There is still a compelling need for in-person meetings, but
post-pandemic business travel must be business-critical to justify the
financial and carbon cost, according to a new report by Accor.
The Business of Travel report, based on a panel of European
business leaders across 10 industries, says that 20 per cent of business meetings "may have gone forever" and concludes that in the future “business trips will be
fewer but more purposeful”.
It also found that workers expect to make 25 per cent more
revenue through face-to-face meetings than virtual ones. And in-person meetings
also have “a range of wellbeing advantages including much-missed social
interaction with colleagues and associates”.
The report also highlights the speeding up of virtual
meeting technology, and individuals’ ability to use it, as a silver lining of
the pandemic.
“When guests can’t be in the room where it happens they
expect glitch-free technology that is easy and intuitive to set up and delivers
crystal-clear sound quality and video,” it says. “Hybrid meetings, with some
on-site and some attending virtually, are now the norm.”
One delegate acknowledged that it’s harder to make
meaningful connections in hybrid meetings because “it's difficult to stay
focused and pay attention when you can't interact with the other people in the
room”.
The panel also highlighted a major shift in priorities,
with financial budgets “being replaced by carbon ones”.
“Offsetting is no longer enough, and our hotel partners need
to prove they are actively reducing our footprint,” said one delegate.
Sophie Hulgard, senior vice president sales Northern Europe,
Accor, said: “Twenty per cent of business meetings may have gone forever,
to be replaced by virtual equivalents or the realisation that they simply
weren’t necessary in the first place.
“Instead we are seeing the emergence of a much more
purposeful business travel sector where companies want to maximise the value of
each trip to reconnect teams, grow culture, strategise, close deals, and
strengthen bonds with employees.
“Business travel enables real connections and has incredible
power and value, not just in financial terms but – in the new post-pandemic
mindset – increased employee satisfaction and wellbeing and therefore loyalty
to employers.
“But the future of business travel must banish
inconsequential trips and replace them with business-critical travel that is
sustainably planned and delivers for the employee, the employer and the
planet.”
M&IT editor Paul Harvey is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience. He began his career in the local press, working for various titles across the north. Since joining M&IT in 2013, he has become a trusted and respected voice in the sector, championing event professionals and reporting on all aspects of the events industry for the brand.
