Ages

[annie]

As I stated in a previous follow-up to the survey, I would like to open up a thread for discussion on, in general and in specifics, the ages of the attendees at our event, and the related questions of if we believe we should be making more effort to attract more younger attendees, and if so, what particular activities would more appeal to those younger folks?

The first data item I'm going to bring up is the long-term increasing age of our attendee base. The approximate average age reported on our yearly survey for the past 10 years shows an increase of 4-5 years over that span.

The second column is the average reported age and the third column is the five year moving average for the previous five annual surveys.

2007: 54.82
2008: 56.62
2009: 55.93
2010: 56.88
2011: 56.33 56.12
2012: 59.80 57.12
2013: 58.75 57.51
2014: 58.58 58.04
2015: 60.27 58.72
2016: 58.59 59.17

Yes, there's a lot of "noise" in those numbers, but if we look at the five year moving average between 2011 and 2016, we do show the constant increase of average reported age.

I'll be doing a "deeper dive" into the results of the 2016 survey and posting those results shortly. We'll be looking at the average age for most of the activities we've tracked, and doing a complete re-run of the survey counting only the lower reported ages.

Three specific comments regarding attendee age came in on this year's survey and I'm reposting those below. These can also serve as a starting point for discussion.

The big burning questions that come up in ORG circles regarding age of attendees are:

1. Why does the average age of DLV attendees continue to increase?

2. Do we have a need to attract, specifically, younger attendees?

3. What activities, generally and specifically, would be more of interest to younger attendees?
. . . . . . . . . .

Here are the specific age-related comments on this year's survey:

+What can we do to attract younger people? I found the event to be a
+little uptight, geared towards older people. Perhaps the nightly
+dinners could be set up for a certain interest or age group, as
+opposed to the preference for food type or location. That way you
+could connect with similar people with similar interests. I like
+to go to clubs and bars, but found most of the crowd to be late
+50s and 60ish; and more interested in quiet dinners, than clubbing.
+The event was much more quiet than what I would have liked.
. . . . .

+I am worried that DLV is losing touch with attendees under 40 who
+are spending more time at Wildside instead.
. . . . .

+Also, one of the questions brought up by Dr. V. had to do with the
+age of DLV participants, with the answer being that maybe attendees
+skewed towards the mature end of the scale due to economic reasons.
+I'm thinking it's at least partly due to "generational reasons". How
+many people adopt the same social activities of their parents? Maybe
+the reason younger people don't attend is the same reason we did
+different things than what our parents did.

[External Poster]

This posting is from: Gina
----------

Hi All,

Actually I think the issue may be that we are accepted more into society
and there are more local venues for people to experience their female
side. I think the average age is increasing, well because we are all
getting older.

Younger people seem to be more free to live their lives in more of a
gender queer or bigendered role than ever before. When I go to LBGT
events there are more and more young people in this mode.

More action events might bring in more.

But hanging in Vegas is also a fairly large draw. I've tapped into a
couple of the local trans newsletters and let people know about DLV, but
it is still the older crowd that responds.

Gina


----------
(This posting was entered by Gina, an external user of MyDLV.)

[kandi.dolfen]

I think if we limit our discussion to just activities, we will miss the big picture here. We also need to look at subjects like culture & etc,
my $0.02 worth,
Dionne

[annie]

> We also need to look at subjects like culture & etc,

Ok, what specific cultural aspects do you think are relevant?

[External Poster]

This posting is from: Jamie Norman
----------

I have talked to a lot of people who have been to both Diva and
Wildside. Most if not all say Diva is for old people and all they do is
dinners. There are two reasons I go to Diva, The golf Tournament and a
couple of friends go there. There were almost 200 registered for
Wildside and many have been to both but only go to Wildside now.=C2=A0
When you say it is not a convention like Diva says then it should be fun
like Vegas should be. Obviously the girls who go to Diva year after year
think it is fun but it seems the younger girls do not.

Jamie


----------
(This posting was entered by Jamie Norman, an external user of MyDLV.)

