Our first Washington DC event.Getty
In the previous articles in this series I wrote about my experiences as a 50+ entrepreneur and advocate for boomer workers.
We love our partners. With them we’re pulling off some very interesting gatherings. Our events are exposing us to larger audiences with the nice byproduct of new partnerships. This is the multiplication of the message. Our impact is exponentially greater with each new guest at the party.
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This is what we say about our events:
At Next For Me Events we discuss the future of our 50+ generation. We cover work, finances, our communities and what’s next. It’s been a great way of connecting with people who are thinking about these things too.
Meet The Partners
We recently became a member of the Encore Partner Network. I attended their recent conference and they have been an amazing resource for introductions and promotion. They are spreading the word about our Washington DC event and I’m contacting their East Coast partners to spread the word as well.
Another partner we’ve had a wonderful relationship with is Silvernest. They are part of the wave of “Longevity Economy” companies and have recently received venture funding. Silvernest’s CEO, Wendy Burkhardt, has been a warm and friendly compadré.
While wrapping up our October event in Denver, Burkhardt suggested we plan an event in Washington DC with Stria. Stria is a trade publisher for the aforementioned Longevity Economy.
The publisher and CEO, Susan Donley, was the Publisher and Managing Director of Next Avenue, a national digital media service from PBS stations designed especially for America’s booming older population. Next Avenue hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors a month and has a much greater reach across all platforms. Stria is taking that experience and applying it to businesses addressing the market.
Not a bad collection of partners for a company that has just been around for a year.
Keeping Good Company
With a broader network of partners, we have gotten introductions to some stellar leaders who are speaking at our events.
For example our program in DC features:
Elizabeth White, author of “55, Unemployed, and Faking Normal”
She is an author and aging solutions and advocate for older adults facing uncertain work and financial insecurity. Most recently she served as Special Advisor to the Executive Director of Senior Service America.
White earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Masters in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University, and a BS in Political Science from Oberlin College.
Clare Martorana, United States Digital Service, Vets.gov, The White House
Martorana is currently working on Digital Modernization at the Veterans Administration. As the product lead she’s helping veterans discover, apply for, track and manage the benefits they have earned.
Martorana previously held leadership roles at Everyday Health and WebMD. She is an advisor to health and wellness firms, including Next For Me.
Ryan Frederick is the founder of Smart Living 360 and developer of intergenerational communities. He is a nationally recognized thought leader, real estate developer and consultant in the field of aging and longevity. SmartLiving 360 is a platform that helps individuals and institutions thrive in the Age of Longevity
On The Coattails Of Bigger Organizations
Mary Furlong & Associates is a strategic communications firm for clients in the baby boomer, senior, and caregiver markets. Mary and company are a force in the business and conference world for many in the space. For two days before our event they are hosting a two day conference “Washington Innovation in Longevity.”
We’d love to attend even though much of the focus is on topics that we don’t focus on, but there are plenty of people we should know attending. Once again, we can’t afford to do everything and to be everywhere. Hopefully there will be some spillover to our event. Our partners are speaking and co-sponsoring some of the event, so we expect some spillover.
However it shakes out, we’re moving forward with people we respect and are nice to work with. Through those associations we grow.
Previous articles in the series: