Meeting in person is still the best for networking and creating relationships. Pictured: Attendees at PCMA 2024 Convening Leaders. Courtesy of PCMA

Only a decade ago, hearing about a “virtual” corporate meeting or event was a foreign concept. Both corporate meeting planners and attendees considered all meetings “in-person” affairs. Thanks to advancements in technology, a global pandemic, time-crunched professionals and tighter corporate travel budgets, the idea of holding a virtual meeting is standard fare today.

So, what are the pros and cons to hosting in-person versus virtual corporate meetings and what makes sense in today’s ever-evolving corporate environment where work and meeting structures remain fluid?

According to Rachel Miller, CMP, corporate meeting and event planner at Ferguson Enterprises, the largest U.S. distributor of plumbing supplies, PVF, waterworks and fire and fabrication products in Newport News, VA, the corporate meetings industry now understands the capabilities of virtual meetings.

“We know we can incorporate much more into the programming, simply due to technological advances in this space. I think attendees are now also accustomed to the virtual event and generally know what it entails, versus before when most people had never attended a virtual event,” Miller says.

“Now that in-person events have returned, virtual is challenged to ‘compete’ with in-person events. For example,” she says, “incorporating shipping something to an attendee to use to participate in the event (i.e., charcuterie making as a team) or sending a voucher (i.e., Uber Eats to order lunch). Now in the world of remote work, virtual events are here to stay and it is our challenge as planners to keep them engaging.”

In-person events dominate, but virtual is here to stay. In a post-pandemic environment, in-person events have reverted to their original foundations and strategies. According to data from a Cvent report, announced at the beginning of the year, 86% of event programs include in-person events. Cvent also commissioned a study by Forester Consulting that said that 89% of global leaders in the event and meeting industry say that in-person events are essential to increased revenue.

Miller explains that while there are still elements that may be incorporated into the program (i.e., mobile/touchless check-in for registration), face-to-face experiences provide opportunities for deeper engagement, networking and interaction. However, having that virtual option is still valuable, as it helps broaden an event’s reach and provides attendees a lot more flexibility.

“During COVID, many planners realized how much further the reach could be in a virtual format,” Miller says. “Although most events are back to in-person and attendees attend accordingly, the flexibility of the virtual option still allows those who may not be able to make the trip, or who have a conflict at home, to still attend in some capacity. I think it is important for planners to always incorporate a virtual option if budget and programming allows, to simply give more opportunity for people to attend.”

Benefits of Virtual Events

Ask any corporate meeting attendee or corporate planner about the benefits of in-person meetings and events, and they are bound to share a variety of opinions. But one thing’s for sure, the role of virtual events has expanded considerably in recent years and is only expected to continue to evolve in new and meaningful ways.

Cost Effective. With travel budgets being lessened as corporations continue to tighten their proverbial purse strings, virtual meetings are being embraced due to their cost-effectiveness. With virtual events, corporations do not need to locate and rent physical venues. Not only do companies save on the rental fees associated with in-person events, they no longer have to incur in-person gatherings costs, including food, drinks, printed materials and A/V expenses.

Accessibility and Convenience. Traveling to and from conventions, sales meetings, incentive trips and other corporate gatherings can be cumbersome in today’s travel environment. Even if attendees can schedule direct flights, the travel time required consumes valuable time that could be used in other ways. In addition, virtual events allow attendees from anywhere in the world to “attend” a corporate event with ease. For those attendees who are unable to attend an entire day of sessions, for example, virtual events provide easier access to information and resources, including the ability to download presentations and documents instantly.

“Considering an event purpose, such as education, I think virtual has huge benefits. The convenience factor of a class or course offering from home versus traveling to attend creates a reach that an in-person format cannot match,” Miller says.

Measurability of Success. Thanks to such platforms and digital tools as Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, corporate event planners can easily track the success of a virtual event by tracking the behavior of attendees. Are attendees engaged or are they “leaving” certain sessions or speaker presentations in droves? These digital platforms can also provide instant surveys and live polls to allow event planners to get the “pulse” of attendees’ experiences throughout the event, rather than after the event has concluded. This can help planners identify areas of improvement or issues that could be resolved immediately to enhance attendees’ experiences in the virtual setting.

Wider Reach. Because virtual meetings are flexible in timing and allow attendees to participate from all across the globe, the potential attendees could be far more diverse. This means that any interaction on the part of attendees could afford a wealth of diverse and unique perspectives and ideas at the corporate event.

