An Irish conference for the Snapchat generation has caught the eye of foreign entrepreneurs

A NEW IRISH ‘wellbeing’ conference for the Snapchat generation has been attracting attention from abroad – before it has even opened its doors for the first time.

The inaugural Zeminar youth summit takes place at the RDS, Dublin from Tuesday to Thursday, and founder Damien Clarke told Fora he has already been approached by social entrepreneurs looking to replicate the event in Australia and Britain.

Around 15,000 young people aged 15 to 20, parents and teachers are expected to attend the conference, where they will learn about issues like mental health and what to do after secondary school.

A number of high-profile people will speak at the event, including musician Bressie, Twitter Ireland boss Mark Little and former Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh.

Bressie

“The beauty of this event is that it doesn’t need to move around to other cities,” Clarke said. “It can happen simultaneously throughout the world.”

He said that while the response from abroad has been “encouraging”, he wants to “make sure we get our own template right” before selling the concept.

“That might take two years to happen. After that, we will look to see if we can franchise it out to other countries.”

Research

Clarke, a former Web Summit employee with a background in psychology, came up with the idea for Zeminar two years ago.

“I spent a year researching the idea, going to schools, meeting with young people, teachers, parents all over the country and got a sense that there was a demand for a new type of event that covers all of the different interests and issues that young people have.”

He set up a crowdfunding campaign to get the initiative off the ground.

He raised over €15,000 in a Fund It campaign that generated a bit of media attention, which Clarke said “was a nice platform” to attract speakers.

“Once people heard about the event and the impact it’s going to have on young people, they were very supportive,” he said. “People love sharing their stories and want to help young people navigate their way through life.”

Damien Clarke

Generation Z

The name ‘Zeminar’ is inspired by ‘generation Z’, a term used to describe the strain of millennials that have no memory of life pre-internet.

Companies seem obsessed with getting generation Z’s attention – and money – but it is a notoriously difficult demographic to market to.

In a bid to reach out to a younger audience, the likes of Chartered Accountants Ireland, the Irish Tax Institute and Davy Stockbrokers, hardly mainstays of youth culture, have signed up to showcase their businesses at the event.

Clarke said the event will give the 100 exhibitors “an opportunity to interact with people from a younger age and let them know about the great work they could do if they worked for those organisations”.

“What we’re trying to do is different to Higher Options or Grad Ireland,” he said. “It’s not about just getting a flyer or pen or something like that. It’s really experiential.”

Generation Z teens

The event will cost around €280,000 to host, according to Clarke.

“As we grow we will spend more on the production of the event each year, so that number will rise.”

Ticket sales have been good, with organisers claiming 12,500 sold at the time of publication. Clarke said he expects to hit the 15,000 mark by Tuesday as interest picks up closer to the event.

Ambitious

Initially, Zeminar expected to attract up to 30,000 attendees, which Clarke acknowledged was too ambitious.

“That was a mistake on our behalf,” he said. “I think when people realise this is our first year and these are the numbers that are coming through, people are going to impressed either way.”

Clarke said he hopes attendees will come away feeling confident and willing to take a “leap of faith” when choosing a profession.

“People are still encouraged to play it safe,” he said. “They’re doing their business or their accounting or their law degrees. They might not be passionate about it, but it’s a safe option.

“This event is about broadening their horizons. You don’t have to go down the old trodden path.”