INSIGHTS
5 ways to boost corporate event happiness
2024 sees the 7th annual edition of International Week of Happiness at Work take place in the last week of September. Dutch consulting firm Happy Office established the awareness week to emphasize employee happiness, well being and mental health at work, since it takes up such a large part of people’s lives. Happy Office’s research shows that 27% of employees report at least one “bad day” per work week. If your employees regularly travel for business or to attend events, this can feel especially vulnerable.
So, how can you ensure business travellers also keep a smile on their faces while travelling to and attending corporate meetings and events? Here is some advice for you.
The importance of workplace happiness
First things first - we can’t underestimate the importance of employee happiness. According to Lorman, a U.S.-based workplace education organization, businesses with happy employees see an 18% increase in employee productivity and outperform competition by 20%. On the other hand, actively disengaged employees cost employers US$550 billion each year.
Weaving happiness into your corporate meetings and events
Efforts to increase attendees’ happiness and comfort are sometimes undercut by budget conversations. But next time you’re in a budget meeting for your next big corporate event, propose the following ideas and balance the cost vs. benefits:
An extra hotel night
Event travel is usually streamlined for efficiency. For example, if your event ends at 12:00 PM, then everyone should be able to fly home that afternoon, correct? Or conversely, if your event kicks off at 12:00 PM, then everyone can arrive that morning.
But travellers would be the first to tell you that an extra night the night before the event starts or the night after it ends can be wonderful for their health and well-being. It’s an extra rest before they jump into the activities or catch a flight.
Built-in breaks
When planning a multi-day conference, don’t just make time for lunch and bathroom breaks. Provide opportunities to stretch, take a morning yoga class, go for a walk, or even indulge in the peace and quiet of an on-site “quiet” room.
There’s also been a rise in popularity surrounding arts & crafts stations. All these offer an opportunity to recharge and approach the rest of your event with fresh eyes and a whole lot of happiness.
Include interactivity
Even a keynote by an extremely charismatic speaker can be tuned out if someone is tired or if it’s too similar to other sessions. You can turn up the energy and interactivity with audience participation and gamification tactics.
Create a “speaker bingo” that attendees can turn in for prizes or create a feedback loop during the presentations via live polling or commenting that the presenter can respond to. These strategies will help attendees feel more included, involved, and ultimately…happy.
But if you need more help…
These tips only scratch the surface and are far from exhaustive, but hopefully, they will get your creative juices flowing and inspire you to come up with even cooler ideas for your next event.
If you want to inject more creativity, you need a trusted meetings & events partner who knows how to keep attendees, organisers, and stakeholders happy. FCM Meetings & Events has decades of experience organizing all kinds of events, from small managed meetings to 10,000 people conferences. We also know a thing or two about meeting your event’s goals, all while keeping attendees engaged and having fun.