Health fairs can sometimes be, unfortunately, predictable affairs. Vendors bring squishy stress balls, pens, reams of pamphlets-that-will-not-be-read, and info on the programs employees forgot they had access to since last year at this event.
So we try to spice it up a notch, to make it as impactful as it is memorable. As an example, just wanted to share the video below, which is total a hoot. At this client health fair — amid the laughter — we have them running our “Go For The Gold” challenge across all sites nationally. What you’re watching here is part of “Plank Week”!!
Employees challenge themselves, the teams they created at their own site, and (what really gets them going) other site locations! The fun part is when you see them root for each other, even those from other competing sites who did their planking right there. Everyone laughs, applauds, and cheers.
And everyone wins.
The key is creativity, and here are some ideas from some of our past health fairs. Diabetes Jeopardy is hilarious, especially if you create teams at your table. The Cancer Fighting Foods Super Quiz creates a crowd of people answering questions, and then they provide recipes that we compile and give back to them as their company recipe book of the health fair! The Scavenger Hunt For Health is just a game that everyone gets into.
The bottom line is that health is a serious subject, but getting people engaged in their own health should not be anemic. Mix it up, get a bit silly if you have to, and then you can get their attention and move the needle in a healthy direction.
