Health fair

Why a health fair?

You meet your staff where they are at by hosting a health fair. You also save them the time, energy, and costs from trying to learn more about the benefits or services on their own.

People also like free giveaways! Here are three more reasons why:

1. Visibly highlight wellness at work
2. Increase awareness and skills
3. Make the healthy choice the easier choice

How can I get started?

Follow these steps to help plan, promote, and host a successful health fair.

1. Build a budget one year in advance.
   One year may seem too far out, but the extra time helps. You don’t need a budget. If you have one, think about food, drinks, decorations, parking fees, and more. To help boost participation, see offer a reward.
2. Reserve your space at least nine months in advance.
   Choose a space that is easy to access, setup, and cleanup. Involve your facilities team when you plan.
3. Choose an event theme seven months in advance.
   The theme helps shape your promotions, decorations, and more.
4. Create vendor invitations six months in advance.
   Include why you are hosting the health fair, your theme, the audience, and any other useful information. 
5. Plan what types of vendors to invite five months in advance.
   We offer a few vendors ideas. Use your organization’s SmartHealth activity data to learn what topics interest your staff.
6. Invite vendors four months in advance.
   Make sure you include a deadline to respond.
7. Plan your promotions three months in advance.
   Be creative! Pick options (email, flyer, desk drop, etc.) you can easily share. A great internal resource is your organization’s communications team.
8. Start promoting two months in advance.
   People won't come if they don't know it's going on. Find others to help you promote. Involve and invite leadership and managers.
9. Remind vendors one month in advance.
   A great chance to make sure they are coming. Find out if they have any needs such as Wi-Fi, electrical outlets, and more.
10. Plan your event layout three weeks in advance.
    The timing really depends on your facilities team. Find out what works for them so you can take care of needs such as tables, chairs, extension cords, microphones, and more.
11. Remind vendors one week in advance.
    You will also finalize logistics and wrap up any loose ends to host your event.
12. Have fun!

Offer a reward

A fun and simple way to enhance your health fair is to offer a reward. You don't need a big budget. Your vendors might even offer to help. Here are three simple ideas to try:

1. Say thanks
   A simple thank you email or letter can go a long way. You can also feature their attendance on your website, newsletter, or email.
2. Random drawing
   Hold a drawing by handing out tickets as people walk in. You could save paper by doing it all online if people register by email. 
3. Passport game
   Hand out passports to staff. Stamp their passport each time they visit a vendor or booth. Once they visit enough of them, they turn in their passport to either win a prize or enter a drawing.

Vendor ideas

There are many great choices, but here are a few ideas.

• Local resources
  • Banks, credit unions, financial services, chiropractic, public services, community supported agriculture, dance studios, dental providers, gyms, health departments, health stores such as Food Co-operative, natural medicine, nutrition services, parks and recreation, reflexology, self-defense, weight management, and yoga studios.
• Health screenings
  • Blood pressure, body composition, and vision.
• Interactive or demonstration
  • Chair massage, cooking, CPR, first aid, and yoga.