Wellbeing Team Event Ideas. Maximum Engagement!
Make wellbeing a priority for your employees
It’s been a tough couple of years for everyone; cue understatement alert! Therefore, staff members’ wellbeing is or should be at the very top of every business plan for the rest of 2021 and beyond, especially with some many teams still working from home.
But where do you start? With so many different options, it can be a literal mindfulness minefield. Worry not, let me share my personal experiences and practical advice on how to deliver a successful virtual wellbeing team event, that all your team can get involved with.
Even for the most experienced event professionals, the addition of ‘wellness’ and ‘wellbeing’ to the agenda can be off-putting and loaded with preconceptions. I certainly felt this with plenty of sleepless nights, wondering if it was all deep breathing and chakra chants? But then it hit me; wellbeing is just a bit of ‘me time’ for the attendee, a much-needed escape from the mundane homeworking/isolation life that many of us are still experiencing. Ahhhh, as soon as I realised this, I felt instantly relaxed, rejuvenated and ready to find fun and enjoyable activities. I promise it doesn’t have to be in your face and to prove it, here are my top seven picks for virtual wellbeing events.
Wellbeing Idea #1 Be Creative
An enjoyable way to offer some self-care for your staff is to host a virtual event that allows them to get their creative juices flowing, such as flower arranging or an art class. Doing something creative is an excellent way to unwind and be free of everyday worries and stresses. You can send out kits such as canvases and paints for your art class or flowers for a flower arranging activity. Why not pop in the ingredients for a cocktail or smoothie so they can enjoy a tipple whilst getting stuck into the class. Cheers!
Wellbeing Idea #2 Cook for Fun
Online cookery classes can be as simple as mince pies for Christmas or teaching a new skill such as pasta making from scratch. Recently Eventify held an online Asian Dumplings Masterclass, which was a great success; they’re surprisingly easy with delicious results! Guest feedback was fantastic, and everyone loved learning to make something new and different.
Wellbeing Idea #3 Get Active
OK, so I know I said wellness doesn’t have to be in your face but don’t run away just yet… a fitness class doesn’t have to be a full-body HIIT with everyone doing burpees to burn 100s of calories unless that’s your thing! Instead, it can be as simple as a total body stretch to get people feeling alert and ready for their full-day virtual conference. It can also be a chance for participants to unwind, either following a jam-packed day of training or simply just from working at home. My favourite activity is Disco Yoga – the ladies who run this are AMAZING, every time you leave feeling energised, happy and in all honesty, raring to dance the night away! They offer corporate classes and can send disco yoga kits out to your guests packed with yoga mats, glitter, and even disco cocktail cups. Namaste!
Wellbeing Idea #4 Comedy Nights
You know the saying ‘laughter is the best medicine’, well, that’s why comedy is an excellent option for a wellness event. Get your team together and entertain them with some belly laughs and chuckles to lift their pandemic blues. As you would expect, many comedians have turned to the virtual world whilst live performances are out of the question, and some of the rates for celebrity comedians are surprisingly affordable.
Wellbeing Idea #5 Virtual Parties
As a company, do you usually hold parties for your staff and feel like you can’t do this with the current restrictions? On the contrary, you actually can! I think many people have been pleasantly surprised at how much fun can be had at a virtual party. There are some seriously impressive event platforms out there; one, in particular, allows people to network and communicate with other guests whilst being ‘sat’ at a virtual ‘table’. It’s the closest I’ve found to a real-life event within the virtual events world. Even better, Eventify can organise the whole event for you. Simply email your request to them today!
Wellbeing Idea #6 Team Building
Wellness events are all about ensuring wellness, togetherness and unity within your team. Hence group team building activities are the perfect solution. In my experience, race nights are the most popular activity, bringing colleagues together at a time when many haven’t seen each other in person for almost a year. A virtual horse racing event offers the perfect escapism from the monotony of working from home and allows colleagues to catch up whilst having some competitive fun. Maybe, make it even more realistic by setting a dress code and offering a prize for the best dressed, just like the real races!
Wellbeing Idea #7 Mindfulness & Stress Relief
A brilliant option for smaller groups is a focused wellness event such as mindfulness or speedy stress relief. For instance, Eventify works with a range of holistic therapists to bring you virtual wellness events to offer your staff a chance to learn lifelong skills to help manage their stress and anxieties. There’s a reason I say this is an option for smaller groups as you can imagine it’s quite an intimate topic and definitely works best for teams who know each other to avoid any embarrassment or reluctancy to join in. This option is ideal as a series of events where attendees can benefit from the sessions over a more extended period.