Last weekend I went to a wellness event at Cowdray House.
I was invited by old friend who used to be the PR director at Gucci. Together we had witnessed the excesses of the noughties – think catwalk shows culminating in rose petals raining down from above, champagne fuelled after parties, backstage rows between supermodels).
Now, here we are, on Cowdray’s beautiful estate, in an altogether more serene environment.
And it proves to me that wellness is the new fashion. It’s less about what handbag you are carrying and all about being a glowing vision of health.
The speakers at the event were Elizabeth Day (my girl crush and author of the excellent, uplifting How To Fail book), Cornelius O’Shaughnessy, founder of physical and mental transformation company Bodhimaya and dream specialist Charlie Morley.
The event was PACKED. 120 people who’d all paid £75. The food was super healthy and delicious.
And today an e-mail arrived inviting me to a Bold Body & Mind Breakfast at The Mandarin Oriental.
Wellness events are where it’s at.
It’s hard to turn a profit though (speakers plus food plus location) – so is it purely about PR?
Might be worth putting to your client that even if it’s a loss leader, an event is worthwhile in the content it generates for their channels and the contacts they make. Meditation. Mindfulness….
It’s a long way from the 90’s vibe at Gucci backstage where the default answer to any question about diet was a laugh. And a confession to an exclusive menu of full fat cokes and Malboros….