Please be advised that this workshop is scheduled concurrently with some of the technical tours.

Date: Monday, November 18th, 2024                                  Time: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

   Location: Westin Harbour Castle - Harbour C Room          Capacity : 60 participants

Host: Nancy Ortenburg, Head, Marketing and Customer Experience at the TTC

Keynote Speakers : 

Mandi Heidendahl, Vice-President at Sid Lee, Toronto

Victoria Gorobets, Manager Marketing at the TTC 

 Moose Bendago, DJ, Creator, Host and Influencer on TikTok and IG

Description:
This workshop will explore research insights and current trends to effectively engage and attract Generation Z (born 1997-2012) to public transit.  We will focus on strategies for transit agencies to cultivate loyal customers within this discerning and values-driven generation.

GenZ is currently the generation of “firsts” – their first steps into independence, first job, first responsibilities of paying rent, first credit card, first time spending their own money on need to have items vs. fun items and first time paying taxes…watching their hard earned dollars go to the government.  The first time experiencing the tensions of “adulting”.  They are also transitioning into being paying transit users.  Their generational focus on value and justification for paying can create fare evasion behaviours when service isn’t provided exactly as promised. They want to be compelled, not commanded.

This workshop is designed to be a peer-supportive and open conversation about how marketing and customer communications can leverage the particulars of this generation (both in values and channels used) to achieve ridership growth, loyalty and support from this demographic.  We’ll here from a keynote about current GenZ research at the TTC, a fireside chat with an influencer, how to work with influencers even in small markets and a lively discussion with colleagues to share success stories - even with limited resources.

You will walk away with new insights, “how-to’s” and pitfalls to avoid to create your GenZ strategy and build not only ridership for today, but transit supporters for tomorrow.