The Stressed-Out Meeting Planner: Personal Wellness Onsite

The IRF 2020 Wellness in Meetings & Incentive Travel Study explores how meeting planners are managing their own personal wellness while working one of the top ten most stressful jobs in the world. An IRF survey of 224 highly experienced meeting planners revealed the fully two-thirds of respondents indicated the stress of meeting planning has had an incredible impact on their lives – up 10% from last year. Planners shared their top ways to maintain health and wellness while traveling and planning meetings.

Meeting Planners are more stressed than ever

Year over year we see a 10% increase in the number of respondents that indicate the stress of meeting planning has had an “incredible impact” on their lives. Fully two-thirds of respondents rated the stress as four or five out of a scale of five.

Top Ways Meeting Planners Practice Wellness

Planners employ a variety of tactics and approaches to maintain their health and wellness while traveling and planning meetings. The top three approaches shifted from the 2019 report (Exercise 50%, Eating Well 37%, and Protecting Sleep 25%) to the 2020 top approaches of Staying Hydrated 81%, Maintaining a Positive Attitude 76% and Eating Well 71%. The full list is below:

• Staying hydrated – 81%
• Maintaining a positive attitude – 76%
• Eating well – 71%
• Exercising – 58%
• Having a routine / planning ahead – 43%
• Scheduling and protecting sleep – 43%
• Meditation – 23%

Personal Wellness Wisdom from Meeting Planners

In verbatim comments, planners offered other approaches including:

“Finding quiet moments to keep myself organized”

“Comfortable shoes”

“Stretch! And watch posture!”

“Deep breathing exercises”

“Compression socks”

“I don’t drink alcohol until the program is over”

“It’s the industry of imperfection, so I try not to sweat the small stuff”

Thank you to our Research Advocacy Partner