By 2020, the so-called 'Millennial' generation -- young adults raised in a digital age and motivated by a different set of values from generations past -- will make up 40 percent of the workforce.

MTSU invites the campus community and public to attend a half-day conference later this month to help business and community leaders explore what this means to the regional and national economy and how to maximize the entry of this new generation of workers into the job market.

The conference -- titled "2020 Millennial Game Plan: Maximizing Millennial Entrepreneurship and Innovation" -- will be held from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at Embassy Suites Murfreesboro, 1200 Conference Center Blvd.

Hosted by the Jennings A. Jones Chair of Excellence in Private Enterprise as well as the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, the conference is free to MTSU students, faculty and staff and will cost $30 for others.

Featured speakers include Matt Thornhill and John Martin of Virginia-based marketing research company Generations Matter and John Boyens of The Boyens Group, a Nashville-based sales, management and training firm.

Organizers say the conference will provide valuable insights for corporate leaders, marketing executives, human resource managers, nonprofit leaders, economic development and community leaders, and anyone else interested in learning about the impact Millennials will have on the future economy.

Among questions to be addressed during the conference include: What makes Millennials special? How are they shaping companies inside and out? How and why are Millennials driving innovation and entrepreneurism?

"Understanding what's coming is easier if we understand who will be leading the changes," said Dr. David Urban, dean of the Jones College.

How to register:

To register online, go to http://bit.ly/mtsu-millennial. Deadline to register is Oct. 24.

For more information about the conference, including the agenda and speaker biographies, visit http://bit.ly/mtsu-millennial. For more information about the MTSU Jones College of Business, go tohttp://www.mtsu.edu/business/.