Health Fairs were originally created to address the unmet need for no- and low- cost services, and to target prevention and education among underserved communities (The Reach and Rationale for Community Health Fairs). Now, Health Fair’s do not solely “target the underserved,” their themes vary depending on the needs of the demographic they are reaching.
Do you remember walking through your college campus and stumbling upon rows of tables that provided everything from flu vaccinations, strep throat cultures and/or STD and mononucleosis symptom brochures? It may seem obvious, but those tables were strategically themed and placed under the nose of a major demographic (students) whom will most likely need access to cures and information about “very common campus ailments.”
You may be wondering what the history, evolution and theming of Health Fairs has to do with Corporate Wellness? Health Fairs are one of the easiest ways to make wellness accessible!
It can come as no shock to employers all over the world, specifically the U.S., that investment in your employee’s wellness is no longer a “nice to have” it is a necessity. Wellness programs are a necessity not only because you as an employer are competing with a large job market, but also because there are specific success metrics that your company can obtain if you invest in employee wellness. For example, a study by Gallup found that employees work life can both positively and negatively affect their physical health. Additionally, employees who participate in wellness programs have been found to have 70% fewer sick days than those opting out (officevibes.com).
It’s a simple equation: Employees + Wellness Programs = More successful businesses.
Health (& Wellness) Fairs are one of the many offerings FitPros makes available to both our consistent and onetime clients. Like all of FitPros offerings, we extensively survey your employees to ensure any needs and the interests of your demographic, are addressed at your Fair. For example, if your employees are interested in anything from skin care, to juicing, we make sure to have a professionals present that can educate on those asks.
Health Fairs are also a fantastic opportunity to implement a break into your employees work day. If you are under the impression that employees who take lunch breaks during the day are less hardworking, don’t be. According to the Tork survey, 90% of North American employees claim that taking a lunch break helps them feel refreshed and ready to get back to work. Also, according to Forbes “there are a lot of research-backed health, wellness and performance benefits of taking breaks. Here are just a few examples of benefits of regular breaks: increased productivity, improved mental well-being, creativity boosts and more time for healthy habits.” It is a necessity that you as employers, change the thinking of your employees who don’t feel encouraged to take breaks during the day, and Health Fairs are a great way to do so!
FitPros’ Health Fairs, give employers an opportunity to put multiple different products and wellness solutions (15+ vendors), that are easy to incorporate into ones day-to-day, right under the nose of their employees. For example, FitPros has filled our client’s Health Fairs with massage therapists, nutritionists and clinicians, that all increase awareness about their specialty services and offer on the spot consultations. Additionally, exhibitors may include wellness technologies and interactive displays, such as live exercise and cooking demos.
Unfortunately most people, have experienced a lack luster Health Fair. Fear not. FitPros extensively vets any vendor that is part of our Health Fairs. We ensure all vendors have a Certificate of Insurance and we personally collect them before Fair day. It is our companies policy, that any vendor whom is a part of the FitPros family, adequately represents and reflects our company's mission, “to make Wellness easily accessible and create solutions that recruit and retain high caliber employees.” To ensure the above requirement is met, three full time FitPros employees will be onsite personally managing the Fair vendors, and interacting with your employees. Additionally, FitPros experts always ensure that the vendors at your fair make geographic sense, meaning we only place local and/or relevant to your company providers, at your Fair to make sure your employees are exposed to wellness options that are easy to access. If there are vendors that you would like to request, FitPros will do everything in our power to ensure they have a presence at your Health Fair.
FitPros also prides ourselves on our ability to make Health Fairs engaging, educational and fun. We do so by making our Health Fairs 100% interactive and requiring our vendors to do the same. In the past you will have seen FitPros’ Health Fair vendors, actively handing out “useful swag” items. “Useful swag” should not to be confused with goody bags that include erasers that don’t work, and/or candy no one wants to eat. FitPros also requires our vendors to bring a minimum of three prizes that can be won by your employees, and games that can attract an employee to interact with their product.
Still not convinced? Assuming your employee fancies themself a “Health Fair World Traveler” they will receive a Wellness Passport, and be given a stamp for every Fair booth they interact with. When your employee completes their trip around the venue, they will submit their travel document, and be entered to win a high value prize. Again, when we say high value… cough cough $500… we mean it! Additionally, we provide our Health Fair clients with the opportunity to add on unique (less health related) but engagement boosting perks such as; live DJ’s, caricature artists, catered lunch, circus games and more!
Employees in today's first world America are not “underserved” by any means but, Corporate America has come a long way from water coolers being the only office perk an employer provides. Here at FitPros we completely understand how busy and full-time your jobs are! Let us offload your plate, and take on full responsibility in the planning, organizing, creating, marketing and set up of your Health Fair. It has been our experience, that lunchtime Health Fairs generate the most traffic, but we are flexible. Additionally, if it is not feasible to have a full Health Fair event, due to your companies size and/or budget, FitPros offers Mini Fairs that last 90 minutes with 4-6 vendors. Every company, and every employee, deserves access to health and wellness. FitPros only asks you to put your trust in us, and let us provide it.
Want to bring a Health Fair to your Workplace?
Contact FitPros
email hello@fitpros.com or call (815) 348-7767