Wifi. This word comes up again and again on our event briefs and venue searching criteria. High speed, reliable wifi is essential for 99% of our client base. After all, we run our lives from our ‘phones. Our smart ‘phones are the control centre for our social lives, as well as managing our workload, enabling us to respond to stakeholder requests faster than ever. We can access files, update project management tools and interact with suppliers all at a touch of a button. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that it is a given when venue searching that good wifi is essential, along with breakout spaces (with plenty of plug sockets!!) for delegates to make calls, catch up on email etc. Gone are the days where you wrote someone a letter and they responded next week. Most people expect an email response at least in the same day, if not within a few hours, so delegates expect to be able to maintain this service level, even when they are out of the office.
But what if we unplug? What if we switch off from the email traffic and really tune into the event? What if we cut the noise from our working lives and just experience the moment? This is mindfulness. The NHS quotes Prof. Mark Williams as describing mindfulness as knowing directly what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment.
The awareness that mindfulness brings has demonstrated great benefits in the corporate world. Most simply put, mindfulness means awareness, which has obvious benefits for businesses. Spark recognises three great benefits for every organisation which employs mindfulness, including better emotional intelligence which creates better managers and improved teamwork, enhanced creativity and improved focus and productivity, all of which have clear business benefits.
So… perhaps instead of wifi being at the top of that event brief, perhaps consider installing a mindfulness zone, or promoting the power of being unplugged? We are working on a series of mindfulness events which are suitable for all organisations regardless of sector. If you’d like to know more, then please get in touch.