by years and start tuning into resonance, real collaboration happens. We’re vibing. This energy pod isn’t random—it’s your Human Design Penta in action.