EVENTS and live marketing face new expectations these days, and the same goes for strategy meetings, leadership programmes and incentives.
Organisers are expected to use these formats to bring brands to life, deliver content, and reach audiences who rarely get the chance to slow down in their daily routines. A new trend has emerged in which people want formats that offer clarity rather than overload. They don’t just want to communicate, they also want to create real connections.
How people want to experience events is changing. It’s less about packed agendas or making as many contacts as possible. People need spaces that allow for presence, encourage conversation, offer meaningful impulses – and free the mind for what matters.
This becomes especially clear with audiences under high pressure. Executives who make constant decisions. Teams navigating change. Employees with tightly scheduled workdays. And clients or partners who expect more than just information. They want to feel considered.
Companies – from mid-sized businesses to global corporations – are asking: How do we create real connection?
All of this reflects a feeling many people share. Everyday life is fast, digital, and complex. The desire for moments that slow things down is growing. Events that don’t overwhelm, but recharge. That doesn’t mean events have to be quiet or subdued – but they can be more intentional.
This mindset is changing event design: Not radically, but noticeably. Companies – from mid-sized businesses to global corporations – are asking: How do we create real connection? How do we allow for depth without losing a sense of lightness? This is where the event and live communication agency VOK DAMS comes in with Mindfulness-Focused Events – offering a timely response.
Mindfulness-Focused Events: More Presence and More Impact
Create a space where people can truly be present, where brands can be experienced consciously and with intention. They combine moments of retreat with opportunities for connection, focus with exchange. They offer both quiet zones and areas for interaction that are well balanced. Whether it’s a strategy meeting, an internal conference, or an international client event, these formats turn events into real experiences for the participants and for the brand.
Digital tools can be used. What matters is that they don’t disrupt the flow. But screen-free moments that allow for real conversation are just as valuable. When schedules leave room to breathe and spaces are thoughtfully designed, breaks become a natural part of the rhythm. So genuine attention can unfold and conversations becomes more personal with content resonating longer. The brand is then experienced more consciously.
Whether it’s a strategy meeting, an internal conference, or an international client event, these formats turn events into real experiences for the participants and for the brand
More people want a setting for events or meetings that slows things down and helps them truly participate. The setting doesn’t overwhelm people, but restores them. Event and meetings organisers who embrace this will create real value – often through simple things like a time to breathe, moments to focus and finish a task in space that enables them to think more clearly and to be fully present.
What emerges is a genuine experience that is mindful, connecting, lasting. Mindfulness-Focused Events make brands tangible with increased reach and visibility. They create strong visuals that can be shared on social media – without feeling forced.
VOK DAMS has developed a set of formats called Mindful Experience Zones,
Here are four examples of what they can look like in practice:
1/ Focus & Energy Spaces – Bringing the Mind Along
Conferences can be demanding, but these spaces offer a chance to focus, time to pause, reflect, or quickly reset. Whether the spaces area a quiet work area or a relaxed lounge, they help restore energy.
2/ Nature-Based Experiences – Step Outside, Think Further
A change of scenery often works wonders. For example, workshops in nature, conversations while walking to enjoy movement with a view. Such settings clear the mind and opens new perspectives. It works just as well for strategic sessions as it does for creative group processes
3/ Sustainable Living Labs – Shaping the Future Together
This is where things get done, not just discussed. Small groups develop ideas for sustainable solutions such as carbon-emission reductions or corporate social responsibility. It’s meaningful work with concrete outcomes.
4/ Social Purpose Stations – Making a Difference Together
When people work toward a shared goal, connection happens. These formats create space for real engagement – whether in a social project or through creative co-creation. They strengthen collaboration and leave a lasting impression.
Why it Works
Mindfulness-Focused Events build connection – between people, content, and brands. They invite people to take part with focus, openness, and genuine interest. Formats like these move participants and their organisations forward. That’s what makes them so relevant and so effective.
Stephanie Günther is consultant for Digitalisation and Sustainability at VOK DAMS Events & Live-Marketing
Main picture: Teams from German multinational BASF meet and brainstorm in their Creator Space developed with VOK DAMS
