10 Ways to Include All Ages at Your Events

Companies spend millions each year on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity initiatives. Yet only 8% include age in their DEI statements, according to research services company Advisory Board.

This filters down to how they plan their business events.

“Companies – and their events – must welcome and engage everyone on the topic of age-inclusivity,” said Jacynth Bassett, founder & CEO of Ageism Is Never In Style. “Ultimately, the key to being age-inclusive lies in the word ‘inclusive.’ Understanding this and actively bridging the gap between ages and generations is fundamental.” 

The following 10 strategies from Bassett and other experts will help you design more age-inclusive events.

1. Know Your Attendees
   Use surveys, interviews, focus groups and online platforms to understand the composition of your audience. This will help you tailor the format, speakers, and activities accordingly.
2. Make Sure Your Advisers Are Age-Diverse
   If you rely on a planning committee for your event, make sure it includes older members who can bring a broad mix of opinions, ideas, and perspectives.
3. Evaluate the Venue
   Make sure parking, passenger drop-off, routes to the entrance and meeting space (including stairways and elevators), meeting room and restrooms are accessible to people with mobility issues. If there is a raised stage or platform, check that speakers will be able to step up, or have a ramp available.
4. Prepare Presenters
   Ask speakers to use a microphone, even if they don’t want to, to accommodate people in the audience who might have trouble hearing them. Make sure that videos include closed captioning. Create guidelines for slides to ensure that they are viewable for everyone.
5. Don’t Segregate Attendees
   Avoid networking events that focus on only certain age groups, such as a party for people over 50. “This only further encourages mixing with people your own age,” said Bassett.
6. Target Your Event Marketing to All Age Groups
   To reflect your age-inclusive mission, make sure that the event promotions, website, and social media posts include images of attendees of every age.
7. Include Speakers From All Generations
   There has been an industry-wide effort to include people of all genders and ethnicities on stage, but age is often overlooked in speaker lineups.

8. Choose Entertainment For All Tastes
   For entertainers that appeal to older attendees as well as younger generations, Jaki Baskow, CEO of Las Vegas Speakers Bureau, suggests Michael Bublé or Harry Connick Jr. tribute artists. “Our tribute to Jersey Boys and Elton John is also a big winner,” she said. “The Rat Pack is on the rise again, and Elvis is still in demand.” Or, she suggests, bring in a jazz band to play Ella Fitzgerald tunes. “People of every age love that for receptions, and they can listen to the music while they talk.”
9. Foster Intergenerational Connections
   Use a combination of technology and networking to introduce the older attendees, who might be more inclined to stick with colleagues of their age and experience level, with people from other age groups. Icebreakers, speed networking, mentoring sessions and team challenges work well, as do chat rooms and forums before or after the event.
10. Be Aware of ‘Age Intersectionality’
    Planners must understand this concept to create truly inclusive events, said Barrett. “Age intersectionality includes but is not limited to gender, race, class, disability and sexuality. For example, gendered ageism is the intersectionality between ageism and sexism, which means women can and often do experience unique and different challenges when it comes to age than men.”