In this episode of Event Marketer’s Toolbox, Chris Dunn and Brendon Hamlin sit down with David T. Stevens to explore a topic that is often misunderstood in the events industry: wellness.

But this conversation is not about surface-level perks.

It’s not about adding a massage chair to a lounge, offering goat yoga because it looks good on Instagram, or checking the “wellness” box because it feels trendy.

Instead, David makes the case that wellness is a business strategy—one that directly affects learning, engagement, retention, belonging, and ultimately, performance. From agenda design and nutrition to social connection and sleep, he explains how events can produce better outcomes when they are built around the way people actually function.

David, who calls himself a “20-year recovering corporate event marketer and planner,” now leads Olympian Meeting, which he describes as the world’s first wellness-first events agency. Their philosophy is simple but powerful: they do not produce “wellness events.” They produce corporate meetings, conferences, sales kickoffs, and incentive programs—while using wellness as the lens that drives stronger business outcomes.

What makes this episode especially valuable is that David brings science, practicality, and event experience together in a way that feels immediately usable. He breaks down how things like overpacked agendas, poor food choices, lack of recovery time, and weak networking design can work against the very goals event professionals are trying to achieve.

The result is one of the more thought-provoking EMT conversations to date—especially for planners, marketers, and brand leaders who want their events to do more than just look good on paper.

If you’re designing conferences, trade shows, sales meetings, or any kind of live experience, this episode is worth your time.

Listen to the full conversation, share it with your team, and ask yourself one simple question before your next event:

What is the real intention behind this experience — and are we designing it with purpose?

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EMT #56 with David T. Stevens - Wellness as a Performance Driver in Events