Setting the Stage for Jahkini Bisselink

Jahkini Bisselink bridges generational gaps by converting Generation Z values into actionable strategies that help organizations prepare for and lead in the future.

A former United Nations Youth Delegate, Amsterdam, Netherlands–based Jahkini Bisselink joined Whetson Strategic Foresight in 2020 as a youth expert, where she now continues her work researching trends among future generations and their effects in the workplace. Bisselink will be joined by Jay Kiew and Erin Stafford for this morning’s Main Stage “Igniting Performance and Possibility” session. She also will present a Masterclass session, “How to Build More Trust and Connect Even Better From a Gen Z Perspective,” this afternoon.

Ahead of Convening Leaders, Convene asked Bisselink to give us a taste of what the audience could expect. She told Convene that she couldn’t wait to travel to Philadelphia to “help leaders explore the fascinating world of the younger generations. We’re going to look closely at what Gen Z is searching for in their careers and event experiences, specifically through the lens of the human side of technology and mental wellbeing. You’ll leave our session with practical tools you can use the very same day. After all, to understand Gen Z is to understand the future.”

When asked what she thinks organizers should know about making their events more appealing to Gen Z, Bisselink said, “We long misread Gen Z’s digital-first nature as digital-only, but the reality is that a screen-saturated life has reached its breaking point. While technology can simulate a space, it cannot replicate the neurobiology of human trust. Today, the scales between our digital and physical worlds are tipped. As a generation that grew up online, we paradoxically need the most help from leaders and event organizers to find our way back to the physical world. For the event industry, this is a massive opportunity: In-person connection is no longer just a preference — it’s a necessity. If you can provide the spaces where we can put down our phones and build genuine emotional intelligence, Gen Z will be your most loyal audience.”

Bisselink has not only attended many conferences, but she’s also become an in-demand speaker, working with clients including Deutsche Telekom, European Parliament, and Lloyds Banking Group. This is her second engagement with PCMA — she was a presenter at Convening EMEA in 2021. When we asked her to draw on her experiences as a participant at business events around the world to identify one thing organizers need to keep in mind when designing programs, she returned to the importance of mental wellness.

“Mental wellbeing has become the new metric for success,” she said. “While the post-pandemic mental health decline has spared no one, the impact on Baby Boomers and Gen Z has been particularly profound. For the younger workforce, mental wellbeing is no longer a perk — it is a deciding factor in career loyalty. This shift is now moving beyond the workplace and into the consumer experience; brands are gaining a competitive edge by asking, ‘How can we improve our guests’ or customers’ mental wellbeing?’

“You don’t need a degree in psychology to make a difference,” Bisselink continued. “Wellbeing is often about the small things: curing loneliness, fostering real connection, and quieting the noise of FOMO (fear of missing out). When you identify the specific worries your audience carries, you gain the power to transform a good event into an unforgettable experience. I’ll be diving into the how-to during the conference, providing actionable ways to design your next event with the audience’s mental wellbeing in mind.”

See Jahkini Bisselink on the CL 26 Main Stage on Monday, January 12 at 8:45 am and attend her Masterclass on January 12 at 1:00 pm.

Jennifer N. Dienst is senior editor at Convene.