Fresh Perspectives: Student Feedback on Event Trends

By David Ramirez, CFEE

The inaugural IFEA Student Summit, held during the 2024 IFEA pre-conference, explored student perspectives on event trends. Dave Bullard, CFEE, owner of FanFirst Events and Influence, hosted a “reverse panel,” turning the tables on traditional discussions. Instead of industry experts weighing in, students were the ones evaluating event concepts and providing candid feedback on what motivates their age group to attend or participate in festivals and events.

Armed with voting paddles and their opinions, students shared perspectives on everything from esports’ appeal to local vendors’ value. Their direct and unfiltered commentary offered unique insights into the next generation of event-goers’ tastes, preferences, and priorities.

The session revealed some surprising perspectives, challenging the assumptions of seasoned professionals and setting the stage for future event planning with a fresh, youth-driven approach.

A special thank you to Daniel Hamilton, Claire Grunden, Camden Colt, Elizabeth Higgins, Sabrina Robinson, Theresa Rudesill, Emma Palyo, Vinh Bright, and Lillie Bowman for their candor, contributions, and participation in the IFEA Student Summit. Thank you to IFEA, IFEA Foundation, VisitPITTSBURGH, David Olivares, and SDMRamirez for supporting the Student Summit.

Esports and Gaming Elements (40% Positive)

The students expressed mixed opinions on attending esports activities at events. Many questioned the value of leaving home for an experience they could replicate online. While there was consensus that attending could be “cool” for unique or novel events, it’s still not widespread enough to be a significant draw. There needed to be an authentic connection between the esports and the event.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

It isn’t enough to tack esports or video game competitions onto existing programs. There needs to be intentionality in event design. Digital arts and fandom events have an advantage of a clear crossover audience. This is an exercise in creativity to find a sensible narrative thread that ties together more traditional festivals and the gaming world.

Sponsor activations are a great place for the initial foray into gaming experiences. Consider partnering with a local or regional esports team to provide a more authentic esports experience that has the potential to draw attendees.

Live Art and Collaborative Art(80% Positive)

Overall, students were enthusiastic about watching live art or collaborative art installations. They found it difficult to justify paying for these experiences and noted they lacked the patience to endure long performances. However, when live art was part of a larger stage show, it was viewed more favorably.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

The proliferation of selfie museums and Meow Wolf-esque interactive art installations has diluted some enthusiasm around live and immersive art installations. It isn’t enough to have these art elements; they need to be tied into a cohesive narrative and included as part of the larger event’s placemaking and experiential design.

Local or Regional Bands(100% Positive)

Students generally had an interest in local or regional bands. They see a clear opportunity for new music discovery or to support the local arts scene. Surprisingly, they had strong inclinations for cover bands and sing-along opportunities, valuing the ability to enjoy live music at a lower cost than national tours.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

This insight opens new possibilities for music. Many talent bookers focus on cover bands representing “classic” eras like the 60’s or 70’s. Events targeting a younger demographic should include a mix of performers representing a wide range of the local music scene interspersed with cover bands performing current Top of the Charts music.

National or International Touring Acts - (100% Positive)

There was a strong preference for national or international acts. Students believed these performances offered more value and excitement, making them a top choice for event entertainment.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

Attending national acts is highly appealing in a world where Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny concerts have turning pricing and attendance on their heads. This is also a belief that festivals are less susceptible to the scalping and problematic pricing schemes prevalent in area shows. Larger events should be connecting with talent routing or advancing organizations to explore opportunities to pick up tour dates.

K-pop, J-pop, and other East Asian Popular Music(60% Positive)

Students universally recognized the global fanbase of KPop and adjacent music genres. Students expressed concerns about not being familiar with the dances or fan chants, which could lead to feeling left out of the experience. A student succinctly said, “They’re intense like Taylor Swift fans.”

Takeaways for Event Organizers

K-pop is a significant force in pop culture, with bands like Stray Kids occupying prominent space at arena shows and televised events like the American Music Awards. A surprising number of K-pop-influenced bands and DJs are in local cities. Giving them stage time could cultivate new audiences.

Random Play Dance is a K-pop programming element slowly finding its way into North American events and placemaking. It is an assigned space where fans can dance to the top trending songs. Bringing in a local dance Troup to encourage participation is an simple way to activate an otherwise empty space.

Event Coworking Space (40% Positive)

Some events and tourism activations have explored the idea of incorporating coworking space to enable remote workers to spend time on the clock as necessary. There are entire blogs and forums about working at resorts and theme parks. Though 40% showed a positive response, their actual enthusiasm for event coworking was low, instead sympathizing with friends or family who have jobs that may require them to log in during a leisure activity.

This is representative of changing perspectives on work-life balance. Pre-COVID, work-life blending gained popularity as a way to reimagine roles to motivate a workforce better. The pendulum has swung back the other way, with Gen Z preferring to have clearer boundaries of where work ends, and personal life begins.

Access to Influencers and Creators - (40% Positive)

Students were discerning about influencer access. For most, it depends on the influencer’s reputation and recognition. Celebrity status was a greater draw than social media fame, with one student saying, “I love Taylor Swift, but I would never want to meet her.”

Takeaways for Event Organizers

Influencers have established their place in the marketing of festivals and events. They’re effective ways of building awareness of events and tapping into responsive audiences. While they’re useful as a channel for sharing information, the star appeal of influencers is diminishing. Influencer presence isn’t as much of a draw.

Use influencers to focus on top-of-funnel awareness-building activities. They’re best deployed as part of a marketing campaign, not as a programmatic element. The only exception to this rule is creators who have a topical connection to the event. They can be used fill programming slots, but still be mindful that they may not be the most effective use of space.

