Active bodies fuel active minds. Smart meeting professionals have learned to support physical, dietary, and mental health in the agenda with exercise classes, fun runs, healthy meal choices, and places to catch your breath. We talk to active event designers Rachael Riggs, General Manager, Environmental Sustainability & Wellbeing with Maritz Global Events, Dave Stevens, director of field marketing and global events with data.world, and Dr. Romie Mushtaq, Wellness Officer with Evolution Hospitality, about how to increase heart rates, attention spans, and well-being at your next event.
You will learn:
- Why healthy meetings lead to better learning outcomes
- Creative ways to help people make better choices
- Tips for caring for the whole attendee
Dave Stevens is a 20-year veteran planner and 4x Fittest Male #EventProf. He has planned meetings, events, and incentives in media, live entertainment, agency, association, and corporate organizations. He has a Delos Wellness for Meetings and Event certificate, is Pandemic Meeting Event Design-certified, BizBash 500, Connect 40 Under 40, and Smart Meetings Planner of the Year. He credits the ability to create true experiences for event attendees to the clarity, and mental breaks workouts bring to his day. He and the Olympian Meeting team, including a medical doctor and nutrition coach, authored a white paper on the increased ROI that can come from increasing wellness elements in your meeting. He can be found on pretty much all social media platforms as @davidTstevens.
Rachael Riggs, CMP, DES, SEPC, has been dedicated for more than 25 years to creating holistic event experiences that motivate people to be the best versions of themselves. As a member of the Maritz Global Events Design Studio team, Riggs works with clients to design experiences that care for the whole person with the least impact on the environment. Riggs created the Maritz Global Events’ Wellbeing Network of vendors to make it easier for clients to activate wellness at their events or in their offices. Additionally, Riggs co–created a carbon footprint measurement tool that measures the footprint of an event. With this tool, Riggs works with clients to provide design insights for reduction and holistic design. Additionally, Riggs is also responsible for Maritz, LLC. corporate sustainability reporting and compliance.
Currently, Riggs serves on the Events Industry Council APEX Working Group and the Global Wellness Institutes’ Workplace Wellbeing Working Group. Riggs is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2022 Smart Women in Meetings (Visionary) by Smart Meetings Magazine and the 2020 Chairman’s Award for both the Events Industry Council (EIC) and Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). In 2016, she was awarded the prestigious PCMA International Supplier of the Year. She has worked at Tourism Vancouver, NYC & Company, and San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Smithbucklin. Rachael resides in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Dr. Romie Mushtaq, MD, is a board-certified physician, award-winning wellness speaker, and the founder of “brainSHIFT at Work.” She brings together over 20 years of authority in neurology, integrative medicine, and mindfulness to not just deliver programs but create cultural change.
She is on a mission to transform mental health and wellness in the workplace and currently works with Fortune 500 companies, professional athletes, and global associations. She is also the chief wellness officer for Evolution Hospitality, where she scaled a mindfulness and wellness program for over 7,000 employees. Her expertise is featured in the national media, such as NPR, NBC, TED talks, and Forbes.
