The report, called ‘The Great Outdoors – how the natural world can enhance a business events experience’, reflects an increasing awareness of wellbeing and its link to spending time in nature, as well as the importance of looking after the environment for all our futures.

The report focuses on four main themes:

1.    The need for more nature in our lives given the levels of stress that many of us face in the events industry

2.    The positive benefits nature can bring to an event experience, including greater learning and wellbeing experiences

3.    How Wales is harnessing its environmental strengths through its natural landscapes and emerging technologies

4.    And finally, how event professionals can make the most of nature in event planning, including a ten-point guide to making an event “nature-friendly”

Wales is a country synonymous with dramatic landscapes, green spaces and stunning coastline, and when it opens later this year, ICC Wales (International Convention Centre Wales) will be flanked by a woodland area known as Coldra Woods, in Newport, South Wales.

As well as views onto the woodland from inside the venue, the forest offers an opportunity to integrate an experience in nature for meeting and conference attendees. The woodland will include ‘ponder pods’ – covered outdoor meetings spaces in Coldra Woods. There will also be running and walking trails, wildlife watching stations, and planting and gardening programmes, including an extensive tree planting programme. All of this will give event planners great flexibility in terms of where they hold their events.

Danielle Bounds, Sales Director at ICC Wales said: “The last decade has seen an increasing interest in health and wellbeing in the events industry as well as society in general. People are waking up to the amazing benefits of spending time outside in nature, for a whole host of reasons including increased creativity, productivity and better mental health. We are so lucky at ICC Wales to be on the doorstep of the beautiful Coldra Woods, as well as some truly breath-taking natural environments across Wales, and it’s time we started taking events outside, or bringing the outside into our events, where possible, to reap a whole host of rewards.”

‘The Great Outdoors – How the natural world can enhance a business events experience’ is available to download here.