change take
Discover simple ways to keep attendees energized, engaged, and focused on tasks that prioritize their physical and mental health.
Andrea Doyle
Meetings and conferences are a big investment; companies want their attendees to stay focused and not lack energy as time goes on. Additionally, planners are under more pressure than ever to attract attendees. There are many trends surrounding well-being and activity, but the bottom line is simple: Goal-achieving sessions must energize participants, not exhaust them.
1. Pause
The brain needs time to digest information before it can add more information. According to brain experts, taking a break every 1.5 hours helps maintain high levels of focus and engagement. It doesn’t have to be long, but should allow attendees to regroup and move around. Research shows that taking breaks increases energy and increases productivity. They help attendees stay focused and complete tasks more efficiently.
“When learning a new skill, awake breaks are just as important as practice. This appears to be the time when our brains compress and consolidate the memory of what we just practiced,” says Leonard G. Cohen, senior researcher at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke said the MD.
2. Invigorate the mind and body
Getting the right combination of foods at the right time can be energizing as it helps achieve optimal brain function and improves concentration during meetings. Maintaining stable blood sugar levels throughout the day by eating small, frequent meals can help avoid blood sugar crashes that can lead to loss of focus and energy.
High-protein and whole-grain foods help nourish the brain and satisfy the palate. Eating well promotes better learning and improves concentration, and helps prevent a drop in energy.
3. Add health activation
Promoting mental health in meetings can be beneficial. Brief mindfulness or meditation sessions will help participants relax and refocus.
“Don’t schedule wellness activities alongside content meetings,” says David T. Stevens, co-founder of Olympian Meeting, which specializes in mindfulness and wellness for meetings and events Activity. This should be a “yes and” situation where wellness treatments are administered between sessions or in separate sessions.
Dami Kim is Director of Corporate Wellness for Body and Brain, focusing on the body and brain connection and how they work. Her approach goes beyond traditional strategies to emphasize the connection between body and brain to increase productivity and engagement.
“It’s not enough to just educate during the conference. You need engagement and activities so attendees can apply what they’ve learned throughout the day,” says Kim.
She advocates incorporating brain-strengthening exercises into the structure of meetings strategically placed between sessions to optimize learning and memory. These short but impactful breaks last 10-15 minutes and are designed to rejuvenate and re-energize participants.
Sepideh Eivazi of Dawn of the Earth, a company that combines breathwork and tea to enhance health and a member of the Global Wellness Institute’s Breathing Initiative, provided attendees with mindfulness exercises to promote health.
She shares the power of somatic breathing to regulate the body and nervous system. Breathing is known to have profound effects on health, as it can help reduce stress, increase energy levels, improve focus, and enhance overall vitality.
Stevens emphasizes that any wellness activity should include a variety of intensity levels to appeal to all participants.
4. Follow natural rhythms
Stevens says events should take attendees’ circadian rhythms into account.
They should also plan for post-meal drowsiness or decreased energy about two hours after lunch. Now is a good time to plan a hands-on activity that will get attendees moving around. Mixing these types of activities during a session can prevent fatigue and keep the brain focused.
This article is part of a wellness editorial series sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. Sponsors have no direct involvement in the creation of this content.
Caesars Entertainment Healthy Menu offers events and speakers that meeting professionals can easily access. The service is available at its Las Vegas hotels and convention venues. Event venues in Atlantic City and Reno/Lake Tahoe are also using the technology.
“Wellness is an important part of our company’s DNA,” said Reina Herschdorfer, Caesars director of marketing, meetings and events. “We designed the wellness menu so planners can easily add elements that promote physical and mental health into their plans.”
