August 2019 - SearchWide Global

Written by: Elizabeth McHeffey

While meeting with Millennials in different destinations across the U.S., just about all have placed a true prioritization on their passion for travel. With booking apps at our fingertips and social media influencers parading dreamy images of mosaiced mosques and fields of wildflowers, it’s no wonder that my peers and I have been coined the ‘wanderlust generation’. It is a part of our identity, our growth and self-discovery, and is much more than an annual all-inclusive, never-leave-the-resort vacation. Taking a spontaneous weekend ski trip is not out of the ordinary, and neither is a backpacking trek through the Himalayas.

We are traveling more than past generations – case in point, I’m currently exploring the country as a digital nomad.

In fact, according to an article published on Skift.com, Millennials are traveling an average of 35 days annually, while Generation X travels just 26 days, which equates to 34% generational difference.

We are also spending the most on travel compared to all other generations – $200 billion annually per Forbes. Moreover, our generation is blurring the lines of business and leisure travel, extending the short business trip that our other-generation colleagues are eager to hop on a same-day return flight from. Conference in Boise? I think I will stay an extra two nights to search for the natural hot springs in the region.

Why so? The digital age has been a great motivator. With the ability to book a flight on your smartphone in seconds, WiFi accessibility in even the most remote places (always connected!), and the influx of wanderlust social media influencers – it makes it hard to not get bit by the travel bug.

“Travel is so easily done, it’s in your face, travel is at our fingertips as a Millennial. I think that’s why we are more inclined to take a vacation, to take a month off and go backpack through Europe. The previous generations didn’t have the ‘in your face’, ‘this is available to you’ marketing. They probably didn’t know ‘oh, I could go skydiving this weekend’ or ‘I could go hiking through the forest’ or ‘I can visit the Amazon’. For us, we think, ‘that could be my vacation in two months!’” says Nani Almanza, Visitor Services Manager with Visit Monterey.

Additionally, Millennials are earning 20% less than Baby Boomers did at the same stage of life, according to this USA Today article. Coupled with much higher student debt and other contributing factors, many Millennials have adopted “live in the moment” or “bucket list” mentalities.

Randi Morritt, Director of Marketing with Visit Aurora and I talked about some of the travel patterns of our generation. “Many individuals in our generation [Millennials] feel financially burdened by significant student debt, and there’s data that supports the cost of higher education is greater now than ever before which is a shift from previous generations. With new headlines about Millennials ‘killing’ a new industry every day, I think we get a bad rep for holding off purchasing a first home or a new car. Instead of hurrying towards those larger financial goals, a travel goal can be achieved on a smaller scale that is more financially attainable.” She continues, “Millennials are choosing to travel and take part in unique experiences. We are a culture that collects moments rather than things.” Buy a house or experience the rich history of Savannah? Millennials have been choosing the latter.

For employers, it is important to realize that this generation and (more likely than not) future generations highly prioritize travel. Discussed in the previous blog post, Millennials look for flexibility and paid time off in an employer and may be more likely to negotiate PTO or remote workdays over salary increases. When meeting with the senior leaders of Visit Denver, we talked about their organization and how they have evolved and are continuously open to new ways of thinking, influenced by all their generations in the workforce.

Rachel Benedick, VP of Sales and Services says, “It is important, understanding over the years, the priorities of the younger generations. [Millennials prioritize] flexibility and time off….and they will take time off over money any day of the week.” Richard Scharf, President & CEO, emphasizes, “Especially in Colorado!” Rachel continues, “Our people take all of their vacation, they take every bit of it. And they go and they do things.” They have team members going to faraway places like Japan, Israel and Vietnam and have noticed that their Millennials are taking all their paid days off. Joking that it is a big contrast to them, who have more vacation time than they know what to do with.

And Millennials don’t just want to see a destination, they want to be immersed in it. We are travelers, not tourists, and desire to taste authentic cuisine and stay in historic neighborhoods, rather than Times Square-esque locations or cram onto a tour bus as outsiders gazing in. We want to collect memories to share with our peers, connect with locals and learn from our experiential explorations. Whether it be an Anthony Bourdain-inspired foodie trip, socially conscious opportunity to give back, or a spiritual retreat in Sedona, we want originality and authenticity. We want a curated, unique experience, a storyline, a central concept. The more that a destination can do so, the more likely we are going to be on a plane, train, car, bike or hovercraft to get there.

