inCONVERSATION: POINT3 on the changing corporate wellbeing landscape

To coincide with World Wellbeing Week last week, we announced our partnership with POINT3 Wellbeing for inVOYAGE in Mykonos this September. 

POINT3, founded by former event professionals Sarah Mayo, Nicky Morgan and Siôn Stansfield in 2018 to focus on the holistic health and wellbeing of people at work and beyond, has also just celebrated its third anniversary.

So, we caught up with Sarah, Nicky and Siôn to find out how corporate wellbeing needs are changing, the highlights of the past three years, and what our inVOYAGE attendees can expect in Mykonos…

What does the partnership mean to you?

Sarah: We’re so excited by the partnership as we think there’s a lot of synergy between what both organisations are trying to inspire in those that attend the event. It’s a discerning audience that’s attending - an audience that’s looking for insight and inspiration for their own agencies but also for the clients that they serve. So, it feels like a natural partnership. And the fact that we’re ex-event professionals - it feels a little bit like coming home! We’re looking forward to catching up with friends from the past and making new ones - all in the beautiful surroundings of Mykonos.

Can you give us a taster of what to expect?

Sarah: Energy and insight, we hope! We will be energising guests through mindful movement experiences in the morning and post lunch and will be giving them the opportunity to learn/relearn/rethink ways of working to build thriving teams.

We will also be sharing some of our leadership training, aimed at building high performing and resilient people and organisations. This training shines a spotlight on psychological safety as the foundation of high performing teams, as well as revealing the key ingredients of the most resilient people and organisations, along with practical ways to put this into action.

You’ve just celebrated your three-year anniversary – what are the highlights so far?

Siôn: On a personal level, taking the leap of faith and leaving the corporate world to set-up POINT3 with two of my favourite humans in the world, and seeing it take roots and flourish has been a huge highlight.

In terms of the conversation that people and businesses are now having around mental health and wellbeing, through the increased openness and awareness, it feels like we’re moving in the right direction when it comes to breaking down the stigma that surrounds mental health. The more we talk about these things the more we will be able to support ourselves and others, which is super exciting in my opinion.

How have client demands changed since the start of the pandemic?

Nicky: All our training and wellbeing experiences were relevant before the pandemic - but arguably the need for them has been (re)-prioritised by businesses since the pandemic started. We have seen how significant the role of the “manager” has become during this time - as they become the bridge between their teams and their manager/s above them.

Equipping managers with adequate tools to support their resilience, emotional and mental wellbeing - and in turn to support the resilience and wellbeing of their teams - has now become business critical. We have seen this reflected in the increase in demand for manager training on subjects such as building resilience, connecting teams and mental health awareness. 

We’ve also noticed that many clients are working to much shorter lead times as they respond to the needs of the business. It’s not uncommon for us to get requests to deliver sessions in 2-3 weeks’ time - whereas prior to the pandemic we were more used to working with 2-3 month lead times. This feels like a healthy response to businesses looking to provide their teams with timely, relevant and tangible training, as we all continue to navigate the twists and turns that life is presenting to us.

And how have you had to adjust your products and services over the past year?

Nicky: We firstly had to take a deep breath as prior to lockdown all our work was delivered face to face! However, we quickly realised that it was possible for all our content to be converted and delivered virtually - which still remains somewhat of a surprise to us all!

We made a conscious decision to roll out our sessions in stages - to give ourselves time to build our confidence and our proficiency in using new technology and training techniques.

As a self-proclaimed “technophobe” and ex-events professional - I can’t quite believe how much I enjoy training in the virtual world - and how powerful it can be. That said, it’s comforting to know we will also be back delivering face to face - where there is so much value to be gained in bringing people and their energy together.

Do you think there have been any positives to have come out of the pandemic as far as employee wellbeing is concerned?

Siôn: Awareness has certainly increased, and it seems to be more of a board room priority too. Prior to the pandemic we would often speak to a passionate advocate that was driving the wellbeing agenda within their business.

Now from the conversations we’re having, we can see it is being driven from the top down. Senior leaders are recognising the impact that that pandemic has had, physically, mentally, emotionally, and are now making business decisions to increase the support for their people. 

What do clients need to be most aware of from a wellbeing perspective when they start to hold face to face events again?

Sarah: One of the most powerful things that we teach in our training is that everyone is different, and everyone experiences life and sees life in a different way, depending on our own frame of reference. This is made up of many things - genes, personality, life experiences, lifestyle, education - the list goes on!

While the pandemic has affected us all, it has been unique for us all. So, what can we learn from this? Well, it’s so important to bring a broad perspective to planning your event - taking into account diverse opinions and insight - which might not be the same as yours (the event planner or team).

This was of course true before the pandemic but the spotlight is now more firmly on this than ever before. So, ask your attendees what they want and what they need? Include them in the conversation and the planning, so that all viewpoints and needs are taken into consideration.

Do you think wellbeing will become a much bigger part of meetings, events and incentives in future?

Nicky: The evidence would certainly suggest so - we are receiving a steady stream of requests to support teams and agencies by integrating elements of wellbeing through their meeting and event agendas.

The conversation around mental health and wellbeing has opened up massively in these past 18 months - and brands and businesses want to show they are “walking the talk” by incorporating this into their employee and consumer touch points.

And why would they not?! Not only is it great for individuals to be on the receiving end of time and space to focus on their wellbeing - (which could be as little as a three-minute shot of mindfulness, movement or mindset inspiration) - but it is also great for event engagement as the science proves that micro-moments of wellness can help keep delegates focused, present and engaged.

And how can wellbeing be better incorporated into corporate rewards or incentive programmes?

Siôn: With each passing year, and certainly with the wants and needs of millennials and generation Z, there seems to be a movement away from financial rewards to incentivise high performance through rewards and incentives that are experience driven.

Of course, these experiential incentives can come in so many different guises with wellbeing being one strand which will no doubt, off the back of the pandemic, increase.