MPI correspondent Paul Cook discusses how, by integrating wellness throughout the planning proccess, event planners and organisations can reduce stress and burnout.
Kristine IversonThe meetings and events industry is known for its demanding nature. This can lead to stress, burnout and health issues if not managed effectively. Similarly, attendees are frequently on the receiving end of tightly packed agendas, extensive travel and long hours in conference rooms, which can take a toll on mental and physical health.
Wellness initiatives mitigate these challenges by fostering environments that prioritise balance and wellbeing. A focus on wellness can result in better engagement, higher satisfaction and improved outcomes for all stakeholders.
The wellness market is growing. According to McKinsey & Company’s report, The Trends Defining the $1.8 Trillion Global Wellness Market in 2024, “Consumers are taking more control over their health and looking for products and services that empower them to do so. The companies that can help consumers with solutions that are personalised, relevant and rooted in science will be best-positioned to succeed.”
Baked-in wellness
The size of this market demonstrates that there is money in the sector. This is good news for those venues and event service providers that bake wellness into their products and services.
For event planners, adding wellness into the DNA of meetings can make a difference to clients as the event becomes an extension of the attendee’s wellness programme, at no added cost. Wellness-infused events can help to grow existing business and develop new opportunities.
The major impediment event planners face is time. According to John Toomey, global chair of GWI’s Workplace Wellbeing Initiative, “When considering busy onsite schedules, there is often a desire to cram so much technical content into a conference agenda that items such as soft skills are squeezed out. Wellbeing sessions restore energy and build greater capacity to absorb the other sessions on the agenda.”
Tanya PhilyawHolly Duckworth, CEO, Leadership Solutions International, wants planners to go further. “Wellness today goes beyond yoga and fun runs. Planners who have provided broader programming know that when wellness is integrated, attendees often rate the event more positively,” she says.
Looking after attendees and other stakeholders is one thing, but making sure meeting professionals look after themselves is quite another. Planners spend time and energy caring for others, so it’s easy for their own wellbeing to take a back seat.
Kristine Iverson, founder and visionary at CROW Practice, has this advice for planners: “Start by setting aside five minutes to breathe deeply, stretch, or step outside for fresh air. These mindful pauses help recalibrate your energy and boost mental clarity, which can make a significant difference in how you show up for your work and your team.”
Tanya Philyaw, senior meeting planner, MPI, believes you need to take a holistic approach: “You have to stop, listen to what your mind/body is telling you and evaluate what you can do to make an immediate change. If you don’t, your body will shut you down.”
Integrating wellness throughout the planning process means organisations can reduce stress and burnout, promoting a culture that values the human element. This focus on wellness ensures that connections created during events are meaningful and lasting. In other words: wellness wins.
