Amelia Hay, VP-Startup Programming & Investments, AARP
AARP has returned to CES to spotlight the explosive trends in AgeTech and showcase the latest innovations, including the startups and companies in its AgeTech Collaborative from AARP, an ecosystem of investors and other stakeholders working to bring groundbreaking AgeTech to market.
The sprawling dual exhibit featured emerging technologies from 24 startups on one side and thought leadership programming on the other. A pickleball court that welcomed hundreds of players throughout the event and holographic founder pitches added the element of future-forward innovation.
Celebrating her 20th year with AARP, Amelia Hay has held multiple roles in the organization. As vp of startup programming and investments, she oversees the AgeTech Collaborative from AARP trade show and events program, among other aspects. EM caught up with Hay to chat about this year’s booth (Build: MC²), bold design decisions, and best ways to present the intangible.
Event Marketer: How has the exhibit experience evolved for this year’s CES?
Amelia Hay: Usually, I like an open-flow footprint, but this year, we decided to do an immersive, curated journey with a single point of entry. We wanted to find a different approach than kiosk-style exhibits and focus on purely demo for the participating startups. When entering, attendees meet the Proto holograms of three personas that face various conditions and follow them on their journey of navigating those conditions with the help of our startups. Both a web app, accessible through a QR code, and a paper version of the map are available. To create a welcoming and engaging environment, the space is set up like a marketplace, similar to an Apple store, with dedicated areas. The footprint is encompassed with plexiglass and slatted walls to invite attendees in the aisle to wonder what’s inside.
We’re seeing hologram tech gaining ground. What’s the thought process behind choosing it for your exhibit?
I’m always looking for unusual startups. Proto (hologram technology) can attack social isolation, because imagine you could call your family member and have this in your home. We can use this technology in the booth and tailor content to every show to deliver a different and compelling message. We have over 180 startups, but we can only bring so many to a show, so we filmed their 30-second pitches and grouped the content to showcase the full spectrum. Overall, we’re using three large and six small devices.
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This is a new build. Is anything working differently than you envisioned?
The attendees are not using the web app as much as we thought they would. And I love the truly demo layout, so we’re not going back to kiosks. Also, I keep trying to find a way to better showcase the app startups—is it a big screen where people can interact with it? I’m constantly thinking about that because they’re not touch-feel; there’re a lot of benefits to showcasing them.
How are you measuring how this space is performing?
We’ve never done it before now, but this year, we’ve zoned every area and are using heat maps to determine where people linger. There’s a lot of dwell time. I was so against the one-entrance-one-exit layout but the amount of traffic this year far exceeds last year.
It might be too early, but are you already thinking about the presence next year?
Next year, I’m trying something different, possibly going with a concept theme. Right now, people see the products and begin to imagine what they could be in the future. I want to paint the picture of the future.
Take a Tour of the AARP Innovation Labs Booth:
(This interview was edited for length and content).