Local Vendors & Food (100% Positive)

There was unanimous agreement that local vendors and food were a strong draw. Students felt it provided a way to experience the local culture in a centralized location, making it a staple of any event experience.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

Brand discovery was an ongoing theme for the students. Social media and digital marketing put a veneer on products and services. Events are an effective way for people to experience them “in the wild.” A diverse offering of local and regional vendors can be a major draw for young people, particularly if you spotlight these businesses in your marketing efforts.

National Vendors and Food (70% Positive)

While some appreciated the familiarity of national vendors and chains, the preference leaned toward supporting local businesses. Regional chains were seen as an acceptable middle ground.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

Students seemed to seek a balance between familiarity and novelty. While preferences generally leaned towards supporting local, many indicated that they would be inclined to pick up their go-to items from national brands. This opens the door to bringing in these larger businesses as sponsors for activations where people can access their familiar products and services when they need a break from the noise of an event.

Weird Festival Foods(Even Split)

Students participated in a weird festival food icebreaker during the summit. With things like garlic ice cream and squirrel gravy on the list, the foods explored in that session were divisive to say the least. Novelty foods weren’t seen as a major motivator but were welcomed when aligned with the event’s theme. Students who identified as risk-takers were more inclined to try unconventional foods, seeing them as part of the festival’s charm.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

Weird and novelty festival foods are great social media fodder. There will always be the risk-takers and the returning attendees who seek out these experiences. However, some of the extremes found in events can be too much for the casual consumer. Temper placement of weird foods, from both a programming and marketing perspective, with more familiar offers. But let’s keep inventing strange things for those who want to explore.

Touch to Pay / Touchless / Cashless (Even Split)

Students were divided on touchless and cashless payment options. While they acknowledged the convenience, some preferred cash due to concerns about vendor fees. These events and tourism students were particularly mindful of how implementing these systems impacts not only the event but also the vendors and participants.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

Event students are particularly sensitive to how cash-free options require additional fees and technical elements. They recognized that these costs are often passed on to the end consumer. Not all younger generations have that meta-awareness, but it may be a surprisingly large part of the conversation.

Ultimately, the question is, “Does a cashless solution improve or detract from the event experience?” Consider how a firsttime attendee and long-time attendee must navigate these solutions. Will the friction and learning curve reduce their enjoyment and, ultimately, reduce their participation?

During the break, several students discussed Buy-Now, Pay-Later solutions like Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay. Layaway and credit are not new phenomena but an increasing number of people are using these solutions to purchase higher-value experiences at festivals and events. Many use them even when a vendor doesn’t have a preferred method. Think through how this impacts ticket sales and the experience at the point of purchase.

Dry Events (Alcohol-Free) - (Even Split)

Dry events were not a deciding factor for most students. While some recognized their importance, they noted that such events could sometimes “kill the vibe.” Mocktail trends were positively received as an alternative.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

Dry events were not a motivating factor. Even the students who were favorable toward the trend did so in a more abstract way: they had friends who didn’t drink and wanted more options for them. Regardless, ensuring that mocktails are incorporated into beverage programs can drive spending that otherwise would have gone to a much lower price soft drink.

Cannabis Friendly - (Even Split)

Opinions on cannabis-friendly events varied. While students were open to cannabis-infused products like seltzers and edibles, many expressed a strong dislike for the smell of cannabis smoke.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

Cannabis is a challenge facing the events industry. As more of the world starts legalizing recreational marijuana, events must take the substance’s role into serious consideration. A singular answer hasn’t been found, and the industry will likely continue to debate the best way forward for years to come.

Ferris Wheels, Carnival Rides, and Midway Games (75% Positive)

There was skepticism about the safety of carnival rides, but midway games were seen as a fun, nostalgic activity. Many preferred to play games over riding potentially unsafe attractions.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

There is a sense of romanticism around carnival rides and midway games that isn’t fully encompassed by nostalgia. A diverse, engaging mix of rides and games can be a draw. Be sure to include them in your marketing materials and clearly reference the options in placemaking and signage.

Classes and Workshops (80% Positive)

Classes and workshops weren’t a primary motivator for attendance. However, if tied to the event theme or provided as an engaging hands-on experience, they could be seen as a value-add.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

Experiential learning continues to grow, particularly for those who had traditional learning disrupted by the COVID lockdowns. Positive sentiment towards content-related workshops shows that young people want engaging educational experiences, particularly when they can learn a new skill or concept through hands-on group learning with friends.

Open Answers

Students highlighted several other factors influencing their decisions, including affordability, opportunities to connect with friends, and clear event pathways that don’t require much planning. Authentic experiences that feel in touch with the local community and cultures were highly rated.

How to Attend - Take the guesswork out of attendance. Some young people may lack an understanding of how to attend an event. Launch pages, microsites, and campaigns that specifically show attendee experiences and how a person could spend an entire day or week at a festival.

Safety: Safety protocols, town reputation, and visible security measures like metal detectors and bag checks were all essential factors students wanted clarity on. This younger generation grew up in a world with metal detectors at schools. They are extremely aware of what security theater is and what actually provides safety.

Accessibility: Accessibility is an important consideration when attending with friends or family members who might need accommodations. The context and support provided by the event organizer influenced their perception. They still wanted to see it even if they didn’t need accommodations.

S. David Ramirez, CFEE is an award-winning marketing and communications professional from San Antonio, Texas. He is the founder of SDMRamirez, a marketing technologies strategies agency serving festivals, events, and tourism organizations. He is the Senior Marketing Manager for Partnerships and Events at TINT, the community-powered marketing platform. David is on faculty for the IFEA/NRPA Event Management School and the Texas Event Management Institute. He serves on the International Festivals and Events Association Foundation and the Texas Festivals and Events Association boards. Mostly, he’s a nerd. Talk to him about anime, craft beers, and science fiction.