A Different Kind of Boomer Business Conference

What's Next Boomer Business Summit provides unique networking opportunities for companies and entrepreneurs seeking to tap the lucrative 45+ market.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) December 5, 2006 -- Business people around the country are waking up to the facts that baby boomers are graying, and that successful companies of the future will be those that satisfy the needs and wants of America's burgeoning population of mature consumers.

This message has been hammered home by a slew of recent newspaper and magazine articles, and reinforced by a growing number of business conferences. The drumbeat has intensified since the start of this year, when the first wave of America's 78 million boomers -- the largest and most affluent generation in U.S. history -- began turning 60.

The fourth annual What's Next Boomer Business Summit takes things a step further -- it not only provides key market data, but also offers participants a unique opportunity to network with potential new customers and strategic partners, exchange ideas with venture capitalists and thought leaders, and learn how innovative companies and entrepreneurs are creating products and services and bringing them to the boomer market.

The two-day event takes place on March 5-6, 2007, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

"We're not just highlighting the rapid growth of the 45+ market," explains Mary Furlong, CEO of Mary Furlong & Associates and executive producer of the Summit. "What's Next is a venue where entrepreneurs, corporate strategists, brand managers, non-profit leaders and venture capitalists can rub shoulders and share the latest strategies, research and innovations in the boomer marketplace."

"What's Next is consistently an incredibly content-rich conference," says Jeff Zimman, president and CEO of Posit Science Corporation, one of many organizations that has renewed its sponsorship of the Summit. "Every year, it has the latest trend information and the most influential minds in the boomer market. It's a great way to stay abreast of 'what's next' and to meet the people driving it."

Summit participants will also have a chance to hear what reporters and other media have to say about opportunities in the boomer and senior markets, at the "Analysts, Authors, AgeBeat Reporters and Bloggers" luncheon.

Companies and organizations from a range of industries - including Yahoo!, Nick at Nite, AARP and the founder of MORE Magazine - will present their strategies for reaching baby boomers, a generation born between 1946 and 1964 that represents more than $2 trillion in annual spending. Presenters will also provide their latest research on health, money, lifestyle and housing trends among boomers and seniors.

Summit attendees will have opportunities to meet business leaders driving boomer-targeted initiatives in Chicago, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Wisconsin, and to connect with members of the American Society on Aging's Business Forum on Aging (BFA), a national group of more than 200 businesses serving mature consumers.

For more information and Summit registration, please visit www.boomersummit.com. Early bird registration rates are available. For press passes, please contact Paul Kleyman of the American Society on Aging (ASA) at paul @ asaging.org.

The What's Next Boomer Business Summit is co-produced annually by the BFA and Mary Furlong & Associates.

What's Next is a pre-conference of the annual 2007 Joint Conference of the ASA and the National Council on Aging (NCOA), which takes place March 7-10, 2007, at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. For information, see www.agingconference.org.

Sponsors of the 2007 Summit include Intel, MetLife Mature Market Institute, Posit Science Corporation, Springboard Press and Longevity Alliance and Quantum Intech, Inc.

Marketing partners include the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) and Mary Furlong & Associates.

About the co-producers:
Founded in 2003, Mary Furlong & Associates (MFA) is a proven team of business innovators, comprised of talent from marketing, editorial, business, online content and community, and experts from the field of aging. Mary Furlong, Ed.D., the firm's founder and CEO, has guided the offline and online 45+ market strategies of leading corporations and non-profit organizations for more than 20 years. She is an executive professor of entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University, and previously founded SeniorNet and ThirdAge Media. She is a member of the Leadership Council of the American Society on Aging's Business Forum on Aging, and she serves on several corporate advisory boards. Information about MFA and its unique service offerings is available at www.maryfurlong.com.

Established in 1989, The Business Forum on Aging is a constituent group of the American Society on Aging (ASA), the largest professional membership organization in the field of aging in the United States. The BFA is comprised of more than 200 businesses that serve people over 50. By creating a business-to-business network and by linking companies with the best and brightest leaders in the field of aging, the BFA provides its members with practical, usable information and products they need to improve their workforce as well as their productivity and sales. Information about the BFA is available at www.businessforumonaging.org.

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