Now more than ever, personal and professional wellness is a priority. In a recent Meetings Outlook survey 63% of industry professionals showed more interest in the topic of wellness. There was a 30.6% increase over previous years.

While there are many building initiatives to create physical spaces that promote behaviors aligned with wellness, most of it comes down to event design. So here are some tips for including activities that promote the physical, mental and emotional well-being of your attendees.

Choose outdoor spaces

Sometimes the path to wellness is just a breath of fresh air away. Welcoming participants in environments that help them feel engaged, encouraged and comfortable is an important key to creating more holistic events.

Outdoor venues such as national parks, mountain ranges or hiking trails also provide excellent settings for meetings or retreats rooted in wellness. Another option is vineyards, museums, or window spaces with incredible views.

Integrate physical activities

Physical activity stimulates chemical factors in the brain that cause us to feel happier and more relaxed. Make it easier than ever for participants to stick to their wellness routines on the road by creating active itineraries with engaging breaks throughout the day.

Activities such as yoga and hiking are popular choices among travelers. Consider booking your events at properties that offer more exotic and exciting activities, from scuba diving and dancing to pickleball and paddleball, you also can integrate hiking, beach camping or team building activities, as well as active breaks between sessions.

Create spaces for mindfulness

Mindfulness is one of the concepts that has gained more popularity in recent years. There is now scientific evidence about its versatility in enhancing mental health and emotional balance.

One way to incorporate it into your events is by creating spaces focused on wellness. It can be a designated space where sessions are guided or where participants can simply rest. Another alternative is to lead short sessions between breaks, this significantly helps attendees to be more focused when they return to the session.

Integrate the five senses in a memorable experience

Experiences that stimulate the senses turn events into something more than a simple meeting, and among these, gastronomic experiences are synonymous with success. In addition, they can be achieved through smells, flavors or textures and accompanied by sounds or visual or surprising light shows. These experiences usually generate a very positive response from attendees.

Events that implement holistic approaches to attendees’ physical, mental and emotional well-being, demonstrate measurable increases in attention span, session attendance and overall engagement.