Health Fairs with a Twist..

A few years ago, business wellness fairs were all the rage. Now they’re making a comeback, with a slight twist.

In the past, the fairs often better served the vendor(s) who came on-site than the needs of the hosting corporation or their workers. More recently, businesses have refined the planning of the events to serve particularly to launch or promote a wellness program.

To be successful, the events need to serve two purposes -  increaseing employee education and building their enthusiasm to participate in the wellness program.

To make certain you and your employees get the most out of a health fair, it assists to be aware of the plusses and minuses - and some little touches that can mean the difference between a so-so event and a hit.

Wellness Fairs -  Double-edged sword

On the plus side, workers received easy-to-grasp information on key wellness topics such as illness detection, symptom control and smarter medication practices. They also receive important services like free blood-pressure screenings.

On the down side, some professionals said the more newfangled events were more like “disease fairs” than “health fairs.” In other words, the tone was little too somber and staff members weren’t specifically tuned in because they weren’t enjoying themselves.

Wellness program consultant Dr. Ron Goetzel believes that the savviest firms strike a balance in their health fairs. Stick with the screenings, but also feature exhibitors who offer “lighter,” more enjoyable services. Examples -

• a booth from a local health-food store

• a chair-massage station

• elder-care info from the AARP, or

• a “complimentary medicine” info booth (e.g.,a chiropractor or an acupuncturist).

Offering incentives

In many cases, employees still need an incentive to attend the fair and get the desired screenings, and to doing the fun stuff. Some real-life programs that’ve worked -

• a contest offering prizes to workers who visit every station

• quizzes and prizes based on info from different providers’ literature

• flex-scheduling or time-off incentives for getting screened (e.g., a comp day or an extra afternoon off), and

• cash incentives (as little as $20 and as much as $100) to people  who voluntarily participate in various screenings.