Lifestyles
Media Guide to Life@50+ AARP’s National Event & Expo
News Release
September 23, 2004
Event Overview: Life@50+ | AARP's National Event & Expo in its fourth year, promises to be the biggest yet at the Las Vegas Sands Expo & Convention Center, October 14-16, 2004. Featured entertainers Smokey Robinson, James Taylor and The Smothers Brothers will delight the more than 20,000 expected AARP members.
Life@50+ is a unique expo and entertainment weekend for people who want to make the most of their lives at 50+. This national event features politicians, entertainers, exhibits, lectures, and health and fitness activities. Come to hear-Pulitzer prize winner journalist Dave Barry, Maya Angelou known as a remarkable Renaissance woman and one of the great voices of contemporary literature, actor Danny Glover, actress Mariel Hemmingway, admired actor, comedian, director, producer and humanitarian Jerry Lewis, seven-time Emmy Award-winner Mary Tyler Moore, famed Civil Rights leader Coretta Scott King, and much more. Take in a show featuring headline entertainers Smokey Robinson, James Taylor, and The Smothers Brothers.
Daily highlights include an early morning fitness activity by a national celebrity; ongoing musical performances showcasing Las Vegas talent; AARP University, lifestyle and feature sessions presenting dozens of celebrities and experts offering insights, entertainment and expertise on everything from TV sports to retiring abroad; on-site recording of veterans' oral histories by the Library of Congress and civil rights recollections by AARP Magazine staff; and finally, a festival of independent films with age-related themes, with commentary by Roger Ebert.
Speaker Interviews (see daily listing below for names and times): Need to be scheduled by calling Barbara Foelber at 202-434-2573.
Headline Entertainer Interviews: Call Barbara Foelber at 202-434-2573 to make arrangements for advance interviews in coordination with their publicists.
ADVANCE ACTIVITIES
Wednesday, October 13 (5:00 p.m.)
Presidential Debate Watch Party
The last Presidential Debate from Tempe, Arizona will be available for AARP members to attend The Last Great Debate. This is an excellent chance to observe 50+ Americans reaction to this debate.
Project start date: September 7, 2004 with completion October 14, 2004
Homes for All Ages
This project is a partnership with Home Depot that is benefiting a deserving recipient as their home is modified making it navigable and livable for its residents. Home Depot is supplying material, skilled volunteers and AARP Nevada volunteers will work on this project. At the opening ceremonies, the keys will be turned back over to the home owners.
Project start date September 1, 2004 through October 16, 2004
Books and Bricks
AARP Nevada is partnering with the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation in a community outreach project for the National Event in Las Vegas to support The Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy. This school is a national model charter school whose goal is to offer academic programs designed to enhance a child's character, respect, motivation and self-discipline. Agassi Prep is located in the heart of Las Vegas' most at-risk neighborhood and was created specifically to improve skill levels and combat lowered academic expectations.
Two areas that will be addressed include establishing a library and working to raise building funds. In order to establish a library at the school, there is a need to purchase books and AARP members, and AARP and NRTA staff and exhibitors have been invited to purchase a book or brick supporting both the library effort and building fund. Working with Barnes & Noble and the school, a complete list of books needed for all grades through eighth grade has been made available in advance and attendees will have opportunity to purchase on site in the exhibit hall at the "Books and Bricks" exhibit.
Project start date September 22, 23 and performances October 14-16
Silver Stars
This project is a partnership with KQOL and has offered opportunity to Las Vegas talent 50+ to audition for an opportunity to perform during Life@50+ on the performance stage in the exhibit hall. Local talent along with three AARP employees will be performing on the performance stage in the exhibit hall throughout the three days.
