Dr. Wilkinson's Backyard Resort and Mineral Springs, a Member of Design Hotels Press Room
Focus on Business Travel: Corporate Groups Find Value in Wellness
Company gatherings are trading stuffy rooms and PowerPoints for plant-based meals, mocktails and mindfulness — all in pursuit of healthier, more engaged teams and a better return on human capital.
Forget the coffee.
Your next conference might jolt you awake with a high school marching band and the crash of cymbals or ease you into the morning with Tibetan sound bowls and aromatherapy. And neither choice would seem out of place today, even in the most buttoned-up boardroom setting.
Welcome to the new era of corporate gatherings, where a rigid schedule of back-to-back PowerPoint presentations has been replaced by balance-seeking agendas featuring yoga sessions, liquid IV hydration stations and chair massages.
Drinks optional
Corporate events are also rethinking the traditional cocktail hour amid changing attitudes toward alcohol consumption.
"A huge percentage of our audience are mocktail enthusiasts or sober-curious|," said Andrews, adding that at Cvent events that has translated into more inventive mocktail options. "We try to create something that you would actually want to drink rather than just providing sodas and water," she said. "But admittedly, this is something I think the events industry can do a better job with. And a lot of times, it's not necessarily the planners but the catering companies that need to come up with better ideas for that audience."
Dr. Wilkinson's Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs in Calistoga, Calif., has responded to this demand with an expanded "elixir" menu, featuring premium nonalcoholic spirits combined with adaptogens and botanicals. Jose Ortega, the property's general manager, said the property's nonalcoholic play on a mojito and its mule mocktail are two of the more popular offerings. "We have another one that tastes like it actually has mezcal in it, but it has no alcohol," he added.