Challenge for meeting designers: connecting people in a disconnected era (Learnings from PCMA's Convening EMEA 2025)

At PCMA Convening EMEA in Rotterdam, industry leaders argued that experiences must make audiences feel smarter, calmer, and more connected. This piece traces three throughlines – human connection, mental health considerations, and AI’s evolving role – through key talks and fresh perspectives on inclusive, user-centric event design.

From October 14 to 16, 2025, Rotterdam hosts PCMA Convening EMEA 2025, the Professional Convention Management Association’s flagship annual event for the EMEA region. The conference, organized at Postillion Hotel & Convention Centre WTC Rotterdam, draws more than 600 meeting professionals from over 45 countries.

Convening EMEA centers on "Connection is the new currency" and focuses on three pillars: future-mindedness, human connection, and integration through design. In an era of increasing digitalization and AI, the event emphasizes the value of authentic, human interaction. The generation currently entering or about to enter the labor market often serves as the exemplar of the demands placed on modern or contemporary meeting models during these conference days.

Gen Z/K as a central thread

Gen Z runs as a clearly identifiable recurring theme throughout the conference. Attendees are briefly misdirected when Noreena Hertz, British economist and bestselling author, introduces Gen K in her opening keynote. Yet in terms of age band (16–26 years), Gen K is essentially the same as Gen Z, making her talk the true start of this common thread. An unintended side effect is that other speakers after her feel compelled to juggle Z and K without clearly distinguishing them.

For clarity: the K stands for Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of The Hunger Games. Hertz has chosen her as a figurehead because of the themes and mood of the film series. “For Generation K, the world is less an oyster, more Squid Games: dystopian, unequal, harsh,” the economist notes.

Current sentiment is negative

Apart from generational differences, Hertz identifies the negative sentiments of the current era. One in two Europeans reported feelings of anxiety or depression in the past year. People (customers, employees) experience widespread anxiety, uncertainty, and concern due to global events, including unpredictable American politics, ongoing wars (Russia–Ukraine, Middle East), tensions between China and the U.S., rising protectionism, and the rise of populist politicians. This affects behaviour. “Extensive research shows that people worried about their economic situation not only spend less but are also less satisfied with their spending,” Hertz notes.

‘For Generation K, the world is less an oyster, more Squid Games: dystopian, unequal, harsh’

Noreena Hertz, British economist and bestselling author

Strong growth of the escape economy

This also shifts demand. People increasingly seek what Hertz calls escapism, with nostalgia-driven products among the manifestations. Think of the rising popularity of Barbie among adults. As an economist, she also assigns value to the “escape economy,” estimated at 6.6 billion British pounds (7.5 billion euro), up 50 percent from the previous year. Other trends include a growing emphasis on self-care and a preference for experiences that calm and soothe, such as yoga classes and stays in tranquil environments. Hertz also points to the desire for insight and control. “Books, podcasts, articles, and videos that help people understand these challenging times and offer practical tips for thriving in this era of anxiety,” she offers as examples.

Smarter, calmer, and more connected

Through rhetorical questions to the meeting professionals in the room, Hertz clarifies how to translate the current global mood into event design. “Are you delivering experiences that help your audiences feel better, feel smarter, and feel more in control? How can you ensure delivering that sense of collective effervescence we experience when something special is shared with others, like we all experienced with the carnival music (the opening music of the conference in the style of Rotterdam’s annual Zomercarnaval, editor) earlier? Perhaps consider how to punctuate your events with these moments of connection.” In short, event professionals should craft experiences that make people feel smarter, calmer, and more connected in these uncertain times.

‘Prioritize and cultivate human connection in physical spaces - like events - as a counterpoint to digital overload’

Thimon de Jong, Dutch futurist and behavior expert

Embracing the mental health economy

Thimon de Jong, Dutch futurist and behavior expert, confirms Hertz’s premises in his keynote “Mapping the Dots.” The current “polycrisis” leads to embracing a mental health economy by proactively supporting well-being and leveraging human connection as an antidote to digital overload and loneliness. He then zooms in on generational differences in experiencing this polycrisis, with Gen Z (Gen K) as the most affected generation. Those who might assume that boomers are the biggest adversaries are mistaken. Gen Z bears the heaviest burden under current conditions, while the 40–55 age group (Gen X) currently performs best from a mental well-being perspective. This is notable because this group shows resilience in a age range where the midlife crisis has historically manifested. “Recent large-scale research in 144 countries points to a global disappearance of this ‘happiness threshold,’” says the 48-year-old De Jong.

Misperceptions about the crisis-resilient generation

Since many leaders are Gen X, they may not see that the strategies they develop do not align with the younger generation’s mental state. Younger people seek empathy and understanding for their needs, while some older colleagues dismiss them as “snowflakes” who are not resilient. The difference lies in the older generation having witnessed many crises. In their formative years, they faced Chernobyl (we were advised to avoid outside grown vegetables beyond the disaster zone), the Cold War (which ended sooner than expected), the ozone layer gap and acid rain (environmental issues resolved with technology), wars in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda (genocides that eventually ended), and above all the Y2K scare (fearing that all computers would fail in 2000, but little happened).

For those entering the job market now, the crises Gen Z faces are ongoing and worsening: cost of living, climate change, geopolitical conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and the Gaza situation, with no quick end in sight. Even the virus that seemed defeated still lingers.

