This week employers, policy makers, corporations (big and small), designers, artists, academics, inventors and social commentators will come together in a free event to explore the social and economic opportunities of a Britain in which the average person now lives. ‘The Age of No Retirement?‘ is a landmark event, a national debate about the opportunities in a society where we are living longer, which will look to break new ground and imagine new futures.

We are used to hearing about the demographic time bomb, baby boomers and the unsustainable cost of the ever-growing older generation. But, people are now living longer, healthier and more productively than ever before. In other words, we are younger for longer. So we need to start thinking in terms of positives, and what this means for the UK: a fit, educated work force that possesses that most valuable of assets – experience. And we can’t let all this talent go to waste.

The event will use talks from experts, open stakeholder debates, and participatory workshops, plus the involvement of artists to bring the insights to life. At the end of two days of thinking the co-authored insights will be pulled together and recorded in one unique collection of new ways of thinking.

The organisers hope to change thinking on a massive scale and ‘The Age of No Retirement?’ starting on the 1st October is the first step in this process.

‘The Age of No Retirement?’ is about breaking away from the patterns of the past and tuning into new opportunities and possibilities. The two days are about working collectively with openness. They are about asking ‘what kind of world do we want to live in?’, ‘isn’t there a way to change what we have for the better?’, ‘how can we create a better society for our children and our grandchildren?’ Trading Times and Commonland.

Wednesday, 1 October 2014 and Thursday, 2 October 2014. Southbank, United Kingdom. Register for your free tickets here.