Project start date June 21 with winners announced October 16, 2004
AARP & IHRSA Fitness Program
AARP and IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sports club Association) offered the 50+ population in and around Las Vegas, Chicago, Seattle, New Orleans, Washington DC and San Francisco the opportunity to improve their fitness this summer, and a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas for Life@50+ | AARP's National Event > Expo. A custom training program with their own personal fitness trainer ran from June 21 through September 12. The twelve winners will be presented on Saturday, October 16 at 2:45 p.m. on the exhibit hall performance stage.
Media Opportunities Thursday, October 14, 2004:
Opening Ceremony (10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., AARP Theatre, Hall A) featuring:
Maya Angelou, one of the great voices of contemporary literature and a remarkable Renaissance woman. With mesmerizing grace, the poet, educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director will deliver a savoring performance. The Capitol Steps, the only group in America that attempts to be funnier than the Congress, is a troupe of current and former Congressional staffers who monitor events and personalities on Capitol Hill, in the Oval Office, and in other centers of power and prestige around the world and then take a humorous look at serious issues while providing a nationwide laugh for millions...
Exhibit Hall (Opening at 11:30 a.m. with ongoing activities until 5:30 p.m., Exhibit Hall) March down to the Exhibit Hall with The Herald Trumpets.
Feature Exhibits
With over 300 exhibitors there is a huge variety of booth exhibits and activities. We have highlighted those booths that offer the highest level of excitement and creativity, please visit them to see what high level of service and entertainment exhibitors have for attendees at Life@50+.
- AARP's Driver Safety Program (2246) - They are celebrating their 25th anniversary with an interactive NASCAR exhibit where attendees can know what it would be like to drive a NASCAR race car.
- The Hartford (H2) - 50's style café in their booth complete with rock and roll music.
- AARP Credit Card Services from Bank One (I1) - Offering attendees who register for a credit card a spin on their large "Money Wheel" filled with prizes. Attendees can also have their picture taken with Elvis, the Rat Pack, or a Vegas Showgirl.
- Foremost (E1) - New AARP Motorcycle Insurance Program - Launching their new motorcycle insurance program from Foremost for AARP members. To celebrate their launch, Evel Knievel will greet members at their booth on Friday and Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. A motorcycle will also be on display.
- Anheuser-Busch (1228) - Diamond Sponsor, will have both samplings of various beers on the floor and showcasing cooking with beer.
- Barnes and Noble (554) - They will have a bookstore on the exhibit floor. The store will carry books and host book signings from AARP members. They are working with the Agassi School Books and Bricks Project who will also be on the floor. Attendees will be able to purchase books on the exhibit floor for the School which is located in Las Vegas.
- Genesis Homes (333, 347) - Will build a Universal Design home on the exhibit floor.
- Pillsbury (446) - Cooking demonstrations in the exhibit booth
- Procter and Gamble (1819) - Diamond Sponsor, will showcase products that are popular and directed at the 50+ age demographic.
- The Home Depot (740) - Diamond Sponsor, they will have products showing how to use them to update homes for Universal Design as well as will be remodeling a local home in the Las Vegas area to be revealed the opening day of the event.
- United Health Group (422) - Diamond Sponsor, offering free health screenings to attendees.
- Voices of Civil Rights Bus Tour (1711) - The Bus Tour will be ending with it's arrival at the National Event in Las Vegas. The Bus and Trailer feature pictures and stories about the 1961 Freedom riders as well as other participants in the Civil Rights movement.
HIGHLIGHTS OF EXHIBIT HALL
- Books and Bricks
AARP is partnering with the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation in a community outreach project to provide books for the elementary and secondary divisions of the school. This school has opened a new and spacious library, but few additional funds exist to provide books for those empty shelves. An on-going effort with AARP members and AARP and NRTA staff has been underway since September to fill the library shelves. All books that are purchased will go directly into the library at the Agassi Preparatory Academy. Books can be bought three ways: on-line, Life@50+ Member Event booth or at Barnes and Noble stores near you. Come see the difference AARP members and the Las Vegas community can make for the start of the 2004/05 school year.
