Extreme meeting preparedness is the new standard for putting Gen Z at ease
Do you remember what it was like the first time you walked into a room full of strangers? How about the last time you knew no one at a cocktail party where you were expected to mix and mingle? Pretty intimidating, right?
A meeting professional’s job at its core is to make everyone feel welcome and connected. For tips on how to put attendees and the event team at ease, we asked Kim Napolitano, executive director of industry relations and intermediary group sales at Hilton and a Smart Women in Meetings Award Hall of Fame winner.
Need to Know
Napolitano pointed to research in “The World’s Most Welcoming Events Playbook,” Hilton’s customer resource developed based on the needs of Gen Z and millennials. Hilton partnered with Ipsos, the global market research and public opinion specialists, to ask travelers and meeting attendees about their expectations and anxieties.
Read More: How Gen Z is Reshaping Trade Shows
“Extreme meeting preparedness was one of the biggest trends we uncovered,” Napolitano said. More than 70% of respondents said they felt more comfortable when they understood what to expect in advance.
That means sharing not just the agenda, but menus, dress codes and event flow weeks ahead of time. “Clear is kind,” Napolitano said, echoing thought leader Brené Brown. “It’s about setting people up for success.”
For attendees, especially those new to professional events, even basic expectations can be anxiety-inducing. One revealing statistic stood out: 79% of Gen Z respondents worry about what to wear to meetings.
Hilton’s advice? Don’t just say, “business casual.” Show it. “Include images in your pre-event communication,” Napolitano said. “To one person, ‘dress to impress’ could mean a ball gown. To another, it’s jeans without holes.”
Read More: What Rom-Coms Can Teach Meeting Planners
From thoughtful menu planning under the Nourish pillar of Meet with Purpose to room layouts and signage, the goal is to foster inclusion and reduce social friction.
“Communication is caring,” Napolitano said. And it goes far beyond email reminders. She encourages planners to create immersive, visually rich pre-event communications that paint a full picture of what to expect. Think video welcome messages, sample photos of food and venue walk-throughs.
Read More: 10 Effective Meeting Icebreakers
Breaking the Ice
Once on site, creating social comfort has to be intentional. Napolitano suggested interactive, sustainability-focused activities like Hilton’s Solar Buddies project (building solar-powered lights for underserved communities) to help attendees break the ice while giving back.
Trained, designated welcome hosts who greet guests can cut through the awkwardness and be a smiling face in the crowd. They can make introductions, act as human arrows with friendly wayfinding and offer insights about the experience.
“It’s these kinds of experiences that offer both purpose and connection,” she said. “You’re doing something meaningful and in the process, you meet people naturally.”
A Platform with Purpose
“The World’s Most Welcoming Events Playbook” falls under Hilton’s broader Travel with Purpose umbrella, which includes Meet with Purpose, a program that focuses on sustainable and socially responsible meetings. The Playbook is a mindset shift, designed to ease attendee anxiety and elevate experiences for all generations.
One of its core tools is the LightStay Meeting Impact Calculator, because putting attendee minds at ease that they are not damaging the planet by attending is a weight off their already strained shoulders. “It allows planners to understand the carbon, water and waste impact of their meeting based on the actual utilities of the property,” Napolitano explained. This empowers planners to make sustainability a consultative part of the conversation, from carbon-neutral meeting credits to community givebacks.
The initiative is being written directly into event contracts. “If it’s not in writing, it doesn’t exist,” Napolitano laughed.
More Than a Trend—A New Standard
At its core, Hilton’s approach is about intentional design. “This isn’t a moment. It’s a movement,” Napolitano said.
And the impact is tangible. As hybrid work remains prevalent and attendees juggle complex travel decisions, the need for calm, inclusive and well-prepared event environments has never been more vital.
“We’re proud of where we are,” Napolitano said. “But it’s just the beginning. Welcoming is no longer a bonus feature—it’s the standard.”
