Top Go-to-Market Strategies for Post-Recession Baby Boomer Market on Deck at the 2010 What’s Next Boomer Business Summit

Lafayette, Calif. (PRWEB) November 4, 2009

Mary Furlong & Associates, the nation’s premier consultancy for marketing and business development strategies for the 50+ market, announced today the dates for the 7th Annual What’s Next Boomer Business Summit. What’s Next, taking place on Friday, March 19, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, will focus on the most effective strategies for selling products and services to the post-recession baby boomer market.

“The goal of this conference is to provide business leaders with the keys to successfully reaching today’s baby boomer customer and expose them to major trends that are shaping growth in the boomer, senior, and care giver markets,” said Dr. Mary Furlong, president and chief executive officer of Mary Furlong & Associates. “At our seventh What's Next event, we expect that the deal flow to be the best to date.”

Despite the recession, households headed by America’s 78 million baby boomers – people born between 1946 and 1964 - still hold more than 90 percent of the country’s net worth and account for 77 percent of all financial assets. While their spending power may have taken a hit, boomers still represent one of the most lucrative markets for products and services in the United States today.

Every year, What’s Next brings together the country’s leading baby boomer strategists and marketers at an event designed to introduce new research, products and services that truly represent what is next in the boomer market, and this year is no different. The 2010 event will emphasize integrated, social and mobile marketing; innovative distribution channels and will provide a profile of business segments that have moved into the rapidly growing sector of care giving, an $800 billion market¹.

The 2010 Summit boasts premier participants such as AARP, Abeo Partners, Caring.com, firstSTREET, Forum One Networks, HeartMath, iVillage, Microsoft Corporation, SeniorCareMarketer.com, Southwest Airlines and Zillow.com discussing their latest baby boomer marketing strategies.

“We are incredibly grateful for the long list of returning sponsors and partners. It is where innovation, distribution, research and connections come together," said Dr. Furlong.

Attendees can expect to gain insight into the latest baby boomer research, market strategies, and success stories and connect with thought leaders, brand managers and entrepreneurs who are shaping the boomer market. During the Age Beat Luncheon, attendees will have the chance to interact with leading analysts, bloggers, authors and age beat reporters. Attendees will also have the opportunity to network with decision makers who get deals done and find out how the changing economy will influence decisions about real estate, lifestyle, and the financial future of baby boomers.

“The Boomer Business Summit is a great place to meet with senior decision makers and make key connections,” said Andy Cohen, chief executive officer of Caring.com. “I left last year’s show with two new partners, a new customer and a contact that led to an appearance on CNBC.”

Confirmed speakers to date include:

• Kevin Donnellan, Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, AARP
• Mark Graham, Senior Vice President, iVillage.com
• Dr. Stan Humphries, Chief Economist, Zillow.com

Other speakers include:

• Catherine Calarco, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, HeartMath
• Andy Cohen, Founder and CEO, Caring.com
• Steve Cook, Chief Marketing Officer, Abeo Partners LLC
• Brandon Daniell, Chief Innovator, Abeo Partners LLC
• Dr. Mary Furlong, CEO, Mary Furlong & Associates
• Jody Holtzman, Senior Vice President, Research and Strategic Analysis, AARP
• Bill Johnston, Chief Community Officer, Forum One Networks
• Mark Miller, journalist and consultant
• Gary Moulton, Aging Coordinator/Product Manager, Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Group
• Bud Myers, Senior Director of Merchandising, firstSTREET
• Mark Willaman, Founder and President, Fisher Vista, LLC

Registration is available online at http://www.boomersummit.com. From there you may also view the full agenda and find other information on the What’s Next Boomer Business Summit. For assistance you may also send an email to inquiries(at)boomersummit(dot)com.

The What’s Next Boomer Business Summit is an official post-conference of the NCOA-ASA National Aging in America Conference taking place March 15-19 in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.agingconference.org.

About Mary Furlong & Associates
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. Mary Furlong, Ed.D., the firm's founder and CEO, has guided the offline and online 40+ market strategies of leading corporations and nonprofit organizations for more than 20 years. Furlong is Dean's Executive Professor of Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business, and previously founded SeniorNet and ThirdAge Media. Her latest book, Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace, was published in February 2007. More information is available at http://www.maryfurlong.com.

¹NCOA, Caring.com

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