How event audiences are becoming more diverse
Australia’s population currently sits at 25.6 million and by the year 2030 it is expected to reach 30 million. That means Australia’s population is growing by one new person every 83 seconds, with 38% of this growth occurring through natural increase (births minus deaths).
The makeup of our population is also changing, as 62% of our population growth was coming from net overseas migration prior to COVID-19. In recent times, the migration patterns have also shifted, with more overseas-born Australians now born in Asia than in Europe.
The number of Australians born overseas is now at 29% with one in five having arrived since 2012. The vast majority, 86%, have settled in our capital cities.
This means, as a nation, we are becoming increasingly diverse –socially, generationally, economically and culturally. Therefore, society has become more open to points of view and ideas different from their own. In fact, 70% of event attendees say contrarian ideas are critical to shaping great ideas .
What it means for event planners:
• Events will be attended by people from demographically diverse backgrounds who are looking to hear from speakers with creative ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking they can take back and apply to their work and life.
• Bringing in a speaker from outside the industry can provide that fresh perspective and challenge assumptions.
• Events are at their best when the expert presenters, like the audience, represent the cultural, gender and generational diversity of the Australian workforce.
