While the events industry is bouncing back, the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing challenges event professionals are facing continue to take a toll on their mental health and well-being. To lend a helping hand to those in need, Event Relief 2022, an 11-hour virtual event, will take place on Nov. 29 to raise essential funds for three event industry charities: EventWell, Make It Blue and Meeting Needs.

Founded and led by event professional Dan Assor, creator of The Dan Assor Podcast, the event aims to address one of the biggest obstacles event professionals are struggling with nowadays.

“Mental health-related illness affects one in three event professionals every year,” Assor said. “Mental health services are seeing unprecedented demand, and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis is wide-reaching—many people are having to decide whether to heat their homes or buy food, and many are increasingly uncertain whether they will be able to pay their mortgage or rent, which can all have a devastating effect on mental health and well-being.”

Every donation from Event Relief 2022 will go toward helping event professionals who are experiencing personal and financial hardship.

“This event will make a real difference to real people—our event people,” Assor said. 

Event Relief will run from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. GMT, with event industry companies and individuals participating in a combination of fun and informative sessions on the hour, every hour, to raise awareness and donations through creative and imaginative approaches.

Among the participating individuals and companies are Lizzie Williamson, “The Excuse Buster from Down Under,” and Doug Emslie, CEO of Tarsus Group (parent company of Corporate Event News and sister publication Trade Show News Network), who will lead the 8 a.m. Good Morning Booster.

The session will focus on ways to reduce stress, anxiety, overwhelm and other strong emotions through body movement, which produces serotonin (the feel-good hormone) and helps counteract cortisol (the stress hormone). Through mood-uplifting music, participants will be encouraged to stretch, move and dance to start their day.  

Other sessions throughout the event will include:

• "Set Your Mind at Ease With New Event Ideas,” with by Merijn Van Buuren of Event Mender and Vanessa Lovatt of Notified
   
• “Sustainability for the Soul," with Kate Vandenburg of the Business Design Centre and Kyle Soo of B Lab UK
   
• "The Problem, The Founder's Journey,” with Adam Jones of FFAIR, Tamar Beck of Gleanin and Joe Atkinson of Lineup Ninja
   
• "The Great Big Event Industry Quiz," with Clear Path Analysis
   
• "Pilates For Beginners," with Shocklogic featuring Karen Perea
   
• "Why Working With Influencers Can Drive Awareness and Registrations for Your Event," with Gordon Glenister
   
• "The events industry through the eyes of future event profs," with University of East London
   
• "Finding Calm Amongst the Chaos: An Introduction to Mindfulness,” with Lucy Woods of Presence of Mind
   
• "Would I Lie to You?" with Easyfairs
   
• “Expo Stars Unplugged,” with Lee Ali of Expo Stars, featuring music from Lea Volpe
   
• “Yoga With Nineteen Group,” with Becca Brown of Nature’s Healing
   
• Chats with representatives of EventWell, Make It Blue and Meeting Needs

About the Organizations

EventWell is a charitable social enterprise dedicated to cultivating mental health awareness, with the aim of campaigning, educating and supporting better mental health and well-being in the event industry. Pledge by EventWell offers grant giving and financial support to any event professional experiencing personal struggles or hardship.

Make it Blue, a community interest company started by the U.K. events and entertainment industry, aims to support colleagues and others in need, and promote mental health awareness through arts, culture and entertainment projects. The company generates funds to support selected charities and creative engagement projects that have a specific focus on mental health and well-being. 

Meeting Needs is a registered charity founded by leading figures in the U.K. conference and events industry. The objective of Meeting Needs is to raise funds for worthy causes relevant to the events industry. 

Event Relief 2022 will be streamed live here and on Assor’s YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages. To donate, click here.

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