A report from events firm Cvent is highlighting the growing demand for in-person meetings throughout the business world. The 2024 US Internal Meetings Impact Report collected input from several business leaders throughout the United States. The data collected gave new insight into the business world's attitudes regarding meetings and the resulting engagement. Over three-quarters of respondents reported that in-person meetings are essential. In contrast, nearly 90 percent reported that internal meetings will be necessary functions of the future workplace.
A corresponding trend has been that companies are starting to experience virtual meeting fatigue. Online meetings, which were initially a necessary aspect of COVID safety protocols but retained to facilitate hybrid work and keep costs down, are now seen as lacking the required engagement stakeholders crave. According to the Cvent data, there is a desire for a meeting to hold value for all in attendance and avoid the appearance of simply going through the motions that might occur during a virtual meeting.
The takeaway for Chapter Executives and their teams should be to remain flexible with the demands of their members. Keeping your pulse on the desires of your contractors and the meetings they desire is critical. While most meetings have indeed transitioned back to in-person meetings, much like in the pre-pandemic world of 2019, there is still something to be said about being able to pivot should circumstances dictate it. The Cvent data hints that the new normal for meetings will not be strictly all-virtual or all-in-person but will be a menu of options attuned to meeting the needs of all relevant stakeholders.
