Companies spend millions of dollars each year on diversity, inclusion, and equity programs. However, only 8% include age in their DEI statements, according to research services firm Advisory Council.
This affects how they plan their business activities.
“Companies and their events must welcome everyone to participate in age-inclusive conversations,” said Jacynth Bassett, founder and CEO of Ageism Is Never In Style. “Ultimately, the key to age inclusivity is the word ‘inclusion.’ It’s critical to understand this and proactively bridge the gap between age and generations.
The following 10 strategies from Bassett and other experts will help you design more age-appropriate activities.
- Get to know your attendees
Use surveys, interviews, focus groups, and online platforms to understand the makeup of your audience. This will help you tailor the format, speakers, and events accordingly. - Make sure your advisors are age diverse
If your event relies on a planning committee, make sure it includes older members who can bring a broad range of opinions, ideas, and perspectives. - Assessment site
Ensure that parking lots, passenger drop-off areas, routes to entrances and meeting spaces (including stairs and elevators), meeting rooms and restrooms are accessible to people with limited mobility. If there is a raised stage or platform, check to see if the speakers can be raised or if there are ramps available. - Prepare the speaker
Ask speakers to use their microphones (even if they don’t want to) to accommodate those in the audience who may not be able to hear them clearly. Make sure the video includes closed captions. Establish guidelines for your slides to ensure everyone can view them. - Don’t isolate attendees
Avoid age-specific social events, such as gatherings for people over 50. “This just further encourages socializing with peers,” Bassett said. - Target your event marketing to all age groups
To reflect your age-inclusive mission, make sure your event promotions, website, and social media posts include images of attendees of all ages. - Includes speakers from all generations
There has been an industry-wide effort to get people of all genders and races on stage, but age in speaker lineups is often overlooked.
- Choose entertainment to suit every taste
For artists who appeal to both older attendees and younger generations, Las Vegas Speakers Bureau CEO Jaki Baskow suggests Michael Bublé or Harry Connick Jr. tribute artists. “Our tribute to Jersey Boys and Elton John was also a big winner,” she said. “The rat pack is on the rise again, and Elvis is still in high demand.” Or, she suggests, bring in a jazz band to play the music of Ella Fitzgerald. “People of all ages enjoy receptions where they can chat and listen to music.” - Promote intergenerational connections
Use a combination of technology and the Internet to introduce older attendees to people from other age groups who may be more inclined to surround themselves with colleagues of the same age and experience level. Icebreakers, quick chats, coaching sessions and team challenges all work, as do chat rooms and forums before and after the event. - Pay attention to “age intersectionality”
Barrett said planners must understand this concept to create truly inclusive events. “Age intersectionality includes, but is not limited to, gender, race, class, disability, and sexual orientation. For example, gendered ageism is the intersection between ageism and sexism, meaning that women can and often experience age differently than men. and different challenges.
