Videoconferencing still isn’t replacing face-to-face meetings.
That’s the sentiment of 173 corporate travel buyers, who responded to a recent survey about alternatives to travel when planning events. However, the technology does offer a good augment to live programs, they said.
Further, most organizations that used travel alternatives were motivated by various economic concerns rather than issues of corporate social responsibility or employee quality of life, according to a report on the survey, conducted by Air Plus International, an Alexandria, Va.-based travel industry research firm.
Over two-thirds of respondents (68 percent), would commit to saying remote conferencing is “sometimes” as effective as meeting in person. Another 6 percent said it was “never” as effective as in-person meetings, while another 15 percent said that was “rarely” the case.
For the majority of respondents, the most compelling reason for travel alternatives is the increased cost of travel, ranked by 63 percent as the “most urgent“ reason for turning to travel alternatives. “Decreased budgets” was the next most-cited urgent reason.
Still, suppliers are gearing up for increased videoconferencing or hybrid meetings (a combo of in-person and video gatherings) down the road. Marriott has been installing telepresence rooms worldwide, and Global Videoconferencing Network integrates over 3,000 public rooms, as well as private corporate spaces, into travel booking channels.
