How to choose a team format: workshop, gong, or aroma bar

Every time I have a preliminary conversation with an organiser, the same thing comes up: there is a clear need, but no idea what to choose. Is a workshop something about work tasks? Is a gong meditation esoteric? Is an aroma bar just nice visuals for the event recap?

To save the same explanation every time, here is a short breakdown of each format and exactly when you need it.

Workshop: when depth matters more than scale

The deep workshop is designed for teams of up to eight people. It is not a lecture or a team-building activity with games — it is two hours of practical work with your state through essential oils.

Each participant tests aromas and notices their own reactions. This helps identify personal fatigue signals and find specific recovery tools. After the workshop, people do not just feel rested — they understand what specifically helps them in their day-to-day rhythm.

When you need it: a leadership team before a strategy session, a group after an intense project, a team navigating change. The cap of eight matters — the format is built around individual work for each person, and it simply does not scale to larger groups.

Gong session: when the whole team needs to exhale at once

A gong session is about recovery through sound vibrations. Up to thirty people, about an hour. Participants lie down or sit, nothing is required — the gong's vibrations shift the nervous system from activation mode into recovery on their own.

The most common question: isn't this meditation? Don't people need preparation? No. All that is needed is comfortable clothing and willingness to lie down for an hour. In six years, there has not been a single case where a sceptical participant could not engage.

When you need it: after an intense quarter, within an offsite programme between working blocks, as a standalone team wellness format. It pairs well with a workshop or aroma bar in the same day.

Aroma bar: when there are many people and you need a reset point

The aroma bar is the largest-scale format. Up to one hundred and twenty people, up to five hours. It works as an interactive station inside the event: guests approach when they want, test fragrances from numbered bottles, and note their favourites. I compose personal fragrances for each guest during a break in the programme — they leave with a named bottle.

The format needs no explanation and does not overload the programme. People engage through curiosity and creativity, not through a lecture.

When you need it: a large corporate event, company offsite, team wellness day. If you need to reach everyone and give each person something personal — this is it.

How to choose

Three questions that settle it:

How many people? Up to 8 — workshop. Up to 30 — gong session. 120+ — aroma bar.

Is depth or scale more important? For deep individual work on state — small format. For recovery across the whole team — gong. For a large event with a personal result for each person — aroma bar.

What kind of event is this? A standalone team wellness day, part of a corporate event, or an addition to a strategy session — this determines whether one format is enough or whether two can be combined in a day.

Message me on Telegram, describe the situation briefly — usually one short conversation is enough to find what fits.