Good practice:

The Freebird Club

The Freebird Club is a private members club specifically for those aged 50 and older who have an interest in travel and social engagement. For a once-off membership fee of €25, members can access Freebird Club hosts across 80 countries. The owner of the business saw how his father engaged and enjoyed the company of guests (of similar age) renting out a country house in Co.Kerry and the idea for the Freebird Club was generated. The business sought to replicate the social benefits and friendships that his father experienced through the host/guest relationship by creating a private members club for the over 50s. This generates income for the host later in life and is a medium for meeting new people and enjoying social and cultural interaction amongst older adults. The host charges a rate per room per night on a bed and breakfast basis based on the market price in the area. The owners carried out focus groups before the business was launched to gauge the appetite for this service amongst older adults. Feedback was positive and the focus groups also found that members wanted to pay a fee to ensure those who were members were serious about the club. This is a technology driven business and the owners have found that some older adults are not tech savvy. They have overcome this by liaising with active retirement groups and have found community centres offer access to computers to older adults. The club serves the active SilverSME group.

The team of three includes two FTE’s and one part-time person and they outsource their marketing. The business has two sources of income; once-off membership fees and commission from the stay (from both the guest and host). They have also been awarded funding from a number of awards they have won.

The club has 4,500 members in 80 countries and 150-200 hosts in 40 countries. The business has received a number of awards; two United Nations world tourism start-up awards (2019), Irish smart ageing innovation award and European social innovation tournament (2017). In order to grow the business in the next 3 years, they will hire customer care staff with language skills to support hosts and guests. The business has found that older adults like to know there is someone at the end of a phone.

The owners have found finding investors who understand their business has been a challenge. There is a need to educate investors in the value of this business and the silver economy, when they started the business in 2017, the term silver economy was not known and is still not very well known today

The Freebird club have found that they need to nurture the community of 4,500 members that they have so the business has invested in cyber security. Hosts need to provide official proof of identity and address which is an important security feature for their members. The key characteristics of this business of traveling and social engagement specifically for the over 50s has proved to be successful internationally. The club has members in 80 countries in many rural areas. The Freebird club is an example of a good practice that connects a small company with the Silver Economy through a service for older adults.