The future of meetings and conferences- have face-to-face meetings become a thing of the past?
In the past, face to face meetings were the only option when people had to communicate thoughts and ideas. However, with the advancements in technology and the recent global pandemic which grinded our country to a holt, easier methods of communication became increasingly popular allowing people to host virtual meetings using software such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Undoubtedly, during recent times these pieces of software made life much easier, saving both time and money for a lot of people and businesses.
As the recent months have unfolded, more and more people started embracing the idea of virtual meetings. Will this be an end to face to face meetings and what are the benefits that we might miss by migrating online permanently?
- Benefit 1 – Body Language
- We all understand that communication is not necessarily conveyed through speech alone, body language is a huge contributing factor to communication. Virtual conversions doesn’t allow you to read body language. The use of facial expressions and hand gestures can indicate how a person is truly feeling whilst in conversation with another.
- Benefit 2 – Trust and Transparency
- At The H Suite we understand the importance of develop a good rapport with our clients. We believe in being open and transparent with event organiser to ensure their event is carried out to the highest standard. Conducting face to face meetings allows us to build trust with out client and develop a strong business relationship.
- Benefit 3 – Appreciated by Clients
- Carrying out face to face meetings can often take extra time and effort to schedule and attend the meeting. However, in our experience, clients appreciate the effort you have put in and the time you have taken for this face to face interaction to take place. This further helps you create a positive impression, demonstrating that you’re willing to go that extra mile for your client.
- Benefit 4 – Focus
- In this world of multitasking, chances are that during the virtual meeting people may be involved in other tasks which will not allow them to fully concentrate on what is being shared in the meeting. Face to face meetings are more engaging, pulling the clients full concentration and giving you the opportunity to sell your business, boost creativity and brainstorm with your client.
Despite the benefits of face to face meetings, we can’t ignore the fact that businesses have reaped the rewards of remote working in addition to online virtual training and conferences as a more permanent solution.
At The H Suite, we are looking towards a more balanced and hybrid model of conferences and meetings where the value of face to face meetings is kept but they also incorporate and allow for virtual conference solutions where delegates can participate via online conference platforms.
That way, we can maintain all the good practice of traditional meetings and conferences whilst embracing the positive outcomes of online and virtual solutions we’ve seen recently.
