What if conferences and business events actually helped people feel healthier, more energized, and more connected?
In this episode of StarrCast, Lisa Starr sits down with Reina Herschdorfer, Director of Marketing for Caesars Entertainment, and David T. Stephens, Founder of Olympian Meetings, who both serve as Co-Chairs of the Global Wellness Institute Meetings and Events Initiative.
Together they explore the growing movement toward wellness-centered meetings and events. Recorded live at the HSMAI quarterly meeting in Las Vegas, this conversation examines how the hospitality and meetings industry can move beyond packed schedules and transactional networking to create experiences that support human connection, nervous system regulation, engagement, and long-term wellbeing.
The discussion explores how wellness is becoming an essential part of event design, workplace culture, hospitality strategy, and attendee experience across the global meetings industry.
What You'll Learn
Why traditional conferences often leave attendees mentally and physically exhausted
How simple wellness practices like breathwork can improve focus, retention, and authentic connection
Why event design should support human nervous systems instead of nonstop productivity
The role wellness plays in attendee engagement, workplace wellbeing, and conference ROI
How Caesars Entertainment is integrating wellness into large-scale meetings and hospitality experiences
Why the future of conferences may include wellness metrics alongside sustainability and CSR reporting
How wellness-first event strategy can strengthen networking, learning outcomes, and attendee satisfaction
Episode Highlights
05:02 – "We don't design events for nervous systems"
06:27 – How five minutes of breathwork transformed attendee engagement
14:52 – Does incorporating wellness into conferences cost more?
20:26 – How Caesars Entertainment launched its Wellness for Meetings strategy
23:33 – The vision behind the new Meetings and Events Wellness Initiative
28:55 – Why wellness in events may become part of the global wellness economy
31:21 – The growing importance of NA beverages and healthier hospitality offerings
Meet the Guest
Reina Herschdorfer is Director of Marketing for Caesars Entertainment and a leader in advancing wellness-focused meeting experiences across the hospitality industry. She has spent more than two decades in meetings, hospitality, and event strategy and helped launch Caesars Entertainment's Wellness for Meetings initiative.
David T. Stephens is a Wellness Architect, Founder of Olympian Meetings, and host of the Return on Wellness podcast. He specializes in designing wellness-first meetings and events that improve attendee engagement, learning retention, and human performance outcomes.
Wellness-first event design
Breathwork integration for conferences
Experiential wellness activations
Nervous system-aware meeting planning
Wellness hospitality strategy
Return on Wellness framework
Wellness meeting guides and wellness menus
Healthy food and beverage programming
CSR and purpose-driven event experiences
As wellness continues to influence hospitality, workplace culture, and human performance, the meetings industry has an opportunity to rethink how conferences are designed from the ground up. Small shifts in programming, food, movement, connection, and intentional pauses can dramatically change how attendees feel, learn, and engage long after an event ends.
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