New year, new you, right? With the calendar flipped to 2023, we know that many of your apartment communities are thinking about how to make this year the healthiest -and happiest- year yet! There is a growing abundance of emerging high attended event themes we saw making headwinds in 2022 that were changing the game for resident experiences — ideas that are proven to generate resident engagement, build community and promote wellness. If you're looking for some new ideas for resident events in 2023, look no further. We've pulled together event ideas and series that will inspire your residents and help your community live their healthiest and best year yet.
1. Sunset Glow up Happy Hour: Imagine unwinding after work with an entire spritz bar of bubbly adult beverage varieties and a glow bar to trial some nourishing and uplifting products for your face and body? Partner with a local small business with natural and organic beauty products and cosmetics for residents to sample and purchase. To compliment the experience, residents had a choice of lemon or Aperol spritzers, champagne, or infused water to choose from.
2. DIY mask facials: As an alternative to a glow-up bar, a mask and facial session can be a great way to celebrate a self-care Sunday themed event. Invite a local beauty or skin-care specialist to demo an assortment of different products to help residents feel rejuvenated and refreshed in an interactive experience.
3. National Fitness Day: Plan ahead for all the fitness-related holidays in 2023 with a full lineup of social fitness events to keep your residents healthy, motivated, engaged with one another, and sticking to their routines throughout the year! For a list of ideas, checkout this list of social fitness event ideas.
4. Popup Vinyasa Yoga Flow Class: Vinyasa yoga, also known as Ashtanga yoga, tends to move at a more heart-pumping pace, and contrary to more commonly frequented Hatha yoga, the breath is used in synergy with movement as opposed to combined in stillness with a posture. Movements are strung together in a format so movement feels like a rhythm or ‘flow’ and for many, this form of yoga is perceived as a fun and dynamic twist on the traditional routine.
5. Sound Bath Healing Meditation: Sound Bath Healing Meditations are gaining a lot of traction in the recent months, and for good reason. The soothing percussions of various instruments at different frequencies is said to help with stress, fatigue, depression and anxiety, and even improve physical ailments. The only way to know for sure? Try one at your community.
6. Meditative Jewelry Beading Experience: A popular event we curated in 2022 that is sure to continue into the New Year is a dazzling beading & sipping event! In the past, we’ve had this event sponsored by custom-jewelry designer JoRocco Handmade jewelry for our Miami communities, and it’s been a huge hit! Residents had a chance to enjoy a Cosmo cocktail bar while previewing the latest collection of beads and jewels. The first 15 residents who showed even had a chance to have a curated charms and chains necklace-making experience hosted by Sammie JoRocco herself, of JoRocco Jewelry.
7. Wellness Mocktail Happy Hour: Alcohol can be overrated. But mocktails? Still very underrated!! For this event, include an entire bar setup of flavorful hand-crafted mocktails including themes such as iced wellness teas, raspberry and sea moss, turmeric and ginger gut balancing smoothies, and Green Shots of wheat grass, ginger, and cayenne. As an added bonus, if you are able to have a local naturopathic physician attend and speak to guests, you may receive a wider range of attendees.
8. Meal planning 101: Nothing says starting off the New Year right like meal prep! Meal planning is a great way to engage your residents with easy ideas and inspiration to curate healthy meals for busy weeks on-the-go.
9. Massage Therapy: As another idea for a self-care Sunday wellness-themed event, a massage therapy workshop can be a wonderful way to partner with a local spa or massage therapist and provide some extra TLC for residents to unwind going into a productive and fruitful new year.
10. “Create and Take” Demo Workshop: Your residents may enjoy a hands-on activity where they can learn a new skill and take their resulting creation home with them. Trending options include creating floral or succulent arrangements, painting, soap and candle making, or paint and sip events. Partner with a local expert to provide the instruction and materials. As with other events, this is a prime opportunity to capture great photos for your resident app’s social feed and your social media.
11. Interactive Dance Event: Turn up the heat at your building with an interactive dance class that brings everyone of all levels out to the floor! In the past, Fiesta Latina Dance Class & Mojito Social, as well as Salsa Dancing have been huge hits at some of our South Western Florida properties.
12. Biking Marathon: Bike enthusiasts will love the chance to join a bike marathon and connect with other cyclist lovers! This event can also be transformed to a bike and brew including catered brews from a local brewery, to follow for a little more interaction between attendees. A local bike maintenance shop can also complete this event with helpful information for cycling fans.
13. Closet Cleaning: Spring can be an inspiring time to clean out an old closet. This closet cleaning with a twist can bring a lot of engagement between residents and help aid a worthy cause. Residents are invited to clean out their closets and try on or swap articles of clothing with each other. Selected pieces for giveaway can be featured in a runway with a property-specific hashtag, and all clothing not claimed will be donated to a charity.
14. “I tried but it died” Planting Workshop: With the help of a gardening expert, this event gives residents and opportunity to learn the fundamentals of apartment greenery. Residents can be provided with a live plant, pot, soil, and stones in this interactive workshop dedicated to plant TLC. Additions can include afternoon mimosas, adult beverages, or tea, and light appetizers.
15. Popup Social Fitness Class: If your fitness center or Yoga studio needs a little more life and energy, a social fitness class event can be the perfect method to integrate your residents. This Group Fitness Instructor-led activity can include anything from a cardio run followed by nutrition talk or open dialogue about seasonal training recommendations or a Yoga or Barre class followed by a social happy hour. Choose from a variety of fun themes including Weights and Plates, Yoga and Mimosas, Bend & Brew, or Barbells and Bagels.
