It’s no secret that the idea of healthier and more mindful living is on the rise. Incorporating balance into daily work life is becoming more and more important to minimize stress and maximize performance. So while May is Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s still important to highlight the significance of wellness and well-being the entire year.
Quick Links:
- Why Health and Wellness Matter
- Benefits of Health and Wellness Activities
- Seven Health and Wellness Activities to Include at Your Next Event
- How Event Planners Can Prioritize Their Own Health and Wellness
- Integrate Health & Wellness Into Your Next Event with Bishop-McCann
Why Health and Wellness Matter
Whether it’s taking time to cook a healthy meal, attending a workout class, going for a relaxing walk, or sitting down with a book, we take care of ourselves in all kinds of ways. In our fast-paced lives, the moments when we can slow down and prioritize our well-being are integral for improving mental health.
Wellness isn’t just the activities or programs you do; it’s also the lifestyle you choose. Actively taking steps to live a healthy lifestyle can help reduce stress, improve sleep, and leave you feeling more energized. Those benefits are exactly what many of us are hoping to achieve as we juggle both work and home life. This year, the American Psychological Association (APA) reported that 90% of the public believes there is a mental health crisis, so obviously, we need to prioritize taking care of ourselves now more than ever.
If you aren’t placing a focus on your health and wellness, you might face burnout. This can mean mental and physical exhaustion, making it difficult to put your best foot forward in both your work and personal life. This barrier to productivity not only impacts our personal lives but also can have implications for other employees and businesses.
While health and wellness are often discussed as aspects we should prioritize outside of the typical 9-5 workday, this shouldn’t be the only place we have this priority. In fact, younger generations in the workforce are voicing their concerns and encouraging businesses to address mental health issues at work.
.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=DSC09545%20Sergey%20Degtyarenko%20(1).jpg)
Benefits of Health and Wellness Activities
Businesses know that to keep their employees performing at a high level, they need to focus more on the health and well-being of their employees. One way to do this is to host meetings, events, or incentive programs with wellness activities incorporated into them. These events not only show attendees that management cares about them, but they leave them feeling energized and rejuvenated.
- Boosted Morale: Health and wellness activities, when done with other people, help build communities. Within these communities, individuals can strengthen their relationships with one another, improving communication and the ability to work as a team; ultimately, boosting morale in collaborative environments.
- Increased Productivity: When incorporating health and wellness at events (particularly with exercise), attendees tend to feel more energized and focused, which then helps boost productivity. For businesses hosting events, encouraging employees to stay active after the event helps them be more efficient when returning to work.
- Reduced Stress: Wellness activities can introduce attendees to various methods that manage stress, whether that be mindfulness and meditation, exercise, breath work, or time management. Plus, participating in wellness activities can give them tools to reduce the stress in their daily lives.
- Enhanced Company Culture: To foster a sense of community and create an enjoyable company culture where employees are excited about their work, organizations should use health and wellness initiatives to enhance employee satisfaction. Not only does this mean happier employees, but this could also lead to increased retention rates for businesses.
Keep in mind that these are only a handful of the benefits that come from promoting health and wellness for your employees, and one of the best places to do this is at a corporate event. In fact, incorporating health and wellness activities during events opens the door to a wide variety of activities that are not only fun for guests, but also promote connections and a healthy lifestyle.
Seven Health and Wellness Activities to Include at Your Next Event
Scheduling health and wellness activities into any event is always a successful addition that keeps attendees energized and engaged. Because there are several ways to include these activities, here are a few ideas to consider.
Yoga, Meditation, or Fitness Classes
To reiterate what we said earlier, a positive mood and energy level can contribute to productivity. You’ve most likely heard the term “runner’s high” before, which refers to the increase in endorphin levels that your body releases after exercising. This hormone release can reduce stress and even lift spirits, all because of the boost of energy you get after moving your body.
Event organizers can target this feeling by including yoga, meditation, or other fitness activities in the schedule during corporate events. Plus, when these activities are performed with others, the social aspect helps contribute to a sense of community, boosting relationships among peers – not to mention these are fun activities that can break up the serious business sessions in your schedule.
Zen Zones
At a previous event, our team at Bishop-McCann incorporated a “Zen Zone” into the event space, giving attendees an area to go to escape the fast-paced meeting environment. After the general session, we dedicated a portion of the afternoon to wellness and self-improvement, inviting attendees to the Zen Zone.