Program architecture: five learning formats The three-day conference program allowed participants to design their own learning journeys through five formats: Main Stages – Macro-trends shaping the business events industry Level Workshops – Custom workshops for different experience levels (C-suit Micro Labs – Hands-on, interactive sessions where participants could experiment with ideas, tools, and frameworks Insights Series – Industry case studies that affect multiple event stakeholders    Conversation Starters – Informal discussions on specific topics ​

They love you for it

Older generations should show empathy toward younger generations instead of judging. They should also share optimism by recounting experiences of overcoming earlier crises. For organizers, a clean mission awaits. De Jong: “If you have them in a room, think about how they’re doing from a mental well-being perspective and what can be done in the half day, the day, or the three days you have together to improve their mental health. If done well, they’ll love you for it.” It’s also important to monitor digital etiquette during the gathering, he adds. “Prioritize and cultivate human connection in physical spaces - like events - as a counterpoint to digital overload. Help people with their digital addiction.” De Jong acknowledges that banning or taking away phones is often too far. “I ask my audience to move the five minutes of phone time from the first five minutes of the coffee break to the last five minutes of the coffee break. Because when you're on your phone during the first five minutes, tapping away, you’re not storing what you’ve heard and you miss an opportunity to start a conversation and reflect.”

The profound impact of AI

A second common thread at Convening EMEA is artificial intelligence. Hertz emphasizes its potential: “AI is seen as a technology as transformative as electricity, capable of changing work, products, and services in unimaginable ways. While not perfect – AI models “hallucinate” up to a third of the time – AI is improving daily and showing “magical qualities” beyond novelty applications like medical diagnostics.” For the meetings industry, she lists common use cases such as planning, logistics, marketing, sales, matchmaking, personalized agendas, and managing disruptions. “At the same time, it’s crucial to think hard about AI’s downside risks,” she notes. Over-reliance on AI can diminish human cognitive function, and there is the rise of “AI slop” (inauthentic, nonsensical AI-generated content) that damages professional credibility. Importantly for the workplace, unlike previous tech waves, AI will fundamentally impact white-collar workers as well as blue-collar workers, requiring strategies to integrate AI as a co-worker rather than a replacement.

A current issue attributable to digitalization is rising loneliness, with Gen K again bearing the heaviest burden. As a result, both threads intertwine: “Despite constant digital connectivity, Gen K is the loneliest generation on record. One in five have no friends; eight in ten feel lonely sometimes or often. Real-world interactions can be challenging for them,” Hertz notes.

Encouraging attendees to make new connections

Meeting designers can respond by actively facilitating collective effervescence and genuine connections. Hertz offers “how to read a face” classes as an example. Co-creation is another key tool for creating connection. Gen K prefers to be part of the design and creation process rather than passively consuming. Hertz points to LEGO’s Ideas platform as an analogy: if you build it, they will come; if they build it, they will stay. Live events win through shared experience, she emphasizes. While Gen K consumes both short-form (TikTok) and long-form content (podcasts), the event focus should be on delivering engaging collective experiences through content. “The fact that your job is about bringing people together, helping them connect, actually serves the world. One finding from my research is the importance of what I call the architecture of community, the spaces and physicality’s where people can connect better than elsewhere. Consider how to punctuate your events with these moments of connection. Research shows that even a ten-second exchange with a barista and a coffee dramatically reduces loneliness and increases connection.”

Loss of our sense of purpose

Keynote speaker Asma Shabab, innovation strategist and and foresight expert, returns to ancient Rome to illuminate the long-standing relationship between humans and technology. We skip ahead to the conclusion: “What began as tools to connect us together have quietly started to separate us not just from each other, but from our sense of purpose,” Shabab notes. “Today, factories chase output more than craft. Cities were designed for traffic flow, not communities. In education, we’re currently producing credentials without examining how curiosity is developed.”

Connecting, networking, and social engagement Guided by the principle of practicing what you preach, Convening EMEA offered a variety of networking options: Festival of Flavours Welcome Party in the Food Halls Exploration Tours of Rotterdam curated with local changemakers "Set Sail with Rotterdam" dinner on the SS Rotterdam Venue tour at Postillion Hotel with insights into their Plant First catering Yoga sessions and community open-mic sessions

User-centric as a primary starting point

Shabab argues against adding more tools and instead advocates dedicated human roles to connect existing systems and foster relationships. After delegates complete two tasks – first to design an event, then to sketch ways to connect participants –

Shabab offers suggestions for contemporary meeting design. User-centricity should be the guiding principle. “Did you feel it when I shifted the prompt from draw to an event to draw a better way for people to connect? You started to think more from the user’s perspective and figure out the value you’re creating. Everything should be designed from the user’s perspective, which itself creates substantial value.” The diverse perspectives among participants are essential and form the basis for co-creating something even better. Thirdly, she highlights a system mindset: embracing a continuous, evolving approach to event design.

Three new event roles

Shabab translates these principles into three new roles she sees as central to event organization. The first is the Systems Coordinator, who connects all tools and data to ensure coherence and smart operations. The second is the Participation Architect, who designs and gamifies connections between people within the system, leveraging intelligence to foster meaningful interactions. The third is the Continuity Expert, focused on creating ongoing value post-event, extending conversations, and integrating with other events to maintain participant visibility and engagement.

Closing words

At the conference’s conclusion, participants are reminded that many volunteers (often students from event programs) found it difficult to engage with conference attendees. Of course, this can be dismissed as a lack of social skills in young people. PCMA CEO Sherrif Karamat counters: “I too started out very young in this industry. I knew no one and was there at a lunch feeling completely uncomfortable. I was one of those students. And a woman named Marilyn Forgiarelli and a man named Rob Lowe – I'm sure they thought I looked scared – took me under their wing and mentored me.” “And I want those students to know that there are opportunities for them and huge opportunities. They just have to show up and someone will help them or someone will raise their hand to help.”

‘Everything should be designed from the user’s perspective, which itself creates substantial value’

Asma Shabab, innovation strategist and founder of 21P Consulting