Lifestyle Expo will reflect dynamic Cruces market

By Jeff Barnet / jbarnet@lcsun-news.com

Posted: 02/26/2011 01:00:00 AM MST

LAS CRUCES - It's back and better than ever.

The Southwest Senior Lifestyle Exposition, a trade show that will reflect the dynamic market for business and other services to people 50 and older in the city of Las Cruces, will be held at the Las Cruces Convention Center, 680 E. University Ave., on March 18 and 19.

The Lifestyle Expo is organized by Southwest Senior magazine, a Las Cruces monthly that has been owned and published by Keith Whelpley for 15 years.

About six years ago, Southwest Senior hosted the Baby Boomer and Better Expo in Las Cruces, which attracted thousands over two days, he said. The new Lifestyle Expo is modeled after the Boomer and Better Expo, he said, and he hopes the event will attract 4,000 to 5,000 people, possibly even more.

"While our expo is open to all people, it is designed for anyone 50 years of age and older," Whelpley said. "Las Cruces is repeatedly named one of the nation's best places to retire. The city should have an event like this."

He added that these types of expos are popular in cities throughout Florida, Arizona and many other states.

A lifestyle expo is one that features a diverse array of businesses, products, information and services, he said. It includes health care, he said, but it offers much more than that. There will be 90 booths at the Expo, he said, and they are expected to be sold out well in advance of the event. Event-goers can learn about such topics as travel, finances, reverse mortgages, cars, RVs,city services, veteran services and more. Sponsors will host several breakout seminars on a variety of topics, he said.

The Southwest Senior Lifestyle Expo is kind of a 2-for-1 event, as the city of Las Cruces will simultaneously offer its Veterans Services Mini-Expo, Whelpley said.

As publisher of the magazine, Whelpley said he has seen the work of the local chapter of Disabled American Veterans and the tremendous effort they make to help veterans. Visitors to the event will have the opportunity to donate money to help disabled veterans of all ages with health care costs, he said.

In addition, the entire Expo will have as its theme "The Greatest Generation," with music and other elements from the 1940s era.

The War Eagles Air Museum will provide memorabilia from the era as well as a electronic display of its museum, located in Santa Teresa. "Because of southern New Mexico's rich military history, it's fitting the largest city south of Albuquerque continually honor its soldiers, past and present," Whelpley said.

Southwest Senior's vice president for business development, Stan Glitz, emphasized that the Lifestyle Expo is an all-Las Cruces event.

"It's all people from Las Cruces," he said. "No one from out of town, not even people from other parts of the state."

Glitz said the booth vendors "run the gamut" in services.

"We have a very diverse group," he said. "People need to see the services that are available. This is a dynamic market."

Whelpley said that, about a decade ago, he briefly published a seniors magazine in El Paso. He said he quickly learned that the senior scene in El Paso is completely different than the one in Las Cruces.

"In El Paso, you have a lot of what some people call 'aging in placers,'" he said. "That is, they've already made all their choices about insurance, health care, shopping, whatever it is."

In contrast, he said, the 50 and older population in Las Cruces is much different, much more mobile, he said. There's a steady influx of newcomers to the area also, meaning that a lot of people are still making choices about everything to automobiles to travel to health care.

The Lifestyle Expo will give city businesses and services a chance to connect with this diverse, mobile group, he said.

"We are expecting a really big turnout," he said.

Jeff Barnet can be reached at (575) 541-5476.