We hear a lot of debate about the value of face-to-face meetings.   With the economy in a recession and employers mindful of every dollar they are spending, business travel is one of the first budget line items to go.  The matter is compounded by emerging technologies that allow us to meet virtually with newfound ease and convenience.

Simply put, we can no longer take attendees and exhibitors for granted, and “if you build it, they will come” is history.  Attendees and exhibitors must actively justify their participation in events.  This has forced event producers, association executives and exhibit sales teams to provide concrete ROI data and realign marketing efforts accordingly.  We sift through demographic data, sometimes only to sell one exhibitor.  We spend countless hours analyzing our marketing campaigns, combing through source code reports and monitoring every click through.  Despite all of this, as an event producer, I believe this has been good for us, because in order to survive, we must truly understand the core mission and value of our events.

I’m a firm believer that there will always be a need for face to face meetings.  A frequently cited study, the Harvard Business Review 2009 global study of 2,300 business leaders found that 95% of business executives said face-to-face meetings were critical to developing long term business relationships.  79% cited face-to face meetings as "in-person meetings are the most effective way to meet new clients to sell business" and 89% said face-to face interaction was “essential to ‘sealing the deal’”.

The emerging technologies that provide us with virtual options are great, but I view them as an enhancement to face-to-face meetings, rather than a complete replacement.  The live event is the launch pad for the new that your association is doing - new campaigns, new media, new content – while still retaining the community of like-minded people that form the basis for any good association.   Virtual technologies and social media are a means to extend your live event to 365 days, keeping your attendees and exhibitors engaged in your mission throughout the year, and creating entirely new communities of practice.

The Convention Industry Council, in conjunction with several industry associations, including Coulter’s own HSMAI, has launched a grassroots campaign entitled Face Time: It Matters.  The campaign is based on the following pillars:

• face-to-face meetings build trust and relationships;
• both education and training are more effective in a live setting;
• live meetings actually save time and money;
• live meetings facilitate problem solving through a more effective exchange of ideas; and,
• face-to-face meetings provide the human connection that powers business.

At the end of the day, human beings are social by nature.  We long for interaction with peers.  We seek connection with others who can relate to us, whether personally or professionally.  Although the days of boondoggles and “just because” convention travel are likely gone forever, face-to-face meetings will always be relevant.  That being said, we all need to do our part to educate our constituents on the value of in person meetings, while working hard to attract and retain each and every attendee and exhibitor!