The Future of Meetings: The Case for Face-to-Face

Abstract

The recent economic crisis has created a maelstrom of inquiry about effective business practices with regard to business meetings and travel. With travel budgets slashed due both to the economy and concerns over the public perception of corporate spending, business leaders are trying to determine when any business travel, let alone large-group meetings and events, constitute a good investment of their limited time and resources. Virtual technologies have expanded the choices available for large-group meetings and events. Our goal is to simplify the decision-making process by proposing a set of decision criteria for when an investment in large-group face-to-face meetings and events will have the greatest impact.