When planning your Zen Zone, consider including some of the ideas we incorporated:
- Chair massages
- Manicure stations
- A health bar where attendees can request fresh juices, smoothies, or protein shakes
- A VR lounge where attendees are given noise-canceling headphones and a VR headset to escape to a private island or the mountains
- Traveling light therapy stations that act as a therapeutic light experience, putting users in various states of relaxation, such as dreamlike or meditative
- A give-back station where attendees put together care packages for nearby homeless shelters
- Candle-making stations where attendees choose their own scents and make candles to take home
Wellness Workshops
Among keynote speakers and presentations, you might also want to incorporate wellness workshops as an option for attendees. These sessions can focus on the various areas of wellness that can help attendees place focus back on their own well-being.
Some of these workshops might include lessons on how to obtain a positive growth mindset, how to step outside your comfort zone, what nutrition tips to follow, and various aspects of balancing work, family, friends, and time for yourself. These informative and interactive sessions equip attendees with the tools and knowledge they need to focus on their health and wellness outside of the event.
Optional Walks
A bit of fresh air is always a good thing, especially during busy conferences and events. With walking, this type of low-intensity exercise can be done anywhere, and it’s a great way to get a group of people together to discuss business initiatives, network, or have casual conversations.
Also, outdoor walks often boost creativity. While outside, teams could brainstorm ideas for solving problems or ideate about a specific project. The point is, even just 15 minutes outside is beneficial for your mind and your health.
Healthy Food and Beverage Options
When we talk about health, it’s not just about exercise and movement. It’s also important to prioritize health from the inside out. Instead of filling tables with processed or nutrient-deficient foods, opt for healthy, whole foods like fruits and vegetables. These food options are packed with essential vitamins that keep attendees energized, rather than leading to a crash later in the day.
Scheduled Down Time
To avoid burnout and generally feeling overwhelmed or overworked, it’s a good idea to include some intentional downtime in your event itinerary. For incentive travel programs, this might include a few hours with nothing on the docket, providing time for guests to relax by the pool, read by the beach, or explore the destination on their own.
The idea is to create moments where guests have no obligations, allowing them the freedom to engage in activities of their own choice – whether it be a break from a session, a walk around the property, or grabbing a snack with another attendee.
Volunteer Opportunities
Sometimes, the best way to take care of ourselves is to do something for someone else, and volunteering is the perfect way to do that. Volunteer opportunities – such as putting together care packages, collecting donations, and organizing neighborhood cleanups – help connect individuals to other communities. This not only improves self-confidence, but it can also give attendees a sense of purpose, which does wonders for psychological well-being.
How Event Planners Can Prioritize Their Own Health and Wellness
While we’ve discussed the importance of health and wellness for event attendees, there’s another group of people that need to be considered: the event planners themselves. These are the visionaries who turn dreams into reality, creating JOY for others through memorable, engaging event experiences. To accomplish that, they spend countless hours ensuring others are taken care of, so we can’t cover health and wellness without talking about the people behind these successful events.
Between tight deadlines, ever-changing requests, and the demands of managing hundreds or even thousands of attendees, event professionals are faced with daily stress. According to PCMA, event planning is the third most stressful job in the world. Let that sink in. That’s exactly why planners have to take a step back to take care of their own health and wellness – not only so they can be their best selves when planning, but also so they can feel their best in their personal lives.
We’ll first take a look at how planners can focus on their well-being while on the job. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to leverage resources, such as various kinds of event technology, that exist to make their jobs easier. These tools can help increase efficiency, offering valuable support in management. For example, by utilizing a chatbot to field attendee questions, event staff is free to handle other issues. This can give planners a little bit of room to breathe, which helps them avoid burnout.
Additionally, when work feels overwhelming and demands become too much to handle, setting boundaries for work-life balance is crucial. This involves effective time management, taking breaks and personal time, delegating tasks, and understanding when and how to communicate with peers and clients. All of these can contribute to a healthy work environment and reduce the risk of burnout.
At Bishop-McCann, we ensure that our event planners have the resources needed to prioritize their health and well-being. Our expert event planners have unlimited vacation days, receive sabbaticals with a travel fund match, and have access to free mental health and wellness tools. Not to mention our commitment to giving back to communities through Project JOY, allowing our associates to take time off of work to volunteer for worthy causes.
Outside of work, the focus on mental health should continue for event planners. Establishing healthy routines, such as exercise, balanced nutrition, and sufficient sleep, is imperative. Additionally, practicing mindfulness or meditation helps manage stress levels and promote relaxation. Other ideas can include attending wellness workshops, incorporating stress-relief techniques, pursuing hobbies, and seeking social support or professional help can all aid in reducing stress and promoting mental well-being.
Integrate Health & Wellness Into Your Next Event with Bishop-McCann
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and improving mental health isn’t an easy task, but we ensure that clients, attendees, and our own team have the resources needed to take care of themselves. If you’re interested in learning more about incorporating health and wellness into your events, don’t hesitate to connect with one of our event planners today!
