The youngest generations in today’s workforce are causing meeting and incentive planners to reinvent their programs.

Millennials and Gen Z may be new to the workforce, but they’re already changing the meetings, incentive travel and rewards game, according to a panel of experts in a recent webinar on the latest IRF Trends Report from the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF). The report takes a deep dive into how incentive programs and rewards are shifting so incentive professionals can find new ways to maximize the impact of their programs in 2025 and beyond.

Moderator Andy Schwarz, Vice President, Content & Communications, IRF, said, “67% of incentive professionals agree that younger generation will cause a powerful retool of incentive travel, as well as how merchandise and gift cards will be used, distributed and enjoyed.” He added that this younger generation exhibits shifts in values and priorities. “This group is not going to stay at your company for 20 years like the previous generations. They job hop frequently, and choice and autonomy is a deal for them,” he said. “Not that older generations don’t enjoy choice and autonomy too, but it’s top of the list with Gen X, Gen Z and Millennials.”

Panelist Rudy Garza, Vice President, Operations, Brightspot Incentives & Events and Chair, 2025 IRF Research Committee, added that the workplace is more age diverse than ever before. Millennials now outpace Gen Xers in the workplace, and Gen Z now outpace baby boomers, who are retiring in ever increasing numbers. “As a result, we incentive providers do need to rethink rewards and experiences that are attractive to this younger demographic, whether that means edgier music, shorter keynotes or more Instagrammable moments, buyers need to adjust to these younger generations.”

One of these shifts comes in the area of what Garza called “functional wellness drinks” —creative energy drinks, non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails. “While it’s not exclusive to the younger generations, it’s something that they’re looking for in increasing numbers as a part of their events,” he said. In fact, this trend has gained momentum to the point where it’s now considered a must-have at events.

Morgan Crain, Leader of Global Rewards & Recognition, Rubrik and Chair, 2025 IRF Board of Trustees, added that the younger generations are “more intentional with their time and their experiences,” including the technology they use. “I think every generation has different learning styles, and now we’re learning how we learn from each other, and there’s a lot of beauty in that.”

An interesting plot twist, when it comes to technology, is that while Gen Z have been digitally connected practically since birth, they also tend to feel that technology has actually made them feel less connected and more isolated from both their internal colleagues and the industry at large. That’s what almost 70% of those responding to a recent Freeman/The Harris Poll Gen Z report said, and a whopping 91% added that they’d like more of a balance between technology and in-person events to establish and nourish connections to internal and industry-wide colleagues. And it’s not just Gen Z who feel that way. Ninety percent of Millennials and 93% of Gen Xers agreed that tech can crimp connection.

This should be music to the ears of meeting and incentive planners who worried that the younger generations just aren’t all that into meeting face to face. They are, but they want those in-person events, both meetings and incentives, to help them build both their skill sets and their networks — without jettisoning tech altogether.

According to the Freeman/Harris research, some ways to thread this needle is to bake networking into live events, while still including digital elements in both activations and on-site experiential activities. The idea, the report said, was to “use tech thoughtfully to facilitate and enhance real-world interactions and in ways that make sense to digitally fluent generations.” In other words, go for a tech/online balance, but tip the scales a bit toward facilitating face-to-face connection.

And do provide some extra coaching for the youngest among your attendee cohort. While just around two in five saying they feel highly confident in their ability to build strong business relationships and 82% said they want to feel more comfortable being with colleagues IRL (in real life), over 90% acknowledge that in-person events are some of the best ways to build those social and interpersonal skills.

One way event and incentive organizers can help is to interweave moments geared toward practicing their networking skills. Another is to create interactive workshops to help improve skills in public speaking, group problem solving, and encourage sharing with their peers through young professional group gatherings.

Across the board, the three youngest generations want their organizataions to allocate more time and money on in-person events, said 73% of Gen Z, 75% of Millennials and 79% of Gen Xers in the Freeman/Harris Poll research. Just 44%, 46% and 33%, respectively, said the same of virtual events, though a combination of the two is deemed most effective by an even higher percentage across the three age groups than in-person or virtual events alone.