San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) November 23, 2010

Silvers Summit @ CES will celebrate the one-year anniversary of The Aging Technology Alliance (AgeTek), a non-profit organization that promotes the awareness, benefits and value of products and services for our aging society, by hosting an educational pre-CES workshop. The Silvers Summit – AgeTek half-day education program will bring together unique industry expertise to show companies how to position products for boomers and their aging parents with take-always on how to reach this powerful and influential market through today’s social and mobile channels.

With more than 108 million people over 45 in the U.S., boomers are the most powerful consumers in today’s market wielding more than $2.5 trillion in annual spending power.

“Despite a challenging economic climate, aging populations around the world are continuing to grow and with this rapidly growing population creating a need and demand for products and services that will help them live their lives,” said Peter Radsliff, Chairman of AgeTek. “AgeTek was formed to help companies understand the age-wave. To monitor the trends and growing needs of this population, and gather and share best practices on how to develop and market products that can help this audience live engaging and meaningful lives.”

The fast-paced half day workshop, on the day before CES opens, will address a handful of unique market issues faced by companies intent on providing quality-of-life solutions for the older adult, but trying to reach the attention of caregivers and families who purchase or recommend these products.

Attendees will learn what works and what doesn’t, in branding and social messaging, how to get the attention of retail and advertisers who prefer a younger demographic, and explore the many facets of finding the right strategic partners in this industry, including:

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      Finding partner solutions that work.
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      Leveraging the retail, catalog and VAR channels to maximize presence and sales.
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      Knowing how to navigate institutional vs. private channels
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      Creating a compelling web experience.
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      Using social media to target your key audience.
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      Examine how today’s leading retail stores think about older customers.
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      Understanding your audience – who makes the purchase decision, and how to market to that consumer (i.e. talking to caregivers vs. care recipients).

Leading experts participating in the workshop include: Lori Bitter, President, Continuum Crew; Nancy Shonka Padberg, Navigate Boomer Media, Mary Furlong, President, MFA; Michele Alhman, President, Clear Sounds Communications, Rick Rommel, SVP, Best Buy; Bud Myers, President, Senior Circuits; Jill Gilbert, Treasurer, AgeTek; Laura Mitchell, Director of Business Relations, GrandCare ; Gary Arlen, President, Arlen Communications, Liddy Manson, President, Be Close; John Mills, President, Ecare Diary; Madeline Pantelone, VP, Great Call, and Susan Ayers-Walker, Managing Director, SmartSilvers and AgeTek Standards and Innovation Chair.

The AgeTek pre-CES workshop (1:00 to 5:00 pm) will be followed by the AgeTek Annual Meeting and Networking Event (5:30 to 8:30 pm) will be held Wednesday, January 5, 2011 at the Mirage Hotel. $149 for CES Attendees and $99 for AgeTek members.

To view the workshop agenda and/or register online visit http://silverssummit.com/?option=com_content&view=article&id=183&Itemid=71.

Follow AgeTek on Twitter: twitter.com/agetek and discussions on Linkedin.

About Silvers Summit:

The Silvers Summit at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will assemble companies, distributors, journalists, research firms, and think tanks, to demonstrate the products and services that will help mature consumers maintain their high quality of life. The Silvers Summit and Exhibition is presented by Living in Digital Times, producer of the following summits and exhibitions at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show: Digital Health, Fitness Tech Summit, HigherEd Tech Summit, Kids@Play Summit, MommyTech Summit, Mobile Apps Showdown, and Last Gadget Standing. For more information about The Silvers Summit, visit: http://silverssummit.com/.

About AgeTek:

The Aging Technology Alliance (AgeTek), is an association of companies that specialize in developing products and services for an older adult demographic. The goal of the AgeTek organization is to promote and advance member’s needs and interests through access to market research, networking opportunities, best-practice educational programs and providing a collective voice in the caregiving and aging industry. For more information about The Aging Technology Alliance (AgeTek), visit: http://www.agetek.org

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