gray now keynote Speeches
All of Matt Thornhill’s presentations begin with a simple premise: older adults are already shaping decisions today. The question is how organizations respond. Each presentation is customize to the organization, event, and audience.
Gray Now: The Future Is Here
The big picture keynote
For decades, leaders have heard predictions about an aging society. Gray Now starts where those predictions end. Longer lives and older populations are no longer a future condition—they are already shaping decisions across companies, industries, organizations, nonprofits, and communities today.
This keynote helps audiences understand what has actually changed, why many organizations still underestimate its impact, and how recognizing the present reality of older adults immediately reframes planning, priorities, and opportunity. Audiences leave with a clear understanding of why the future they prepared for has already arrived—and what that means now.
Best for: conferences, association keynotes, mixed audiences, opening sessions.
Gray Now: Why Older Adults Can’t Be Treated as Optional
The wake-up keynote
Many organizations acknowledge demographic change but continue to treat older adults as secondary or future-focused. This presentation examines why that assumption persists—and why it increasingly leads to missed opportunities, strategic blind spots, and costly misalignment.
Rather than focusing on aging as a social issue, this keynote shows how older adults already influence demand, expectations, and decision-making in real time. It challenges audiences to rethink long-standing assumptions and recognize older adults as central to what comes next.
Best for: leadership teams, boards, industries experiencing change, organizations facing growth or relevance challenges.
Gray Now: The $8 Trillion Reality Hiding in Plain Sight
the economic opportunity keynote
The economic influence of people over 50 is enormous, yet widely misunderstood. This keynote explores the scale and significance of the $8 trillion 50+ economy and explains why traditional assumptions about older consumers and constituents no longer hold.
Rather than treating older adults as a niche market, audiences learn how longevity is changing spending patterns, expectations, and influence across nearly every sector. The result is a clearer understanding of where growth, relevance, and opportunity actually lie today.
Best for: business audiences, economic development groups, industry conferences, strategy-focused events.
Gray Now: The Decisions That Change Once You See It Clearly
The action-oriented keynote
Once leaders recognize that older adults are already central to their organization’s future, the conversation shifts from awareness to decision-making. This keynote focuses on what changes next—how priorities shift, how assumptions get reexamined, and how organizations begin aligning strategy with demographic reality.
Through examples and practical insight, audiences see how small changes in perspective lead to different decisions about planning, investment, communication, and leadership. The result is not a new initiative, but a clearer framework for moving forward.
Best for: executive retreats, planning sessions, follow-on keynotes, organizations ready to act.
Event or Meeting Planner?
You’ll find Matt is very easy to work with and goes the extra mile. Learn more about how Matt works here.