Creating Connections: How Events Drive Member Engagement and Experience

When it comes to driving success in a direct healthcare model, member engagement is everything. Whether your organization offers healthcare in an onsite or nearsite setting, it’s important that your members engage with the services available to them. When members feel seen, heard, and cared for, they’re more likely to come in, come back, and bring others.

It all starts by building strong connections with your people, and member events are one of the most powerful tools to make that happen. Events do more than fill a calendar; they create memorable experiences that foster trust, build relationships, and keep members engaged in their health.

Why Events Matter

Events are a proven way to boost engagement and satisfaction with your wellness center. From grand openings that introduce a new center to your organization, to health fairs that offer biometric screenings or lunch-and-learns that educate and inspire, each event is an opportunity to connect with members in meaningful, personalized ways. These aren’t one-size-fits-all experiences. Every event should be carefully tailored to the unique needs, interests, and preferences of your member population and, when applicable, their dependents.

Why should employers and unions care about engagement? The more engaged your member population is with their health, the healthier they become — and the better it is for your bottom line. A Premise Health study of 207,000 eligible lives found members engaged with and receiving care from their wellness center had 17% fewer ER visits and 52% fewer inpatient hospital admissions, which are the healthcare settings that come with sky-high costs. The study also showed employers and unions saved an average of $2,434, or 30%, annually on their healthcare costs for employees, union members, and dependents attributed to a Premise wellness center. The more your members utilize their wellness center, the less you’re spending on expensive downstream care, and it all starts with getting your people engaged.

What Member Events Look Like

No two events are the same — and that’s by design. Member events come in all shapes and sizes, and can be recurring, annual, or one-time experiences. Although there are multiple types of events, read more for five events that drive the most member engagement at your wellness center and with your services.

Grand Openings

Celebrate the opening of your new wellness center with an exciting kickoff that draws attention and builds early momentum! Grand openings create awareness about what types of care people can receive, encourage first-time visits, and set the tone for a positive member experience. It’s also a great opportunity for visitors to tour the wellness center and meet and greet their new care team, which can encourage attribution. Providers can answer any questions your members may have and break the ice along the way. Remember, these events should be fun! Incentivize attendance through prizes, giveaways, live music, food and beverages, or activities for dependents.

Anniversary Events

Think of your wellness center as an extension of your workplace. The wellness center’s success is your employees’ success: because when your wellness center is full, that means your employees are living happier and healthier lives. It’s important to mark the meaningful milestones of your wellness center and celebrate! These events reinforce your long-term commitment to employee health and wellbeing and highlight how the center has evolved to meet their needs, whether it’s been one year or twenty. Make the anniversary event truly a party! Consider hosting activities that encourage movement like a company 5K, yoga on the lawn, or a dodgeball game.

Health Fairs

Bring multiple services, screenings, and resources together in one place to educate and empower your population with information on how to best care for themselves. Health fairs can offer things like seasonal flu shots or worksite physicals to promote preventive care and encourage ongoing wellness conversations.

These events are also the perfect opportunity to offer biometric screenings, which are quick, data-driven health checks that measure things like blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose, helping members better understand their health and take informed steps toward improvement. Companies like eHealthScreenings handle all the heavy lifting required to offer biometric screenings, from determining the optimal date and providing marketing support to ensuring high-quality providers are onsite for lab collection and helping participants interpret results when the event is over.

Virtual Events

We all know that healthcare doesn’t just happen in person anymore. Virtual events offer flexibility and reach, making it easier to engage with your dispersed or remote populations. Connect with members wherever they are through webinars, digital Q&A opportunities, or virtual classes. Help your members learn how to choose the right benefits for their family, teach healthy cooking recipes, or offer a live Q&A with one of their providers. To make the most of your event, make sure to remind people about any virtual care offerings they have access to along the way.

Lunch and Learns

Not every impactful experience happens during a doctor’s appointment. You can provide a different kind of exceptional experience by offering informative sessions that encourage members to engage in their wellness journey. Lunch and learns are typically held during the lunch hour, or during shift breaks, when members can learn about health topics in a relaxed, approachable way. Whether the topic is the importance of sleep or healthy eating habits, these events pair education with convenience and often drive follow-up engagement.

How Premise Supports Event Success

Behind every successful event is thoughtful planning — and that’s where our member experience and engagement team comes in. With a dedicated events specialist, we help bring event ideas to life with expert support from start to finish. From brainstorming and logistics to promotion and execution, our team ensures your event is seamless, effective, and aligned with your goals.

We’re here to help you create events that stand out and stick with members because when we engage people with purpose, we don’t just increase utilization; we build healthier communities.

Ready to bring your next event to life? Premise can help! Contact us to learn how to increase member engagement with your wellness center.