- Veterans History Exhibit and Program
Staff will record veterans' oral histories for the Library of Congress' collection. AARP and the Library of Congress have taken thousands of histories to date and this event will offer opportunity to collect even more. - Voices of Civil Rights Project
AARP, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), and the Library of Congress are proud to present Voices of Civil Rights. Listen and read thousands of untold firsthand accounts of this pivotal period in American history through the web as well as print and broadcast outlets. The Civil Rights bus has traveled around the country over the past few months and will arrive on the floor of the exhibit hall.
The Performance Stage will showcase The Herald Trumpets opening the exhibit hall; Cirque Stilt Walkers, The Winged Atmosphere Dancer, The Juggler, The Ribbon Strolling Atmosphere, Louie Louie Vegas Band, AARP Silver Stars, The Doo-Woop Band, and Meet and Greet The Rat Pack: Frank, Sammy and Dean and Elvis Presley. Other performers for Friday and Saturday include Mirachi Saguayo and Latin Folklorico Group, Disk Jockey: Best of Steve Scott, Chuy & Company Salsas Band and Salsa Dance Instructors and The Golden New Orleans Band.
Lifestyle Sessions (1:00-2:00 p.m.)-These sessions are designed to share unique approaches to making the most out of life after 50 and to empower people to take charge of the economic, social, and physical aspects of their life@50+.
- Brain Health Across the Lifespan: Keeping the Mind Alert in Later Life (Venetian Hall D2) Dr. Paul Nussbaum
- AARP Celebrates Cinema Kickoff (Venetian Hall D1) - Roger Ebert, co-host of "Ebert & Roeper and the Movies," which appears on more than 200 television stations and ranks as the top-rated weekly syndicated half-hour show on television, will kick off AARP Celebrates Cinema.
- Hallmark Writers on Tour (Venetian Casanova 504) Barbara Loots (host), Bill Gray and Molly Wigand
- Music for the Health of It (Venetian Casanova 506) - Dr. Barry Bittman, MD, is a neurologist, author, international speaker, award-winning producer/director, inventor, and CEO and Medical Director of the Mind-Body Wellness Center, a comprehensive, interdisciplinary outpatient medical facility in Meadville, PA. Dr. Bittman's programs integrate the power of mind, body and spirit with conventional medical care. Your Financial Life@50+: Safe, Simple, Secure with U.S. Treasury Securities. Paul Vogelzang, Executive Director, Investor Education and Communications Staff, Bureau of the Public Debt, in the Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC. will lead a discussion on investing in U.S. Treasury Securities.
- Your Financial Life@50+: Safe, Simple, Secure with U.S. Treasury Securities (Sands 203) Paul Vogelzang, Executive Director, Investor Education and Communications Staff, Bureau of the Public Debt, in the Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC. will lead a discussion on investing in U.S. Treasury Securities.
Feature Sessions (2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.)
- Making the Most of Life with Jerry Lewis (Performance Stage, Exhibit Hall) For more than 45 years, Jerry Lewis has personified the fight against neuromuscular diseases. As national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), he is a leader who wages battles on behalf of the more than a million Americans affected by these disorders. To his millions of fans, he is not only an admired actor, comedian, director, producer, and teacher, but a humanitarian striving to provide "his kids" a better future. Since 1966, his Labor Day Telethons have raised some $900 million for the search for treatments and cures for neuromuscular diseases, and to provide unparalleled service to those affected by them. Come meet one of the greatest physical comics of all time.
- Cooking for Two Peggy Fleming & Lynn Vetted (Venetian Hall D2)
AARP Celebrates Cinema (2:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Sands 205) La Papillion (The Butterfly)
AARP Welcome to Las Vegas Party/Mixer (Performance Stage, Exhibit Hall) (4:30 - 5:30 p.m.)
