Launching in conjunction with of Global Meetings Industry Day on May 6, the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has announced the formation of its new Meetings and Events Initiative, a global effort to help the industry apply wellness through practical, measurable event design strategies.
The initiative will be led by new Chair David T. Stevens, Co-founder of Olympian Meeting; with Reina Herschdorfer, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Caesars Entertainment Meetings & Events, serving as Vice Chair.
They will be joined by a distinguished group of industry leaders contributing expertise and guidance to the initiative:
- Dr. Senthil Gopinath, CEO, ICCA
- Stephanie Harris, President, Incentive Research Foundation (IRF)
- Tahira Endean, MSc, CITP, CMP, CED, Head of Program, IMEX
- Dena Lowery, President, Opus Agency
- Rachel Benedick, Chief Revenue Officer, Meeting Professionals International (MPI)
The launch underscores the growing recognition that meetings and events directly influence organizational performance. When wellness is intentionally integrated into event design, it supports stronger business outcomes, higher attendee satisfaction, increased engagement, improved content retention, a greater sense of belonging, and enhanced overall wellbeing. The Meetings and Events Initiative is focused on advancing practical, evidence based strategies that deliver these results consistently across the industry.
The global wellness economy is valued at $6.8 trillion, underscoring its scale as one of the world’s largest and fastest growing sectors. This initiative will serve the full meetings and events ecosystem, including corporate and association planners, trade show organizers, event marketers, agencies, DMCs, hoteliers, executives, and international event leaders.
Its work will be guided by a practical framework built around the 4 M’s: Mindfulness, Movement, Meals, and Meaning, with a first year focus on developing a best practices playbook for application across markets and event types.
“Meetings and events already shape human wellbeing, whether we mean to or not,” said David T. Stevens, Chair of the Meetings and Events Initiative. “This initiative is about helping our industry take that responsibility seriously and turn it into action. Wellness must become practical, credible, measurable, and operational.”
“This initiative creates an opportunity for the meetings and events industry to move forward with greater clarity, stronger standards, and a more intentional approach to designing experiences that support both people and performance,” said Reina Herschdorfer, Vice Chair of the initiative. “I am honored to help shape this work alongside the distinguished industry professionals contributing to this effort. Their leadership and influence are instrumental in driving meaningful change, and together with the broader global wellness community, we have the potential to significantly advance the future landscape of meetings and events.”
The Global Wellness Institute describes the Meetings and Events Initiative as an effort to help the industry apply wellness as an evidence based performance multiplier by turning it into practical event design strategies that improve attendee experience, strengthen belonging, support public health, and drive better business results.
To learn more about the Meetings and Events Initiative, visit globalwellnessinstitute.org/meetings-and-events-initiative.
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