On a recent visit to the Tanoa Hotel Group in Fiji, I discovered that not only did they have a large number of accessible rooms but they had hosted the Pacific Regional Conference on Disability on a number of occasions.

Of course accessible rooms are more than just large bathrooms, walk in showers and the elimination of any steps. They are desks and benches at chair height, wardrobes and coat hangars that are adapted, peep holes at chair height, fridges and all appliances that can be easily accessed and more.

The Tanoa Hotel Group in Nadi clearly understand this. It was evident that their commitment to accessibility and inclusion reached through to representation.

So it was fantastic to see new renders for their Reception area (as part of the site visit) and representation and consideration of guests with accessibility requirements, checking in (and of course using accessible check in desks!).

Bravo Tanoa Hotel Group - this might be small details for some people but game changers for others! ​

The InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa understands this perfectly.

On a recent visit, it was great to hear how their hospitality areas and ordering systems are tailored around their customers known behaviours and and pain points.

For this resort, it meant:
🍹 Remote technology ordering by the pool and on the beach, knowing that guests don’t want to lose time by leaving their sun lounges to order. Ie lean in to your guests wanting to maximise pool time and relaxation.

🍽️ No technology in the restaurants, where guests want human interaction. Ie lean in to the full Fiji ‘Bula’ hospitality and promote the culture guests have traveled to Fiji for.

Understanding your customers needs is important, but tailoring a solution is key.
​

Instead of being instructed to ‘please wait to be seated’, it was flipped to ‘please allow us to seat you’.

Instead of ‘refill your water bottle here’, it was flipped to ‘refresh yourself.’

Instead of instructing you with a simple sign to the beach, you are invited to explore the sea life while snorkelling.

Instead of a simple housekeeping sign, they invite you to make a small act but have a big impact.

The list goes on and on.

Fiji is a perfect example of the power of language in customer experience.

There is a reason Fiji doesn’t call the travel sector tourism, instead they call it the ‘people industry’.

How are you setting the tone through your signs and messaging to your customers?

Biophilia is the term given to describe humans innate biological connection with nature.  The term emerged in the fields of biology and psychology and was later adapted for other fields such as neuroscience and architecture. Biophilic design became the strategy for incorporating nature into the built environment and a way to alleviate workplace stress, support performance, health, and community cohesiveness1.
The evidence supporting biophilia shows nature has an impact our cognitive, psychological, and physiological function.

• Cognitive - a connection with nature that is strong or routine provides the opportunity for mental restoration. While we’re looking at nature, higher cognitive functions essentially ‘take a break.’ This can increase our capacity for focus after the break as well as helping to alleviate cognitive fatigue.

 

• Psychological - Being in nature or around nature provides greater emotional restoration, lowers tension, anxiety, anger, fatigue, and lessens confusion and mood disturbance.

 

• Physiological - Our physiology is always responding to our environment and sensing nature or things that are analogous of nature can relax our muscles, lower blood pressure and reduce cortisol levels.

 
These cognitive, psychological and physiological responses1  that we have around nature act as a ‘buffer’ to the stress we experience. Our bodies are designed to experience stress and mobilise in response before then returning to our baseline state before the stress occurred. Recovery from stress and returning to this baseline, completing the ‘loop’ of the stress response, can be assisted by being present to nature and engaging this buffering. We know that having a sustained stress response is not healthy for our nervous systems and can make our tolerance window to stress grow smaller if there’s ongoing inadequate recovery.2
 
The good news is, we can influence and help our bodies’ innate recovery abilities and build healthy windows of tolerance to the stresses of life. Being exposed to nature and bringing it into our environments is one such way, and we don’t need large spaces to do so. The psychological benefits of being exposed to nature increase with higher diversity rather than larger size, so small or micro-restorative experiences that are biodiverse are particularly effective for a restorative biophilic experience. A moment of sensory contact with nature through a window, TV screen, image, painting, water fountain or aquarium is enough to have an effect, and this is particularly useful in urban environments where sensory overload is common. Water also offers multi-sensory benefits. Seeing and hearing the same water feature on repeated occasions doesn’t diminish water’s impact on soothing stress, enhancing mood and restoring us after cognitive fatigue. A single, small nature feature can be adequate (Biederman & Vessel, 2006).
 
In the retail setting, evidence shows customers judge businesses surrounded by nature and natural features to be worthy of prices up to 25% higher than businesses with no access to nature. In healthcare settings, patients with a view to nature rather than just a wall are more likely to experience hospital stays that are 8.5% shorter3. One study also revealed that following a forest walk, men showed increased immune function for 30 days, while for women the effect was only seen for 6 days. This may mean women would benefit from prioritised indoor nature experiences or access to more prolonged outdoor experiences (Li, et al, 2012).
 
It’s good to note, too, that biophilic design is not the same as a Green Star Design (LEED certified) space. While sustainably designed buildings are essential for our world, a building or space that meets these requirements may not have the benefits of biophilic design or necessarily be comfortable and productive. Anecdotally, this writer has worked in a brilliant LEED certified high-rise office but with few windows, less natural light and no views of nature in order to save energy, the effect was soporific rather than supporting focus and productivity!
 
Biophilic design shows us that incorporating a few simple elements of nature into an event space really can make a difference and enhance the wellbeing and enjoyment of guests and audiences.
 
With just a few small considerations, you can harness the power of biophilia and the power of our senses and leverage this for event success. There’s clear evidence behind the benefits. 
 
References:
1. Terrapin Bright Green LLC Study, 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design,
https://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/reports/14-patterns/
 
2. Porges, Stephen. Pocket Guide to the Poly-Vagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe. Norton Agency Publishers, September 5, 2017 (1st ed)
 
Biederman, I. & E. Vessel (2006). Perceptual Pleasure & the Brain. American Scientist, 94(1), 249-255. 31 64 66 73
 
3. McKinley, Shawna. The Benefits of Nature Based Event Design, September 23, 2015.
https://www.eventmanagerblog.com/nature-based-event-design)
 Li, Q., M. Kobayashi, H. Inagaki, Y. Wakayama, M. Katsumata, Y. Hirata, Y. Li, K. Hirata, T. Shimizu, A. Nakadai, & T. Kawada (2012). Effect of Phytoncides from Forest Environments on Immune Function. In Q. Li (Ed.). Forest Medicine (157-167). ebook: Nova Science Publishers. 39

When you think of events that evoke and conjure up a magical atmosphere it’s hard to go past German Christmas markets.

The enduring power and draw of these events has always intrigued me - so last Christmas I packed my beanie and gloves and travelled to Munich to see first hand what it is that makes these markets world famous and attract visitors from across the globe. ​

The markets are rich in the aromas of bratwurst cooking, chestnuts roasting and gluhwein (mulled wine) brewing. Not only does this tantalize our sense of smell immediately, creating a festive ambiance as well as tapping into childhood memories, these are the smells associated with warmth, even more attractive when people are looking to rug up in the winter chill.

Smell is one of the most under leveraged but most powerful of your senses. In fact the Sense of Smell Institute found that visual recall of an event falls to around 50% three months later, but a smell can be accurately recalled 65% of the time a whole year later. French novelist Marcel Proust, was particularly interested in understanding the mechanics of his own being—and the role memory played within it. ​