When it comes to reaching out to my generation, Generation Y, there is nothing more effective than “in-person communication.” While in-person communication can be delivered through many vehicles, some more dynamic and powerful than others. However, it is when a number of these vehicles for in-person communication are gathered together for a single experience that Generation Y responds in greater numbers and intensity than otherwise. This aggregation is known as a Live Event.

A few examples of popular Live Events with Generation Y would include concerts (large and small), fashion shows, strange and slightly awkward contests as well as many others. While the elements of each Live Event may be seemingly different, there lies a common thread throughout. That similarity would by the ability of marketers to bypass the digital barriers or walls that Generation Y entrenches themselves in via the Web and Mobile Technologies. Live Events have the capacity to surround Generation Y with multiple sensory experiences that would otherwise be impossible elsewhere.

Generation Y demands a high level of interaction and entertainment from any media or event they attend. Therefore the Live Events that are being used by marketers to reach Generation Y need to reflect this. To use an example, lets look at the local music scene here in Portland Oregon.

Throughout this city there any number of live performances underway at dozens of venues. These Live Events are small, typically with less than 50 people in the crowd and a 3-5 piece band in front. But, in great Portland fashion, these events succeed at satisfying the 21-30 year old crowd via engaging the senses and allowing for interaction, let me explain.

Just for a moment, imagine that you are in a dimly lit venue in downtown Portland, its Saturday night at 10PM. You have a beer in one hand and your eyes on the band. The music is loud, but the sound is excellent. You can smell, well, a lot of different things, but the point is you are there. When all of these elements collide you are completely in the moment, captured by what you are experiencing. This is where the marketing and advertising comes into play. The logo on the band’s shirt, the drinks at the bar, the banner hung up behind the stage and many other points of brand exposure. When Generation Y is titillated that are actually more aware of their surroundings, as long as it is in the context of the event.

Just as important as sensing the experience is important, it is also imperative that Generation Y be capable of “interacting” with the Live Event. In this case, that of Portland Music, there exists an interaction with the band and the Live Event that is sincerely personal. For many Generation Yers living in Portland, there is a need to feel as if thy are connected to the band, to know them as friends. This is relatively unique to smaller events where the setting is more intimate, but important none the less. The ability for a Generation Yer to feel connected to the Live Event is the interaction, thus accomplishing the second element of all Live Events.

Generation Y and Live Events are inseparably linked as extensions of each other, one of them being a lifestyle statement and the other being a source of income. For marketers and business owners there is a need to understand these realities to produce more effective marketing for Generation Y’s consumption.