How We Made Employee Benefits Exciting Again — Spotify x Aetna Wellness Activation

Overview

In collaboration with Spotify and Aetna, Curation Events designed and produced an interactive employee experience that transformed a traditional benefits fair into a lively Wellness Carnival. The goal: make benefits enrollment genuinely exciting and engaging for Spotify’s employees while highlighting Aetna as the new healthcare provider for 2026.

Hosted at Spotify’s headquarters at 4 World Trade Center, the event blended creativity, wellness, and play into an unforgettable day of interaction and discovery.

Objectives

Announce Spotify’s transition from Cigna to Aetna (as well as other providers like Carrot, Rightway, Health Equity, and Guardian Dental) in a memorable, positive way.
Encourage employees to explore their new benefits through interactive stations.
Create meaningful touchpoints for Spotify’s wellness and HR teams.
Produce an experience that employees would talk about long after the event.

The Curation Concept: “Wellness Remastered”

We approached the event as a remix, blending health, creativity, and Spotify’s brand energy. The design system and activations tied back to Spotify’s musical DNA, reframed through a lens of self-care and fun.

Core Theme: “Remastered”

Like a remastered album, the new benefits plan was familiar but better: refreshed, rebalanced, and tuned to employees’ needs.

Signature Activations

1. Blind Box Vending Machine

A custom-branded vending machine dispensed “mystery bags” filled with themed mini gifts, such as stress-relief items, wellness tools, and Spotify-branded swag. Being tapped into culture was important to curate give-aways that guests will actually be excited to take home like Loop concert ear protectors, wellness gifts like Bala Hourglass Rollers, and Labubu.

2. Clay Station

A guided sculpting station where employees created symbolic miniatures, from headphones to hearts, led by a professional ceramicist. The tactile experience encouraged relaxation and mindfulness, bringing art therapy into the workplace.

3. Spin to Win

An interactive trivia game that combined music and wellness knowledge. Participants spun the wheel after guessing songs or genres correctly to win prizes ranging from custom swag to Le Creuset Pots to Hand and Foot Moisturizer Masks.

4. Zen Rhythm Game (Aetna Collaboration)

Aetna’s booth featured our custom-programmed iPad rhythm game, Zen Rhythm, where attendees tapped along to maintain a calm tempo. The most “zen” players topped a live leaderboard and earned high-value wellness prizes like massage guns. This activation encouraged guests to visit Aetna's table and speak with representatives about their benefits as well as compete with their fellow co-workers for the top spots.

5. Hand-Drawn Photo Booth

Instead of digital selfies, artists created one-minute illustrated portraits on branded photo strips, a nostalgic, human-centered twist on the photo booth concept.

Food & Beverage: Healthy Meets Carnival

Curation curated a menu of healthy fall-inspired treats including mini pear bergamot donuts with coconut sugar, cinnamon, and clove, created by 3 Michelin-starred pastry chef Makoto Yorihiro.

Design & Production

We handled full creative concepting, spatial design, vendor coordination, and on-site production. Each booth featured custom signage, placards, and giveaways designed in Spotify’s green and black palette with Aetna’s purple integrated throughout for co-brand cohesion.

Our team built scenic structures, photo booths, and digital touchpoints entirely in-house, ensuring every element aligned with the “Wellness Remastered” aesthetic.

Results

Over 300 Spotify employees attended throughout the day.
Multiple HR and benefits vendors cited this as one of the most engaging activations they’d ever participated in.
Spotify’s internal team reported a major spike in benefits awareness and engagement.
Aetna representatives praised the event’s creativity and alignment with their wellness messaging.

The event generated significant internal buzz within Spotify, with employees sharing photos, clay creations, and artist sketches across internal channels.

Client Feedback

“[Awaiting Quote]”
— Gabby Averia, Spotify HR

Key Takeaways

Creative experiences can make corporate communications feel human again.
When wellness is framed through play and artistry, engagement follows naturally.
Strategic co-branding between Spotify and Aetna amplified both brands’ values: creativity, care, and connection.

About Curation Events

Curation Events is a creative studio specializing in corporate event planning, brand activations, and experiential marketing in New York and Los Angeles.
We design and produce events that help brands and businesses connect with people and make every moment memorable.

Originally published at curation.events.