[Katie Wilson]

Hi Gang.
I would imagine that younger. Let's say 20 to 40 somethings would not likely be interested in most of what we do and to tailor the whole event for the 5 who might show up would not be very wise. Could this mean in the long run that the older ones among us stop going to D L V due to loud rock bands Rap music taking over and shows on the schedule that do not interest 95% us who attend now?

Frankly I like it the way it is and I am not the slightest bit interested in being in competition with any convention or conference to try to beat their attendance numbers. 100 to 150 at DLV is enough to handle and if we had 50% of the attendees under 40 the whole slant of a nice event would change direction.
However.. and this is quite a big However! >>> We are all going to die one of these days and someone needs to keep the boat afloat as they say.
I can't say I have an answer but I suspect that young T women would be far better off at the Wildside event. That is why the young at heart and more ambitious started it!

Remembering that this is a once a year T Vacation opportunity and most of us have 2 different lives to lead I think that most will be doing a second vacation with their families so the specifics of our event might not fit all and the chances of young girls wanting to waste that opportunity to be with oldies like us is slim at best. Some will fit in with our plan of course as they may be a bit old fashioned in their lifestyles as many are in the world are and always have been but the majority are into completely different forms of entertainment. So lets leave them alone to decide where they go for their vacations. and they will leave me alone to decide on the best way to spend My money too!
( I noticed in the wrap up that Katies Koffee Korner had the oldest attendees. Analyze that if you will? ) *Huge LOL*
Speaking of that, I think I should add another K to it for political correctness and posterity as in = ***Katies. Kozy Koffee Korner***. Providing of course we continue to do it and that Aunt Katie is still around to be the Hostess with the mostest because I suspect that nobody else is dumb enough to get up that early whilst on Vacation.

Getting back on subject. I really do not want to hang around with young people, I have nothing in common with them and they with me either. The times that I have socialized with young T ladies they were great and we got along fine but to spend all week with them? = No.
Obviously this is only My personal slant on the idea and not meant to annoy anyone or sway votes for want of a better word. Yes I know this is not a vote..but the subject keeps coming up and not a lot of ORG people reply to stuff like this so I thought I would. Don't shoot the messenger just because I like D L V the way it is.


KT.

[annie]

> ( I noticed in the wrap up that Katies Koffee Korner had the oldest attendees.
> Analyze that if you will? )

Well, the one thing that comes to mind immediately is that the (relatively) younger ones tend to stay out later and party harder in doing so, and therefore will less likely be up, let alone out and about, at that relatively early hour.

> Yes I know this is not a vote..but the subject keeps coming up and not a lot
> of ORG people reply to stuff like this so I thought I would. Don't shoot the
> messenger just because I like D L V the way it is.

One Big Burning Question that begs to be answered is along the line if we (both volunteers and attendees in general) feel a need or desire to tweak our program such that it would attract more younger people?

(I don't know, I'm asking.)

[annie]

> I've tapped into a couple of the local trans newsletters and let
> people know about DLV, but it is still the older crowd that responds.

One "reason" for older people at TG events, one which I've heard since the 1970s and always assumed to be at least partially true, is that older folks have more disposable income and more free time, so they are the ones who are most likely to have the means to attend.

What this does not explain is the "upward creep" in average age that our event has seen since about 2010 or so.

[kandi.dolfen]

annie wrote :
> > We also need to look at subjects like culture & etc,
> Ok, what specific cultural aspects do you think are relevant?

If we really want to address this age issue we need to take hard look at all aspects of DLV, not just new activities.
This includes culture, image, expenses, diversity & more.
Culture
The first action we took for 2017 was to vote back in our existing Top Cats. While Annie, Bev, Delaney, JoAnn & Ginger do an amazing job and look young, my guess is none are under 45 yrs.
I just past this milestone, myself (;-o))
How will DLV continue into the future? What about a succession plan? We need new kittens in the mix at the top level. Our culture is formed at the highest level and propagates from there.
My suggestions start by creating new two openings at the Board level for <45 yrs. I would nominate Vivian Chen, Megan Grey and Stacy James, as examples. We need their perspective and draw for the younger crowd.

Image
Here are some examples of how this flows into new & existing activities.
New attendee orientation @ Bahama Breeze
It's not so much about having all new activities, maybe just revamping some existing ones.
This orientation is where newcomers get their first impression of DLV. How many leaders of this activity are under 45 yrs. My guess is none.
This is one place where having a <45 yrs. leader would make a good impression.

