Photograph by ArcursCoop/peopleimages.com for Adobe Stock
Through one-on-one interviews and a quantitative survey, the U.S. Travel Association found that business executives overwhelmingly believe in the importance of in-person meetings, with more than 50 percent planning more meetings this year than they have held in the past two years. Among Millennial executives surveyed, 73 percent plan to hold more meetings — a strong indicator of future health for the events industry.
"Still, we know there is vulnerability or risk for meetings, because the value of meeting in-person can be subjective, hard to quantify and perceived as not essential," said Kevin Hinton, managing director of group travel for U.S. Travel.
Getting the word out
Following the release of the results, U.S. Travel has announced a new campaign designed to shape business leaders’ perceptions of meeting in person.
Hinton leads the association's Group Travel Network which is comprised of its top 150 members — hotel companies, airlines, destinations, meetings industry associations and other companies working directly in the meetings sector — who have collectively prioritized participating in this ongoing, proactive industry campaign to shape how business leaders perceive in-person gatherings.
"We are rolling out this campaign — aptly during MPI's World Education Congress, and with Maritz as a supporting partner — to better support our members in amplifying the message that highlights the importance of coming together in the same room," said Hinton.
The research offers unique insight into executives' intentions, and the campaign messaging is directly informed by what the business leaders shared in the research. These materials incorporate language tied to building team alignment, accelerating decisions and deepening trust. A top-line message is derived directly from this approach: "Business runs on relationships — and the strongest ones are built in person."
More from the study
Results from the new study include the following insights:
- Nine out of ten executives say in-person meetings advanced their careers, from developing stronger networks to forging deeper professional relationships.
- Meeting together in the same room accelerates decision-making and strategic alignment by removing day-to-day distractions and creating space for leaders to capitalize on strategic opportunities.
- Overall, the conversations that occur in person feel richer and more productive.
In a business world increasingly dependent on virtual interaction and artificial intelligence, coming together in the same physical location has never carried more importance for executives and their teams.
"At Hilton, we believe meetings are a fundamental lever to driving business forward," said Gerilyn Horan, vice president of Hilton Worldwide Sales – America, "and I'm excited to see this campaign come to life. It's an opportunity for us to reinforce to customers and business leaders across industries that in-person meetings are more than gatherings — they are catalysts for building trusted relationships, accelerating collaboration, and creating a true competitive edge."
This campaign also is a follow up to U.S. Travel's recent report, U.S. Group Travel Report: Strength Beneath the Surface, which highlighted the resiliency and evolving group-travel sector that is poised for growth this year.