Focus on intergenerational communication and the future of construction

Reach out to young people! This was the key message and challenge for participants of this year's Construction Marketing Communications Conference. ÉVOSZ's Media Day organised its second such event on 20 March with 50 professionals, demonstrating the need for similar professional community building. The aim of the meeting was to strengthen the actors in the field, as well as to share knowledge and raise awareness of the growing importance of the field.

The conference focused on the current challenges and trends in the sector, as well as on how to effectively address Generation Z and Alpha.

The participants and speakers also agreed that strengthening the intergenerational dialogue is essential: a common language and channel between companies and young people, university students, must be found in order for the industry to provide real answers to the challenges of the future.

The programme featured exciting presentations and inspiring discussions on the impact of generational differences in content consumption, brand communication and project-based thinking.

Picking up the pace with young people

Akos Starcz, CEO of Index.hu Zrt., Managing Partner of Dialogue Creatives and Chairman of the Board of Libri-Bookline Zrt., spoke about how Generation Z is changing the world of media, books and marketing. He highlighted:
- Young people want short, visual, interactive content.
- Influencers seem more authentic to them than traditional media.
- Physical books are still attractive as status symbols, but the rise of audiobooks and "booktok" recommendations is also significant.

It highlighted that the consumption habits of different generations are very different. Therefore,

If a company wants to reach both young and older people, it needs to communicate across all online and social platforms at the same time.

Bíró Beáta, deputy editor-in-chief and head of media planning at Magyar Építők, stressed that "conscious media planning is not an option, but a responsibility. If we can, why should we let others determine what we think?"

Imre Sipos, Marketing and Development Director of Cemix Hungary, shared his experience of a major brand and image change. The company switched from Lassersberger-Knauf to Cemix in a well thought-out and successful process. As he said, "The impact of the rebranding is not felt negatively on sales - it is the result of preparation and consistent communication."

Norbert Pécsi Norbert, founder of PEERS Communication, highlighted the strategic role of podcasts: "A podcast is no longer just something to listen to - it must be the result of conscious communication planning."

"Build with the new generations" - Tomás Trunk (Dablty) has already pointed this out. At just 21 years old, the popular influencer and new gen advisor, a successful alpine skier, encouraged us to break stereotypes and find real connections with Generation Z and Alpha in an authentic, values-based way.

Martin Lőrincz, President of the Student Council of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the BME, said that students expect attention and honesty from employers. In other words, it is not the HR person, but the construction manager who can act with such credibility at a site visit, who can stand as an example for the engineers.

Make use of the tools available

The message of the conference is clear: marketing communications in the construction industry is not a backdrop, but a strategic tool that has an impact on the future of the sector, its competitiveness and the attraction of young talent.

The aim of the ÉVOSZ Media Chapter is to launch more similar events and initiatives in the future.In 2025, we will have professional tours, a continuation of the Spakli21 podcast and even another conference - the aim is to continue to strengthen the construction communication community.

 Peter Kincses, President of the ÉVOSZ Media Group, said in his closing remarks:

"Through marketing communications, we are shaping the voice of the construction industry - it is no longer a question of whether we speak, but how and to whom. The conference showed that we have a voice, we have a community and we have a future."

The venue for this year's conference was also provided by the Greenfield Hotel Golf & Spa in Bükk.