Media Opportunities Friday, October 15, 2004:
Morning Fitness (7:30-8:30 a.m., Hall D1) Start the morning with several hundred of the heartiest. Kathy Kaehler, NBC's Today Show fitness expert and personal trainer to Julia Roberts, Michelle Pfeiffer, Drew Barrymore, Cindy Crawford, and others, will lead attendees in aerobics.
A.M. Feature Sessions
AARP's 2011 Council (9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Performance Stage, Exhibit Hall) For the third year, this advisory panel will take a hard look at influences on the boomer generation and impact that can be expected from them on politics, business, entertainment, and academics. New members for the 2004 panel include "boomer influential" actress Cybill Shepherd, political consultant Donna Brazile, and Boomer Nation author and University of Oklahoma professor, and resident historian for the History channel Steve Gillon and Chris Buckley, humorist and satirist.
AARP Celebrates Cinema (9:30-11:30 a.m. Sands 205) The Nutty Professor
Exhibit Hall (9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Exhibit Hall)
- Performance Stage features Mariachi Saguayo and Latin Folklorico Group, Disk Jockey: Best of Steve Scott and AARP Silver Stars.
AARP University (11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)
- Sex and Aging (Venetian Hall D1) Dr. Ruth Westheimer will present "Sex and Aging - Exploding Old Myths and Forecasting Future Trends.
- Prescription Drug Importation: Is It Safe and Affordable? (Venetian Hall D2) AARP experts will be presenting information around this issue.
- Money Matters: Securing Your Retirement Through Social Security and Savings (Venetian Casanova 504) AARP experts will be presenting information around this issue.
- Finding the Perfect Job: Are you Prepared for Today's Changing Workforce? (Venetian Casanova 506) AARP experts share current demographic data on the workplace and share what it will take to keep older workers.
- Bet on Community Service! (Sands 203) AARP experts will be presenting information around this issue.
AARP Celebrates Cinema (12:00 - 1:00 p.m.) (Sands 205) Tunanooda
Lifestyle Sessions (1:00 - 2:00 p.m.)
- Help Protect Your Identity and Your Future! (Sands 203) Phil Bartlett and Karen Trimmer provide unique insight and consumer tips.
- The Consumer WatchDog (Venetian Hall D1) Veteran New York City television journalist, Arnold Diaz, has over the years regularly exposed wrongdoings and incompetence by private industry and government agencies that resulted in actions by law enforcement officials, as well as the enactment of legislation. Attendees will gain new insight and understanding around consumer issues.
- The Joy of Gardening (Venetian Casanova 506) Lecturer and horticulture expert, Linn Mills has been both a student and teacher of Nevada plant life for over 35 years. A chance to learn inside secrets of gardening.
- Achieving Healthier and Safer Medical Care Results (Venetian Casanova 504) Dr. Reed Tuckson, UnitedHealth Group, Senior Vice President of Consumer Health and Medical Care Advancement will speak with attendees.
- Making Sense of Supplements (Venetian Hall D2) A panel of medical experts including Brent Bailey, Dr. Annette Dickinson, Patricia Knight, Peter Reinecke, Dr. Roger Williams and Dr. Raul Zimmerman will educate attendees around the use of supplements.
AARP Celebrates Cinema (1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Sands 205) Em & Me
AARP University (2:30 - 3:30 p.m.)
- Medicare, Rx, and AARP (Venetian Hall D1) Hear AARP experts discuss current status of Medicare Rx legislation.
- Health & Nutrition: Staying Hale and Hardy @50+ (Venetian Hall D2) AARP experts educate attendees around health and nutrition.
- Hit the Jackpot-Have a Close Relationship with your Grandchildren! (Venetian Casanova 504) AARP experts share insights around relationships.
- AARP.org & You: Viva Las Computers! (Venetian Casanova 506) Computer experts share tips with attendees.
- Voice of the Member: AARP Listening to You (Sands 203) Wonder how members are heard? Come find out in this session.
