We all know that when the sun is shining it boosts our mood and can make us feel on top of the world. When natural sunlight hits the skin, it triggers the body to produce vitamin D which promotes feelings of satisfaction. Natural daylight also has benefits. It can help you perform better and stimulate the body’s production of serotonin which can reduce the symptoms of depression.
Incorporating daylight into conferences can play a large part in their success. Sitting in a dark conference theatre staring at a Powerpoint screen for eight hours is not particularly motivating, yet there are many delegate benefits that can come from bringing creative lighting elements into your event.
The most obvious way of incorporating natural daylight into your conference is to choose a venue that has rooms filled with natural daylight, or at the very least with windows. This can help to keep delegates awake, productive and present. While this is not always possible, it is worth keeping this in mind when looking at future event venues.
For conferences that are being held in an auditorium or room without natural daylight, clever use of lighting can help to stimulate delegate’s mood. Bright white florescent lights can be really harsh on the eyes and can actually make delegates’ vision tired and blurry. Soft, warm lighting around the sides of the room can be uplifting and energising.
Making the most of natural daylight in conference downtime is another great way of boosting delegates’ mood. Encourage delegates to venture outside during tea breaks or lunchtime or find a venue that has breakout spaces benefitting from natural daylight. Alternatively, you could introduce an afternoon walking session where the speaker takes delegates on a walk or equivalent.
Ultimately, happy delegates are much more likely to remember the conference and what they learnt and to sign up to attend again next year!