OneWest HQ sent Dustin, Amy, Alex and Renee for three days of hosting budding event profs at GO WEST. While together, we made the most of our chance to pick the students’ brains about the future of the events industry. Our takeaway? Their dreams are tremendous, and their perspective is refreshing.

In chatting, we found three things on their minds.

1. The future is tech-savvy.

In no surprise from a generation that grew up fluent in emoji, there was a resounding eagerness to advance the use of technology at events. They already know that extended, augmented and virtual reality empower us to introduce a higher level of immersion for guests and are hungry to further the tech. They are dreaming up new ways to elevate visual mediums, and we are eager to watch them pull off cutting-edge activations like we have never seen. Even AI for streamlining the event profs’ workflow was brought up —count us in!

2. The future is specialized.

While leaning into your niche is not a new idea, it is second nature to this generation adept at navigating microtrends and defining their personal brand. Their heads are already spinning with plans for breaking into a niche and making it their own. From cannabis to creative sustainability, there was no shortage of clever ideas tossed around. We would love to see the table filled with specialists with the know-how to take our events to the next level.

3. The future is healthy.

We were encouraged by the student’s passion for a healthy workplace. Mental health training, shorter workweeks and new ways to encourage a positive work-life balance are already on their mind. Be ready for these newcomers to advocate for themselves and their teammates. The benefits? Less burnout, happier employees, and increased team performance. It’s a yes from us.

As we ready ourselves for the launch of this passionate group of minds into our industry, you’ll find us right there with them, preparing them. Through supporting on-the-ground training, providing networking opportunities, and bringing them on for paid work to get their foot in the door, we want them to hit the ground running.