As the importance of wellness offerings in meetings and events continues to rise, so does the expectation from attendees. While many assume that enhancing wellness comes with a hefty price tag, the truth is, there are abundant cost-effective options available that are both fun and creative. By continuing to design meetings with purpose and intentionality, we can discover the many opportunities all around us to elevate wellness in meetings in a new and fresh way.
It’s my hope that by sharing some ideas below that it will spark some ideas of your own to seize the wellness opportunities all around you.
Idea No. 1: Pause & Pen
There have been numerous studies about the positive effects of journaling, and incorporating this into your meeting can be a great opportunity for self-reflection amongst attendees.
For example, you could ask attendees to take two minutes to journal on their notepad or digital device and give them a question, such as: What stood out to you the most in the opening session? What are you grateful for the most? What do you love the most about the industry you work in? What excites you the most about the future?
You can even take it a step further by asking folks to turn to their neighbor to quickly share what they wrote down.
Not only can journaling increase well-being, but it can also increase discussion and engagement throughout your event as a result.
Idea No. 2: ‘Thank You’ Notes
While “thank you” notes may evoke images of Jimmy Fallon’s comedic antics on NBC’s “Tonight Show,” their significance and impact can go far beyond entertainment.
Read More: Top Meeting Profs Share Stories of Gratitude
The University of Texas recently studied the power of thank you notes, and those who wrote letters felt more positive after, and not only that, but they underestimated how positive it would make them feel.
There’s something powerful about hand-writing a note, and it’s even more meaningful to the person receiving that note.
Consider purchasing some blank cards (you can buy 200 of them for $20 online), and distribute them at every seat or leave at a designated area for attendees to pick up. You can challenge attendees to write a thank you card to someone in their life: a fellow conference attendee, a convention staff member, or a loved one back home.
Not only will their personal wellness be increased, but it will also spread happiness to others, and potentially leading participants to adopt a new habit because of your meeting or event.
Idea No. 3: Fika Break
Recently, I was traveling through Sweden, and a local was telling me about this popular activity that people do called “fika” (pronounced “Fee-kah”). It’s when people leave their desk to grab coffee and a pastry with a co-worker or friend. The person who was sharing this with me said that her job does two fikas a day—one before lunch and one after lunch.
When you factor in that the 2023 World Happiness Report listed the country of Sweden as the No. 6 happiest country in the world, and the Unites States was No. 15, I think there’s something that America can learn from.
What if you created your own fika break within your event, and you randomly paired attendees up with one another to take 20-30 minutes to get coffee, sit at a conference center lounge, share lunch or go on a walk outside?
There are a lot of different ways to implement this into your meeting—you could build in time for everyone to have their fika break at the same time or you can have attendees find the best time for them on their own.
It’s by getting to know strangers, forming new friendships and strengthening existing relationships that our well-being and sense of belonging will be increased in a refreshing way.
Idea No. 4: Gratitude Wall
Nothing increases wellbeing like gratitude. Studies have shown that it can reduce depression, lessen anxiety, support heart health, relieve stress and even improve sleep.
An idea to incorporate gratitude into your event would be to dedicate an area within your meeting blueprint, whether it’s a wall within a meeting room or a networking lounge outside a ballroom, and invite attendees to write on a Post-it Note something they are thankful for.
Not only will this encourage attendees to self-reflect on the good things in their life, but it will also be encouraging for other attendees to read what others have written.
As many problems as there are out there in our world currently, this is an opportunity to remind attendees of the good out there happening all around them.
Idea No. 5: Digital Detox
As our lives become increasingly digital with notifications buzzing all around us on our devices, it can seem nearly impossible to unplug.
What if meeting planners could create a space for people to have a digital detox for five, 10 or 15 (or more) minutes?
Read More: A Wellness Revolution
This can be a room that you’re already paying for but don’t have a full-day’s worth of programming scheduled. For example, an afternoon breakout session could be used as the morning digital detox room.
This room or space could have light instrumental music looping in the background, and it can be a space for people to meditate, close their eyes, sit in silence and/or relax. And of course, all digital devices must be on silent or turned off.
You could even have meditation prompts printed for people to think through at their own pace.
Just like how meetings and events have beverages and snacks for attendees to be well physically, a digital detox room is a way for meeting planners to help provide a quiet and comfortable space for attendees to feel cared for emotionally and spiritually.
Sometimes we all need that quite space to step into from time to time, especially in the fast-paced environment of meetings and events.
Conclusion
There are lots of great opportunities for wellness that are cost-effective, and you can also discover more ideas from a previous Smart Meetings article that I wrote by clicking here. And as always, feel free to reach out to me directly at nolan@amilliondreams.info if you have more questions or feedback on how to increase wellness in your meetings!
Brought to you by Caesars Entertainment
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Nolan Nichols is a dynamic Fortune-500 speaker and the founder of an organization called “A Million Dreams,” which guides leaders through building resilient, inspiring and incredible teams.
Nolan integrates his award-winning storytelling skills, masters degree in education, personal research of reading 50 books per year, and his extensive leadership skills into a groundbreaking approach to enhance wellbeing, foster a spirit of resilience, enrich company culture and introduce a more effective way to lead and live in today’s workplace environment.
He is a featured speaker in the Caesars Wellness Menu. For more information, visit amilliondreams.info or contact Nolan directly at nolan@amilliondreams.info.
