As a grassroots educational event focused on health and wellness in the meetings and events industry, the Health & Wellness Forum (HWF) offers industry education, networking and experiential learning to help corporate event planners, association executives and meeting professionals transform meetings and convention facilities with attendee wellness options.
Launched Jan. 18-20 at the Hotel at Midtown in the Midtown Athletic Club in Chicago, the annual event is produced by MeetingHealthy, a company dedicated to educating the meetings and events industry on the benefits of incorporating health and wellness into face-to-face events.
“Meeting professionals are more interested than ever in incorporating healthy options such as nutrition, yoga, fitness, corporate social responsibility, ergonomics and other wellness options onsite for meeting attendees and tired business travelers,” explained Kristina Tarantino with MeetingHealthy, who organizes HWF along with fellow event planners, Nikki Faul and Rachael Riggs.
She continued, “We have found that many (event) professionals are very interested in weaving health and wellness into meeting design but they may not know where to begin, thus, why HWF has become an interest of so many. We want to give inspiration, tips, tools and education so meeting professionals can feel confident when initially incorporating these ideas into the agendas.”
The second annual HWF, set to return Feb. 7-9 to the Hotel at Midtown, has plenty on tap for planners eager to implement healthy practices and options into their event programming, including morning “sweatworking” classes; educational sessions taught by industry leaders covering a variety of health-related topics; networking opportunities and an expo; professional and meditation breaks, as well as a hands-on dinner education session with Midtown Chef Amanda Barnes demonstrating how to create a sustainable menu and mock cocktails for events.
While learning from the chefs, personal trainers and other health professionals, attendees will also have full access to the club during the event.