“We are kind of looking for more out of the norm out of our lives. We are traveling more, we are seeing more of the world, we are experiencing more.” shares Kylie Leslie, Destination Experience Designer with Visit Phoenix.

Elizabeth McHeffey is our digital nomad. During her travels she’ll be diving into topics and trends surrounding the generations in the workforce, stopping along the way to meet with industry leaders that are making waves and reinventing how we work. What we’re calling, “The Remote Route.”

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SearchWide Global is a full-service executive search firm primarily for companies in Destination Organizations / Hotels & Resorts / Venue Management / Experiential Marketing, Tradeshow & Exhibition / Industry Associations / Sports & Entertainment. Specializing in C-Level and Director level executive searches for companies ranging in size from Fortune 500 corporations to mid-sized public and private companies and associations. Founded in 1999, SearchWide Global headquartered in St. Paul, MN, USA and operates worldwide.

Written by: Rachel Tomlin

In 2019, we are living in a world where communication and accessibility are more relevant and more important than ever. In the workplace, teams are having to navigate not only all the different forms of communication tools that are out there, but the different types of communication styles, practices, and techniques of their peers and managers as well.

Good communication is a key factor to a team’s success whether you are working remotely or in an office environment. This means finding the most effective ways to communicate with your team should be considered a high priority.

In the article 10+ Amazing Tools For Business Communication In 2019 the author dives into how communication for teams in the workplace is changing.

“The modern business world is evolving and so is the need of every modern workplace. With the increasing dominance of technology and automation in every industry, employees now have the freedom to stay connected to their work regardless of their actual location. Now a key effect of this modern workplace trend is that it has shown people the importance of team communication. It has made effective team communication an integral part of everything that we do.”

The focus on team communication continues to be a key factor in the workplace, and when you add in how the evolving methods of communication have now led to more questions than ever like “Can I use an emoji in that email?” Or “Should I add an exclamation mark over a period in order not to offend someone?” Or “Will this text get the same message across over a phone call?” we are now tasked with asking ourselves what the best practices are in 2019 to make sure a team is communicating effectively.

In the article 8 Simple and Effective Ways to Improve Team Communication, Mattis Le Cren, product owner at Azendo, lays out eight methods to create the best environment for your team’s communication efforts. These methods include fostering an open-door policy, encouraging two-way feedback, clearly defining roles and responsibilities, building team spirit, using time wisely, ensuring proper training, using the appropriate forms of communication, and utilizing online tools instead of having meetings.

“Communication is more than just talking face-to-face, although this form of communication should never be neglected. However, individual people and projects may dictate different types of communication. Technology plays a big part of our communication toolbox, and when used effectively, can save time and help team members work more efficiently.” Le Cren states.

He goes on to say “Normally a combination of methods works well on most projects, but the key here is how to increase the overall communication across the whole team. By implementing a few simple strategies, you should start to see an increase in team interaction.”

Identifying which of these eight areas need the most attention or may make the largest impact for your team is a good exercise to start down the track of better communication. For example, you may find that clearly defining roles and responsibilities may organically foster better communication through feedback and ensuring proper training for the roles affected. Training may then identify the proper tools needed to better collaborate across teams.

Katie Douthwaite, a writer for The Muse, lays out an approach in tackling the style of communication and how to be most effective in getting a message across in today’s workplace in this article. The strategies include using statements and not questions, maintaining confidence as you speak, giving clear directives instead of suggestions, adding deadlines, and repeating your requests. With many teams working remotely and generations sometimes feeling like they are speaking different languages to each other, these are clear and concise communication techniques that can be effective whether face-to-face or talking through email or an online messaging tool.

While we live in the ever-evolving, technology-driven world where new tools to solve our simplest problem tend to pop up every day, one thing remains clear; there will never be one answer or one tool to address communication across organizations. People will always be different, and tasks will always require unique approaches. As such, we will continue to rely on varying our types of communication through methods, styles, and technologies to connect with our teams in the most effective way possible.

Month: August 2019

The Rise of Millennial Travel

How Teams Communicate in 2019 – For All Generations