An industry standard to shift the conversation from reactive support towards prevention, early intervention and continuous improvement. Photo Credit: iStock/Yoona
Protecting the mental health of events professionals doesn’t start with wellness programmes, but with leadership and culture. This was a key point outlined in a new proposed mental health standard for the events industry.
The Grae Matta Foundation, an association aiming to transform mental health policies and practices, is currently leading the development of what it believes will become the world's first international Mental Health Standard for the events industry.
Ferron Gray, president and founder, said: “Protecting the mental health of the people who create extraordinary events should be viewed as a business imperative, not simply a wellbeing initiative,” he says. “Mental health should be considered alongside health and safety, ESG, people strategy and organisational resilience.”
Overall, the association aims to establish a common benchmark, enabling organisations of all sizes to embed mental wellbeing into their culture, governance and operational practices. It would help shift the conversation from reactive support towards prevention, early intervention and continuous improvement.
Why mental health needs to be a bigger conversation
The conversation around mental health is often framed around long hours, but it’s bigger than that, believes Nicole Coon, experience designer at The Collective by BCD Meetings & Events.
“It’s the combination of compressed timelines, constant pivots, high client expectations, creative problem-solving, travel and the emotional labour that comes with serving others,” she says. “We’re expected to anticipate needs before they’re voiced, remain calm and positive regardless of what’s happening behind the scenes and make the impossible look effortless. Creativity doesn’t operate like an on/off switch, yet we’re often asked to deliver our best thinking under significant time pressure while balancing multiple priorities.”
“Protecting the mental health of the people who create extraordinary events should be viewed as a business imperative, not simply a wellbeing initiative.”
Ferron Gray, president and founder, The Grae Matta Foundation
Natalie Crampton, director of Dubai-based TEC says that besides constant, immovable deadlines, planners (particularly those in the Middle East region) are increasingly navigating continued uncertainty and ongoing “what if?” conversations around political instability, postponements, cancellations, changing destinations and contractual terms. All of these will have an impact on mental health.
This, she says, creates a different kind of pressure because teams can spend weeks preparing for several possible outcomes, many of which are completely outside their control.
“Resilience should not mean continually pushing through exhaustion. If we want talented people to remain in the industry for the long term, they need to feel able to say when they are reaching their limit.”
What a mental health standard should consider
Leadership and culture
It’s crucial to acknowledge that implementation doesn’t start with wellness programmes. It starts with leadership and culture - one of the key areas outlined in the proposed standard.
Managers, for example, can play an important role by modeling sustainable work habits, checking in with their teams regularly, encouraging people to ask for help early, and creating environments where it’s safe to say, “I’m at capacity.”
“That kind of psychological safety can prevent problems before they become burnout,” says Coon. “Organisations can also build healthier ways of working into their processes.”
At a practical level, this could include building buffer time into project schedules, establishing realistic service level agreements for turnaround times, setting expectations around after-hours communication, and intentionally planning recovery time after major events.
Back to basics
Crampton believes a standard should begin with the practical fundamentals: realistic working hours, sufficient staffing, proper breaks, meals, hydration, appropriate accommodation and safe transport following late-night shifts.
Recognition
Recognition is also an important part of the conversation. As BCD’s Coon outlines, the industry is very good at analysing what went wrong, but doesn’t always take time acknowledging what went right.
“Successful events often become the expectation, while the extraordinary effort behind them quickly fades into the next deadline,” she says. “Creating a culture where people feel seen, valued, and appreciated is just as important as addressing workload.”