The V Senior Fair gathered thousands of people on Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21 at the Movistar Arena, with free admission in the Truss hall and access through gate 64 of the old Sports Palace. The event, organized by Eduardo Molet, brought together a predominantly senior audience and more than 50 exhibitors, according to the organization's forecast, which estimated exceeding 10,000 attendees.
Collection of personal data in recreational activities
During the fair, several activities offered guaranteed prizes in exchange for personal data such as name, surname, phone number, and email. An interactive roulette wheel and hearing tests at the stands of companies in the healthcare and hearing aid sector requested additional information after the results, with the aim of conducting comprehensive studies in specialized centers.
Among the exhibitors stood out real estate agencies, insurance companies, home care companies, and a spy shop. The offer of services and products was aimed at the needs of the senior collective, including advice on bare ownership, a modality that allows selling the home while maintaining the right to reside in it.
The collection of personal data in exchange for incentives was one of the practices observed in the venue.
Concern for data protection and transparency
The collection of personal data in a festive environment and with prizes has generated concern among entities and experts in gerontology. Jesús Norberto Fernández, president of the Platform for Seniors and Pensioners, stressed the importance that older people receive clear and understandable information about the use of their data, as well as guarantees of protection in accordance with current regulations.
"The collection of data in exchange for prizes or incentives must be done with total transparency, clearly and comprehensibly explaining for what purpose that data will be used, for how long, if it will be transferred to third parties, and what rights people have. Consent must be free, informed, and not conditioned on advantages that may generate confusion or pressure, especially in vulnerable groups" - Jesús Norberto Fernández, Platform for Seniors and Pensioners
Fernández recalled that the PMP collaborates with the Spanish Data Protection Agency to reinforce the privacy of older people, considered especially vulnerable in the digital environment.
The associations insist that consent must be truly informed and free.
The organizer denies the collection of personal data
Eduardo Molet, head of the fair, rejected any practice of personal data collection by the organization.
"I am not in favor of collecting personal data from attendees and I have never done so at any fair I have organized" - Eduardo Molet, organizer
Molet defended the event as a meeting point between professionals and senior people, aimed at facilitating useful information and services for this group.
Assessments of experts in gerontology
Alejandra Chulián Horrillo and Mª Luisa Delgado Losada, from the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology, pointed out that a fair dedicated to health and aging can be positive if it is truly designed for older people and not just for companies. They warned about the risk of simplifying the diversity of life trajectories and levels of autonomy within this group.
"In a festive environment, with constant stimuli, it is more difficult to stop and read the fine print or understand the real scope of consent, especially if some people incite others, and they enter into a situation that makes it more difficult to reflect on the scope of the transfer of personal data" - Alejandra Chulián Horrillo and Mª Luisa Delgado Losada, SEGG
The experts warned about possible commercial pressures and the anxiety that the loss of control over personal data can generate, especially in people with certain fragility or technological insecurity.
Bare ownership and the need for independent advice
The promotion of bare ownership was one of the recurring messages at the fair. The SEGG specialists reminded that it is a patrimonial decision of great transcendence and that it must be taken with independent advice, time for reflection, and consultation with family members. They insisted that housing is much more than an economic asset for older people.
Patrimonial decisions require clear information and time to evaluate options.
Similar events in Europe
The senior sector will soon have similar events in other European cities. Paris will host the Salon des Seniors, Gothenburg will celebrate the Senior Festival for over 60s, and Vienna the Lebenslust Fair, all of them dedicated to this segment of the population.