Honestly, we can't hear Annie making announcements at Bahama, Bev is slightly louder.
But, its about more than hearing these announcements, it about the older image that everyone sees at dinner and in the pix, afterwards.
Have this be an image role with one of the new Board members <45 yrs. presenting the announcements.

Too Expensive to attend DLV
I honestly heard one criticism of DLV as, its that older group that only goes out to expensive sit-down dinners every night.
While Bahama and Trevi are my personal favorites, I outed-out of PF Changs due to expense.
I plan to host the Monster Mini-golf at the RIo hotel for DLV 2017. The prices have changed since their relocation but it's still an inexpensive activity. When rolled into a buffet, it is a more casual, less expensive event than a formal sit-down dinner. More ideas for casual events with lower price tags would be an important step in the right direction.

Diversity
Building diversity makes us stronger. Inclusiveness builds diversity.
Our SO attendees are so important to who we are. We need to include them in the mix. Give them a voice by adding a SO Rep to the Board. One new activity idea to come out of this might be an all SO luncheon. This needs to be led from the top.

I really enjoyed meeting Gurls from across the pond. I suggest we include a Foreign Relations Rep on the Board. They could add new perspective and help promote foreign visitors to attend future DLV's.
Suggested nominations include Debbie Browne - UK and Lisa Brown - AUS.

I thought of these ideas at 3 am this morning and could not go back to sleep until I wrote them down. There are more topics to address. This represents a Tectonic shift but necessary for DLV continuation into the future, IMHO.
my $0.02 worth
Dionne

[Michelle V]

I'm fine with the age range the way it is. Of course I'm still younger than your average but not for long.

Katie Wilson wrote :
> Hi Gang.
> I would imagine that younger. Let's say 20 to 40 somethings would not likely be
> interested in most of what we do and to tailor the whole event for the 5 who might
> show up would not be very wise. Could this mean in the long run that the older ones
> among us stop going to D L V due to loud rock bands Rap music taking over and shows
> on the schedule that do not interest 95% us who attend now?
>
> Frankly I like it the way it is and I am not the slightest bit interested in being in
> competition with any convention or conference to try to beat their attendance
> numbers. 100 to 150 at DLV is enough to handle and if we had 50% of the attendees
> under 40 the whole slant of a nice event would change direction.
> However.. and this is quite a big However! >>> We are all going to die one
> of these days and someone needs to keep the boat afloat as they say.
> I can't say I have an answer but I suspect that young T women would be far better off
> at the Wildside event. That is why the young at heart and more ambitious started it!
>
> Remembering that this is a once a year T Vacation opportunity and most of us have 2
> different lives to lead I think that most will be doing a second vacation with their
> families so the specifics of our event might not fit all and the chances of young
> girls wanting to waste that opportunity to be with oldies like us is slim at best.
> Some will fit in with our plan of course as they may be a bit old fashioned in their
> lifestyles as many are in the world are and always have been but the majority are
> into completely different forms of entertainment. So lets leave them alone to decide
> where they go for their vacations. and they will leave me alone to decide on the best
> way to spend My money too!
> ( I noticed in the wrap up that Katies Koffee Korner had the oldest attendees.
> Analyze that if you will? ) *Huge LOL*
> Speaking of that, I think I should add another K to it for political correctness and
> posterity as in = ***Katies. Kozy Koffee Korner***. Providing of course we continue
> to do it and that Aunt Katie is still around to be the Hostess with the mostest
> because I suspect that nobody else is dumb enough to get up that early whilst on
> Vacation.
>
> Getting back on subject. I really do not want to hang around with young people, I
> have nothing in common with them and they with me either. The times that I have
> socialized with young T ladies they were great and we got along fine but to spend all
> week with them? = No.
> Obviously this is only My personal slant on the idea and not meant to annoy anyone or
> sway votes for want of a better word. Yes I know this is not a vote..but the subject
> keeps coming up and not a lot of ORG people reply to stuff like this so I thought I
> would. Don't shoot the messenger just because I like D L V the way it is.
>
>
> KT.