Death Cafe us a "social franchise" that allows individuals to host events in which they can discuss a variety of different topics that all relate back to death and morality.
So far, Death Cafe has helped to initiate thousands of events around the globe and provides those interested with a guide on how to do this. To have an event, the host simply needs to have a facilitator, a venue and guests. During the event the topics themselves can be as open-ended as the facilitator and host would like them to be, as long as they are related to death and mortality.
While the Death Cafe is not intended to be a grief counselling or support session, it can help people who want to come to terms with such issues like terminal illnesses or their fears over death. It can also be designed to simply discuss the subject for curiosity's sake.
Death Discussion Groups
Death Cafe Initiates Accessible, Confidential Discussions About Mortality
Trend Themes
1. Death Discussion Groups - The trend of creating safe spaces for discussing death and mortality provides an opportunity for companies to offer innovative end-of-life products and services.
2. Social Franchising - The concept of social franchising, exemplified by Death Cafe, allows for the creation of accessible discussion groups around niche topics, opening up opportunities for franchise-based Innovation.
3. Open-ended Grief Discussions - A trend towards more open-ended, non-structured grief discussions provides an opportunity for startups to create new and innovative therapeutic tools and resources.
Industry Implications
1. Healthcare - The healthcare industry can create innovative, end-of-life services and resources based on the trend of creating conversations around death and mortality.
2. Marketing - Marketing companies can leverage the trend of social franchising to help niche discussion groups such as Death Cafe take root in new parts of the world.
3. Therapy - The trend towards more open-ended grief discussions provides an opportunity for therapy companies to develop new tools and resources that help people process their grief in unconventional ways.