Open All Ages

Read the campaign story

Open All Ages repurposed Shanghai nightlife venues during normally quiet morning hours as social spaces for older residents. The D&AD entry describes activities such as chess and opera and a change from ordinary open-or-closed signage to an invitation across ages. The One Show identifies the Shanghai Science and Technology Elderly Service Center as client and Ogilvy Shanghai with production collaborators. The opened records establish the project by the 2024 awards cycle, but not a sufficiently clear launch date, so the year remains unknown.

Editorial interpretation: the campaign looks for unused capacity before asking for new infrastructure. A room that appears fully committed when viewed by business category can have spare capacity when viewed by hour. The sign is a compact expression of a deeper operational change: a different audience is welcome at a different time. Its value depends on the venue actually being usable and welcoming, not on the cleverness of the wording.

The sources describe the intended response to social exclusion, but do not independently establish a reduction in loneliness or a durable expansion of community provision. Attendance and wellbeing should not be conflated. Another team should also avoid assuming that all older people enjoy the same activities. The important design question is whether the space, schedule and programme fit the people who would use them, including those who are not already members of an organised group.

Audit capacity by time rather than label

List when rooms, equipment and staff are available, then compare that pattern with unmet community needs. A venue’s primary identity does not necessarily define every appropriate use. However, spare floor space alone is not enough. Check cleaning, lighting, toilets, seating, ventilation, noise, transport and accessible entry. Establish who is responsible for opening and closing the building. The most promising match may be a modest recurring session rather than a dramatic conversion. Start with the practical timetable and operating agreement before developing a public-facing campaign identity.

Co-design the invitation and the programme

Ask potential participants what they want to do and what might make the venue uncomfortable. A nightclub setting can be intriguing to some and unwelcoming to others. Offer a chance to visit without committing to an activity. Work with local organisers who understand the community, but do not treat one spokesperson as representative of everyone. Use respectful language and avoid framing older residents as passive recipients of entertainment. The campaign should make participation easier while preserving choice about how to spend time and whom to meet.

Budget for continuity after the opening story

Recurring use creates recurring costs: cleaning, supervision, utilities, repairs and coordination. Decide who funds these and what happens when the venue’s commercial schedule changes. Give participants reliable notice of cancellations and an alternative contact route that does not require a smartphone. Measure repeat voluntary use and participant feedback, including reasons people do not return. A popular launch can still leave a weak service if the second month is poorly organised. The communications promise should match the programme’s actual duration rather than implying permanent access from a short pilot.

A bounded test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: a community organisation could partner with one accessible café or hall for a four-week morning programme chosen with local residents. Agree responsibilities, capacity, safeguarding and cancellation arrangements in writing. Offer two different activities and a quiet social option, with no purchase requirement if the partner can fund that model. Compare the sessions with an existing programme in a conventional venue, focusing on access and experience rather than claiming medical benefits. Ask non-attenders what prevented participation. Only consider expansion after the venue and participants agree that the arrangement is useful and operationally sustainable.

Measure repeat attendance, perceived welcome, transport and access barriers, cancellations, host costs and participant-led programme changes. Do not infer reduced loneliness from room occupancy alone.

Stop if the venue is unsuitable, participants feel patronised or the programme relies on unpaid obligations that partners cannot sustain.