It’s never easy to get a big group of people together. You might have to fight against scheduling conflicts and work to accommodate personal preferences. Then you’re coordinating with various vendors and watching the clock with bated breath to ensure everything goes according to plan. Factor in catering to a variety of ages, and it may feel like an uphill battle.

Fortunately, there are strategies that can enhance your event experience for attendees of all ages. It just takes a bit of finagling to make it all work out. Here are a few to consider for your next age-inclusive gathering.

Cater Entertainment Options

When your guest list runs the gamut of ages, keeping everyone engaged is hard. Presentations will leave small kids with pent-up energy and potential outbursts. Conversely, physically involved events with no rest may be hard on those with limited mobility or the elderly. 

An effective approach is combining engagement ideas to create the perfect mix. This is done by splitting up your event so you have a little of everything. Have an in-depth presentation with a talented speaker followed by a game or craft. Or create an event schedule with break-out sessions for certain age groups to fit their needs.

If your event must focus on one thing — like a presentation — invest in other options for the outlier age groups. That could be playground equipment for an adult-focused event with kids in attendance. If your event is for teens or young kids, supply drinks and snacks tailored to adults.

The goal is to strike the balance of accomplishing your event’s goals without excluding any age group. Having something for everyone makes the event well-rounded and memorable. And that’s the best review you can get if age inclusivity is a priority.

Prioritize Accessibility

A successful event relies on one main factor: Having people attend. It’s crucial to make your event accessible to as many people as possible. That might take shape in a few ways.

First, ensuring people can physically attend requires accessibility measures. Ramps allow strollers and wheelchairs to enter the space and safely enjoy the event. Providing ample lighting helps those in attendance navigate the room and read any printed materials you may offer.

Accessibility also needs to be present in the content you share. Presentations should have enough contrast between the background and words on the screen for those with low or limited vision. Speakers solely relying on audio equipment may not be sufficient for the deaf community. Instead, seek out closed captioning or sign language interpreters to ensure information is understood.

It’s not always the easiest thing to add accessibility measures to your event. However, the extra effort doesn’t go unnoticed. With these features in place, your event is a welcome environment for people of all ages and abilities.

Keep Timing in Mind

Scheduling is one of the biggest challenges event planners face. From coordinating catering and booking event space to ensuring everything stays on schedule. The time of the event itself proves especially important when hoping to include all ages.

Instead of an event focused on a specific age group you can plan around, you’re tailoring it to everyone. That means competing with the needs of many priorities — like work and school. This may require more work to decide on a time for your event that will maximize attendance.

Start by identifying any big conflicts that could make being there difficult. You’ll want to avoid days with large school gatherings scheduled, like graduations or sporting events. Consider bedtimes and nighttime routines that might make it hard for parents to attend. Keep holidays and spring break in mind, too.

Once you’ve identified the possible conflicts, coordinate your ideal time and event space. Will it work out perfectly so everyone may go? No, probably not. But you can rest assured that you made a decision to have the biggest impact possible.

Vary Communication Efforts

To have a truly age-inclusive event, it’s important to have people of all ages attend. That’s only possible if you can effectively communicate about your gathering to people young and old. Finding ways to vary communication efforts is key.

Social media may be the most effective way to communicate with young adults and parents of small children. A quick overview of the event giving the necessary details like place and time should suffice. You might also include a link or a QR code to a landing page with more information.

For older adults, email may be an effective digital channel to use. Send out a series of emails with event information to your distribution list. You’ll want to ensure your emails are mobile-friendly for people on the go or using tablets.

Finish your communication efforts using printed flyers sharing all crucial event information to reach less tech-savvy audiences. With these channels covered, you’ll have a wide array of people aware of your event. And that’s a great starting point for high attendance covering every generation.

An Event for the Ages

When the last invoice is signed, sealed, and delivered, and the decor comes down, your event is officially over. Did it go flawlessly? Probably not. But you can be proud you managed an event that was inclusive of a diverse group of attendees. And that makes it one to remember.

Published By: Aize Perez