16. Breathe Workshop: In lieu of a traditional Yoga, class, other variations and forms that blend meditation and yoga are becoming alternative ways to learn and practice healthy breathing techniques to take and apply in day-to-day life for more mindful living and management of stress. This event can be hosted by almost any certified Yoga or Meditation instructor.
17. Health Screening: Health screenings can be a great way for your residents to explore local practitioners in your area, from licensed massage therapists, to family physicians, chiropractic care and more, you can be sure to find a wide-attended event while providing residents an opportunity to get into a healthier mindset and engage with each other.
18. Mindfulness Meditation and Matcha: Pair a Restorative or Candlelit Evening Yoga Class followed by a cooldown where residents can learn all about the benefits of matcha tea, while making their own concoction to enjoy and unwind.
19. Charity Fundraising Event: Charity events are a great way to spread some positive energy inside and out of your community. Charity-used events can come in all sorts of themes ranging from food drives, to clothing swaps, and walkathons. One of our favorites includes a Pet Fashion Show with local dog groomers and dog bakery hosts, which helped to raise funds for a local animal shelter.
20. Nutrition 101 Workshop: This event is a perfect way for your residents to kickstart a healthy lifestyle in the new year. A certified dietician or nutritionist can highlight the do’s and don'ts of fad diets, cover strategies for combatting food cravings, managing portion control, and exerting better discretion over food choices.
21. VitaDrip Bar: Vita Drip Infusions are becoming more popular in the recent years, and include a medical treatment where a trained licensed medical professional safely administers vitamins and hydration via a small tube inserted into the vein. A VitaDrip experience is a great way for residents to get a healthy boost of wellness when provided by a quality, reputable VitaDrip specialist.
22. Comedy Night: No one ever said, “I wish I didn’t laugh so much”. Laughter is truly the best medicine, and one of our favorite ways to unwind! Comedy nights like this one at REVA Rahway in New Jersey brought a huge turnout and were suitable for a wide range of demographics, making this event a true property manager favorite!
23. Farmer's Market Tasting Event: Host an event where members of your community can sample various healthy foods from local vendors or farmers' markets. The event could include live music or entertainment as well as free samples from vendors and other small business owners who promote wellness products and services.
24. QiGong Class: QiGong, pronounced "chee-gung", is a Chinese practice of breathing and movement that can be done at any time, in any place. It is one of the most beneficial practices you can do to help improve your health and wellbeing. During a QiGong session, you will learn how to breathe deeply through the nose (not the mouth), incorporating gentle movements with each breath. The movements may include flowing from side-to-side, forward and back or even circular patterns. A well-trained QiGong instructor in your area can provide this interactive experience to serve your residents a welcoming dose of detoxication and renewal into the new year.
25. Professional Development Workshop: If your community demographic includes a lot of young professionals, then this event is perfect for you! A professional development workshop is a great way to bring together career-oriented individuals with interactive hosts that can include experts on resume building, leveraging your social networks, or even tips for starting a small business.
26. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Expo: Provide your community a prime chance to gather together to learn about how they can reduce waste, reuse items and recycle. Activities can include specialists ranging from meal prep hosts who can share how to best reuse leftovers and compost, as well as local experts who can provide strategies to help you decide how to reduce waste consumption and dispose of items they may not know how to. Donations can also be generated to go towards local shelters or Goodwill.
27. Afternoon Yoga & Tea: When the weather warms, invite both residents and prospective residents to an outdoor yoga class set in your most serene spot at your community: lakeside, under a shady canopy of trees, or even on your sports court. If this activity proves popular, schedule it on a recurring basis and your residents will become regulars. This increases the likelihood that they’ll make friends with others in attendance–and boom! Just like that, you’re building community. Kick things up a notch by adding healthy snacks paired with soothing wind-down teas such as chamomile, lavender or rose.
28. Grab & Go (2023 Healthy Breakfast Edition): One of our most popular event formats in 2022 for Property Managers and residents alike was our Grab & Go themed breakfasts. From protein shakes and granola bars, to smoothies and DIY acai bowls. You can even put together a grab-and-go station with pre-made dishes like breakfast burritos or quiche.
29. Sleepytime Social: The sleep-themed workshop is a popular and engaging event idea that can be customized to your community. Invite residents from your community to explore services and products to help improve their sleep quality. Elements of this event format can include a sleepy time Yoga session and herbal teas to help promote better snoozing.
30. Whole Foods Cooking Class: Invite members of your community to learn how to cook healthy, whole food meals at home with a local chef or specialist that specializes in local, healthier, and organic ingredients. Encourage participants to share their wins on your community’s social page following the event!
Creating successful resident events can be a matter of trial and error. Here are five tips for planning activities that are popular and well attended:
Allow ample time to promote your event in order to drive attendance. Don’t even think about planning something with less than two weeks to prepare and promote
Involve your marketing team to create attractive promotional materials for your events that help build enthusiasm
Ask for input from your residents in advance. Use the polling feature in your resident app to find out which activities have the greatest interest
Partner with local experts such as restaurants, chefs, musicians, photographers, and fitness instructors. You’ll benefit both from their expertise and their marketing reach
Make the most of the event after it happens by sharing photos widely on the social feed of your resident app, on your social channels, and on your community website
May your community’s social calendar be full in 2023!
About Livly's Events Powered by Circuit
Circuit is a premier tech-enabled amenities company providing fitness, wellness, and lifestyle events to residents nationwide. Livly Events powered by Circuit are managed by a world-class team and integrate top-tier local vendors directly into your apartment community.
We ensure high-quality, easy-to-deploy, and memorable experiences to your residents
We provide you with all the marketing you need to make your resident event a success
We are your one point of contact and provide you with a single invoice
We handle every step for you from start to finish
Contact the Livly team today to explore your first event for your community.