At least Boomer conferences sound more interesting

I find conferences about Boomers and the 50-plus pretty dull affairs. It is the same old speakers saying the same old things, often to the same old delegates.

It is good to see that the Boomer Summit (a US conference) is taking a more adventurous line.

Social Networking and Mobile Marketing to Baby Boomers Top What's Next Boomer Business Summit Agenda

It just happens that mobile and social networking are not that important (at least in the next 24 months) but at least the delegates will hear something different. Dick Stroud

Invasion by the Americans

Three of my chums from the US (Chuck Nyren, Brent Green and Carol Orsborn) were recently in Europe speaking at a series of events organised by Bayard the publisher of Plus magazine and the producer of Europe’s largest event for the 50-plus, held in the Netherlands that attracts 100,000 attendees and over 600 exhibitors. Nothing like that in the UK!

A mini video was made of the tour. The first person you see is Brent Green followed by Maxime de Jenlis, Bayard’s Director for Europe. Dick Stroud

AARP’s Life@50+

What do Rod Stewart, Hillary Clinton, Michael Douglas, Tony Bennett, Maya Angelou, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart and Joan Rivers have in common? They are all going to be in Boston this weekend for the AARP bash.

It is estimated that attendees will pump more than $24 million into the local economy, making it one of the biggest events held at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. More than 25,000 are expected to show up renting out 20,000 hotel rooms during the event.

Now that is what you call a 50-plus conference. If you added together the number of attendees to ‘similar’ events held in Europe, over the last decade, it would fall short of the size of this bash. Personally, it would take wild horses or a big cash incentive to drag me to this conference. Dick Stroud

Asia bound

I will be attending a fascinating conference in Hong Kong between the 19th - 21st September.

There is a host of big brand speakers, including senior management from Barclays Wealth Management, CB Richard Ellis, Hartford Life International, Citigroup, Novartis Pharma AG and a load more companies. Some of interesting agencies will be speaking - Ogilvy, Vocanic and Immersion Active.

A chance to get an insight into the Asia’s 50-plus world will be marvelous, plus of course the chance to go back to Hong Kong.

After the event I will be writing an article for the marketing press that I will post to this blog. Dick Stroud

Thoughts about running a retirement show

Last weekend a “retirement show” was run in one of London’s major exhibition halls. I was not enamoured by the web site promoting the show but it clearly had the opposite effect on a lot of other people.

I thought it would be really useful to hear from the event’s organiser about the lessons learnt from running the exhibition.

Having just completed the first Retirement Show in London's Olympia, and been through the questionnaires that have been sent back (in their hundreds), a few points have become obvious. The diversity of 'the 50+' market is vast.

As many people liked financial seminars as loathed them. As many people welcomed information on coffins, death and dying, as shunned them. Where some welcomed health information, others were happy not to have it force-fed to them. As many were happy about equity-releasers as were unable to take advantage.

Perhaps the main lesson that we have learned is that this generation contains as much diversity as any other - perhaps more. They are certainly a discerning collection of people, who are not slow to let you know if you could be serving them better. Let them down at your peril!

The overwhelming majority of the visitors were very positive, very happy, and wished the event well. Most say that they will return, and that they will bring their friends. The show seems to have the potential to become a valuable avenue to reach this widely-misunderstood group.

Two major lessons we have learned: this generation likes to have a sit down, and it likes to have a reasonably-priced cup of tea!

Such was the response that we will organise the event three times in 2008, in Manchester, London and Glasgow. We expect the number of exhibitors to increase, which will bring more diversity to the exhibition floor - and given the diversity in tastes of the visitors, this will be a positive move.

I really recommend that you have a look at a video of the show which gives a good feel for the style of the event and the people attending.(It is a nicely made video). Dick Stroud

It’s nearly June so it must be the Boomer Venture Summit

When I get an e-mail from the Boomer Venture Summit people my immediate thought is: “it cannot be a year since the last one”. But it is, and there are a fresh bunch of hopefuls, with their knockout business plans to wow the 40+, will soon be vying for the two $10,000 prizes.

If you are in Europe and fancy spending a few days in Santa Clara – and who wouldn’t – then go and look at the Venture Summit web site. Dick Stroud

More of the same

These are the top trends emerging from the Fourth Annual What’s Next Boomer Business Summit in Chicago. I guess it is one of the restful and stress-free things about working in the 50-Plus market that not much changes from year-to-year. Dick Stroud