AARP Celebrates Cinema (4:00 - 4:00 p.m. Sands 205) Flowers for Charlie and Let's Face It
P.M. Feature Sessions (4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Performance Stage, Exhibit Hall)
Barry in 2004-Humorist Dave Barry entertains attendees with his unique insights and sense of humor.
Concert (7:30-9:30 Hall A)-Mirth and Motown - The Smothers Brothers & Smokey Robinson
Media Opportunities Saturday, October 16, 2004:
Morning Fitness (7:30-8:30 a.m., Hall D1) Famed actress Mariel Hemingway will lead In Balance Yoga session for attendees. Mariel recently released a yoga memoir called Finding My Balance that is an introspective view of her personal growth.
Closing Show (9:00-10:30 a.m., AARP Theatre, Hall A) featuring actress Mary Tyler Moore.
Lifestyle Session (10:30 a.m. - 12 noon)
Staying Sharp - Memory, Stress, and Multi-Tasking (Venetian Hall D2)
AARP Celebrates Cinema (10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Sands 205) The Same River Twice
Exhibit Hall (10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Exhibit Hall)
Performance Stage features Chuy & Company Salsa Band and Salsa Dance Instructors and The Golden New Orleans Band.
Recognizing AARP/IHRSA Fitness Winners (2:45 - 3:15 p.m.) Come meet the winners from six cities (Las Vegas, New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC, and Chicago) who took the challenge to work with a fitness trainer and change their lives.
Lifestyle Sessions (11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon)
- Making the Most of Your Money (Venetian Casanova 506) Jane Bryant Quinn, the nation's leading commentator on personal finance, will lead this session.
- The History of Beer in America (Venetian Casanova 504) Dr. William J. Vollmar, corporate historian at Anheuser-Busch, will dazzle attendees with beer trivia and facts.
- Avoiding Thefts, Cons, and Street Scams: With the World's Only Legal Pickpocket (Venetian Hall D1) Bob Arno, pickpocket, comedian, entertainer, and lecturer brings comedy as well as the serious side of pickpockets and other street crime.
Feature Session (12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Performance Stage, Exhibit Hall)
Fifty Years After Brown vs. Board of Education: Where Have We Been and Where We Are Going - Coretta Scott King, one of the most influential women a leader in the world today, discusses how far the Civil Rights Movement has come and how far it still has to go.
AARP University/Lifestyle Sessions (2:00 - 3:00 p.m.)
- The Joy of Home Decorating (Venetian Hall D2) Frank Bielec, well-known "Trading Spaces" designer, will be on hand to share decorating tips with attendees.
- AARP's Member Benefits: What $12.50 Earns (Venetian Casanova 504) AARP experts share with attendees the best deal in town.
- ID Theft: Protecting Your Good Name (Sands 203) AARP experts educate attendees around the dangers of ID theft.
AARP Celebrates Cinema (2:00 - 4:00 p.m.) (Sands 205) Climbing Miss Sophie and Make 'em Dance: The Hackberry Ramblers
Feature Session (3:30 - 5:00 p.m.) (Performance Stage, Exhibit Hall) AARP, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), and the Library of Congress are proud to present Voices of Civil Rights. For the past year, this project has been collecting and preserving thousands of personal stories, oral histories, and personal artifacts of the Civil Rights Movement. The collection will form the world's largest archive of personal accounts of civil rights in America and will be permanently housed at the Library of Congress.
Bringing to life the Voices of Civil Rights will be leaders including famed actor Danny Glover, civil rights leader Dorothy I. Height, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Raul Yzaguirre, and the co-founder and first vice president emeritus of the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO ("UFW") Dolores C. Huerta.
See You In N'Awlins Mardi Gras Parade (5:00 - 6:00 p.m.) (Performance Stage, Exhibit Hall) Come learn about the 2005 Life@50+ AARP's National Event & Expo.
Concert: Sweet Baby James – An Evening with James Taylor (AARP Theatre, Hall A)