From plant-based and hyper-local to gut-friendly and booze-free, culinary wellness is here to stay, and it’s having a huge impact on attendee expectations at events. In the coming year, planners should prepare for healthy, innovative food and drink to be exceedingly popular at gatherings, according to Christine Couvelier, global culinary trendologist, chef, educator and speaker.

As much as we might prepare and plan ahead for the holiday season, the stress that usually comes with the time that should be joyful often takes us by surprise, especially if you’re a busy meeting planner with seasonal events to oversee plus family life to balance. Three wellness experts—Holly Duckworth, Deb Gee and Nova Browning Rutherford—shared tips on ways to decompress, destress and re-emerge with newfound positivity.

Deb Gee of Lululemon shared her daily ritual winter tips for winter wellness with Meetings Today Director of Strategic Content Lori Tenny. 

As any planner knows, coming up with unique decor, food, drink and overall ambience to fit the objective of a gathering is always a challenge, but a welcome one if you do it mindfully and with intention, according to Deb Gee, experience designer with Lululemon. Weaving the season into events is a great place to start. Gee shares her winter toolkit to help out with event planning around the holidays whether for business or personal gatherings.

Starting her career at 19 as a budding marketing and promotions executive, Nova Browning Rutherford spent much of the next six years on autopilot. She worked in the hip hop music business in Toronto and Hollywood with artists such as Kanye West and other top names. Under the pressure of it all, combined with personal incidents that led to depression and anxiety, she hit a wall. Today, she is a top personal development coach and mindfulness and wellness expert with plenty of advice for busy professionals. 

As staying fit on the road continues to be a top priority for business travelers, including busy meeting professionals planning events or attending industry conferences, the recent Mollie Tibbetts tragedy is a reminder that we must continue to keep our guard up while running and exercising.

Civana, set in the desert town of Carefree, Arizona, is the first sustainable wellness resort in Greater Phoenix/Scottsdale, while 1440 Multiversity is set amid the majestic redwoods of Scotts Valley, California, in Santa Cruz County.

In recent years the wellness component of a meeting agenda has come to encompass a great deal more than arranging a block of spa appointments for attendees. Nowhere is this more evident than in Hawaii, where approaches to healing and well-being are deeply woven into the fabric of local culture and traditions. At resorts throughout the islands, planners will find wellness-related activities limited only by the imagination.

Activities that promote health and well-being have become an important part of meetings, and Ohio honors that trend with a wide variety of venues and events to keep attendees at their best. From salsa dancing in Cincinnati’s Fountain Square to hiking in Columbus or learning to sail in Cleveland, the Buckeye State knows how to make any group fit and relaxed.

It’s likely you’ve all been there. Despite the best intentions to maintain a fitness routine while traveling for business as busy meeting planners, something inevitably goes awry.