“Keeping with the same purpose of connection and networking, I think virtual events are challenging overall. It is much more difficult to connect with someone over a computer screen than through a shared experience,” Miller adds. “In terms of challenges, virtual does have to compete with the experience that in-person events offer, no matter the purpose. A few years ago, virtual was looked at as the savior of events and still gave our industry the ability to do what we do in a different format. Now that in-person events are back, I think virtual should always be an option, but best not to be the only option if the opportunity for in-person is there.”

Since Ferguson Enterprises primarily focuses on in-person events, Miller does believe that it is important to keep virtual meetings short and to the point. There is nothing worse than sitting on the computer watching a speaker for three days straight.

“Although it is more expensive to incorporate these elements, I have seen success offering an experience virtually,” Miller says. For example, have a DJ come on and perform live for a “brain break,” mail a box of snacks to each attendee for them to enjoy during the meeting, or even incorporate the cooking class, but send out the ingredients needed in advance for attendees to prepare and participate from home.

“Virtual event opportunities are endless, but the effectiveness likely won’t match in-person,” Miller says.

Benefits of In-Person Events

For many corporate meeting attendees, in-person meetings and events have proven to be extremely beneficial in team-building, negotiations, and enhancing interpersonal communications and networking.

“I think it is important to first look at the purpose of any event before you can determine the benefits and challenges,” Miller says. “For example, an event with the purpose of networking and connection versus the purpose of education are very different.” In Miller’s case, since many of her events focus on relationship building, she focuses on these types of events.

“I think the benefits to in-person events of this nature are vast compared to a few years ago. The ability to shake someone’s hand, to be in the same room, to connect over a cocktail … is highly beneficial to build a connection in-person rather than over a computer screen,” Miller says.

Healthy Communication. There is truly nothing like meeting face-to-face with individuals at a corporate event. In an in-person situation, attendees can listen attentively to those around them, interact with new individuals, and experience non-verbal cues when meeting in-person with others. In addition, when meeting in person, creative ideas are often more readily shared and deep discussions form as compared to the interactions that occur through video conferencing tools.

Networking and Bonding. In this age of everything being digital and people being glued to their smartphones, people still crave the face-to-face interaction that comes with in-person networking opportunities. Networking has evolved from large-scale events where people walk around trading business cards to more intimate atmospheres where people can truly get to know one another.

In fact, there’s nothing like a connection made in person. Corporate meetings, events and conferences play a critical role in providing those opportunities for face-to-face interaction.

“The challenge of in-person events of this nature is remembering that people were heavily impacted by COVID and still may have boundaries around in-person interaction,” Miller says. “It’s important to consider elements such as larger spaces for events to spread out, encouraging general hygiene with hand sanitizer, or even offering the option of a face mask. There is no ‘one-size fits all’ when it comes to a person’s comfortability.”

Less Interruptions. When meeting in-person, attendees are less likely to experience interruptions that they are compelled to respond to immediately. Rather than responding to emails or texts or scrolling through the internet while also watching a virtual presentation, in-person attendees tend to be more focused on the message being delivered.

In addition, there tends to be interruptions on the part of the virtual meeting “hosts” who need to constantly monitor online chat comments or “raised hands” to address those who are virtually attending. As such, in-person meetings tend to run more smoothly and fluidly.

Focusing on the purpose of an event and building around that is integral to an attendees’ experience. For example, the activities and opportunities for attendees to connect and network with their colleagues and peers should be incorporated into the planning process. It might entail an opening night party or a casual meet-and-greet wine and cheese function. It could be that attendees have a choice of activities, such as going to a baseball game, enjoying an afternoon of sightseeing, playing golf or going deep sea fishing — anything to provide attendees with the opportunity to socialize outside of the corporate meeting.

“You want individuals to walk away talking about their experience at your program, which encourages others to attend in the future,” Miller says. “Recently, I have been incorporating many experienced-based elements into my programs. This could be something like a scavenger hunt with teams or a cooking class for the group. Although these elements might not be in the typical general session, attendees will walk away remembering their experience. These elements make your organization memorable and give individuals a reason to come back and attend again and again.”

The Future Format

As technology continues to advance, so too will the overall virtual meeting experience. “Hybrid events are absolutely here to stay,” Miller says. “I think it is unrealistic to think that hybrid and virtual events do not bring convenience and accessibility to event attendees. In today’s world, virtual, or at least hybrid events, are a necessity.”

That said, due to the nature of Ferguson Enterprises’ programs, their corporate events will primarily be in-person.

“I plan events focused on customer and associate engagement with relationship building as the primary purpose,” Miller says. “While not impossible to facilitate virtually, in-person events for this purpose are more effective. I do think we will look at virtual meeting options as a great contingency plan now that we’ve had experience in this space and are more prepared to pivot if needed.” C&IT