Is aging in place technology at the 2.0 stage -- or beyond?

In the exhibit hall, there is often hope, sometimes disappointment. Startups hope for a committed investor, the inked partnership. Or perhaps a positive nod from a health firm or senior-housing community -- sell-once, deploy-many. At the mHealth Summit, now a HIMSS property as part of the multi-show Connected Health Summit, the obvious signal sent by HIMSS was its lack of interest in mobile and wearable mHealth – the summit was just one of several events scheduled at the same time. Attendees looked at the relatively limited scale of the show, noted its IT emphasis, compared to previous – some very big players did not even bother to participate (Walgreens, but not CVS?). Too much health IT, not enough mhealth? Or is all health tech now actually health IT?

Are conventions/trade shows yesterday concepts? Maybe for B2C, that’s true.  When AARP held its last national event, it was widely understood though not stated that the organization was done for now with national (retail) events. The new phrase on their website, AARP in Your City, underlines the intent to be thinking and behaving more regionally. The site also reminds us that much of what you may want or need from AARP can be found, not at an event, but in a publication or on its website.

But B2B events do serve a launch and platform purpose.  Facebook, LinkedIn, and WebEx don’t cut it for meeting a prospective client or sponsor. Nor do they work for identifying a business opportunity (i.e. consider the Piper Proximity beacon at LeadingAge – could it help in assisted living?) Events are quite inefficient for those hoping to be found for future funding, but they do attract the new and the hopeful, those with a fresh voice and eager point of view. Events can also signal a notable market change, perhaps an event is a sign that an early trend has moved to its next evolutionary phase, or as Jody Holtzman of AARP notes: "a critical mass of activity and deal flow has developed and even (with the Honor investment), the top tier of Sand Hill Road has finally taken notice."

Does Aging 2.0’s most recent Expo signal that a movement is underway?  Have we crossed 2.0-ness in the age-related market evolution? Soon (late January) it will be time to publish a 2016 version of the Market Overview of tech for aging. Remember the 1.0 era, from 6-8 years ago. Newcomers fought to obtain visibility with consumers (especially), but also with the media and prospective business partners. Many of these startups stalled trying to explain the who and the why of their market, let alone the what, the when, and at what price. Now scroll down to the Aging 2.0 exhibitor list and study it. Think about other exhibit halls you’ve walked in the past. Take the long view – is this an evolved or still-emerging market? Is it even a single market? How does it fit with the healthcare tech market boom? Where does the family caregiver fit into it? And what else has changed since this post from 2008?