A national conference hosted by the American Association of Retired Persons – better known as AARP – kicked off Thursday morning at the San Diego Convention Center.
The 2014 Ideas@50+ National Event & Expo will include appearances by several high-profile notables, including actors Kevin Spacey, LeVar Burton, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Valerie Harper, television personalities Martha Stewart and Samantha Brown, media mogul Arianna Huffington, retired NFL quarterback Dan Marino and technology guru Guy Kawasaki.
The event concludes Saturday with a concert by John Mellencamp, Los Lobos and Mavis Staples. Convention center officials predicted that 15,000 will attend the AARP event.
The next conference is set for Miami.
Among Thursday’s scheduled events is a day of community service, in which AARP members will help with various projects in San Diego neighborhoods, including packing meals for the underprivileged and building skateboards and lap desks for students.
Spacey, known recently for Netflix’s “House of Cards,” but also for his Oscar-winning performances in “American Beauty” and “The Usual Suspects,” will join Emmy-winner Louis-Dreyfus, who played Elaine in “Seinfeld” and now stars in “Veep,” at a general session Friday morning about the nexus between Hollywood and Washington, D.C.
Later Friday, Stewart will talk about sustainability, healthy living and travel. Kawasaki will speak on technology and innovation.
Saturday’s scheduled program includes Harper and Burton in a session called “Life Reimagined,” Huffington on life after 50, and the concert.
Online registration is closed, but attendees can register at the convention center, at 111 W. Harbor Drive, Thursday and beginning at 7 a.m. Friday, and 8 a.m. Saturday.
– City News Service