The wellness trend started by offering healthier meal selections but has now bloomed into a whole culture for corporate event ideas. As people's personal values are developing and they become more mindful in their personal lives, their expectations for meetings and conferences are changing as well. Incorporating them into the corporate event ideas atmosphere is necessary to maintain a competitive edge over others trying to ride the wellness trend.
What makes addressing wellness different from other event trends? Wellness is values-based. It is an action, not just a culture. That means instead of simply adding a wellness feature or offering, it creates a shift in how event planners view their events.
It’s a value that’s not going away. Wellness is the underpinning standard with which every decision is held to:
Is this good for the audience?
How does this affect the wellness of the audience?
Create a Culture of Wellness to Align Your Corporate Event Ideas with Your Audience
In the past, many event planning decisions had been made to incorporate one or two elements of a design trend, thinking about the experience it creates. With wellness in corporate events, it’s about embracing a shift to creating a value and culture that is in line with the audience’s personal lives. Wellness is an ideal that should permeate every area of the event.
Delight Attendees by Moving Past Salads with Specialized Menus
The first part of the wellness trend appeared in the corporate event ideas menu, moving from less processed foods to more green offerings. But it hasn’t stopped there. Serving plenty of health-conscious options is a good start but these days healthy, clean eating and special diets mean much more than low-cal options. There are dietary considerations, local farm to table movements, and a host of other desired meal preferences outside of the standard side salad.
Select Venues That Support Wellness to Emphasize the Mission
If wellness is a goal for the conference, it must be incorporated into every aspect of the event. One of those areas is selecting a venue that supports the wellness mission. Some venues require the use of approved caterers and if those caterers do not have wellness options, the corporate event ideas premise will fall flat upon delivery.
Instead, look for venues that support wellness pursuits and can accommodate food and activities. For instance SAVOR, the caterer at McCormick Place in Chicago, sources some of its food from its 2.5-acre rooftop gardens. It is also committed to using non-antibiotic-raised meats. For corporate event planners who embrace the wellness lifestyle, finding a venue and vendors that support it is essential to the plan’s success.
Add an Element of Giving Back to Enhance the Overall Wellness Experience and Give Back to the Host City.
By making a difference and doing some good in the local community, attendees will walk away from the meeting satisfied that they contributed and stepped outside of themselves. Studies show that when people give back they are likely to become a loyal customer.
In the consumer world, 84% of customers agree that brands have a responsibility to make the world a better place. And that feeling is starting to be a major factor why organizations incorporate a corporate social responsibility (CSR) experience into their meeting. They want that brand loyalty and recognition.
New corporate event ideas have been created to offer a deeper dive into wellness and meetings. The Health and Wellness Forum coming up in February of 2019 in Chicago will fully immerse the attendee into a healthy experience while educating planners on how to design corporate events to successfully integrate wellness into a meeting that not only appeals to long-time attendees, but attracts new attendees as well. This grassroots event was created by three industry professionals who believe meeting design must change to be healthy and that meeting professionals also need to take their own wellness into consideration to be at the peak of their performance.
CONCLUSION
Incorporating wellness in today’s corporate event ideas is much more than just adding a few healthy eating choices to the menu. There is an entire culture built around the wellness movement and to embrace it authentically means offering more than trendy dishes. It revolves around improving the lives of attendees through value-based design. For event and conference planners who are able to do that, their event becomes a must-attend year after year.
To learn more about corporate event ideas that will help grow your business, attend The Event Planner Expo each year to learn about the latest corporate trends.
