Knowledge

Virtual meetings: threat or opportunity?

The MICE industry is seeing an increasing trend in “virtual meetings” - meetings conducted over the Internet with the support of integrated web conferencing tools, allowing real-time interactions among the participants. Recently in Australia, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) embraced such innovation with the launch of an online version of the Australian Business Events Expo (ABEE). It was designed to appeal to delegates who were unable to attend, and provided the chance to absorb a real sense of the event virtually.

This has resulted in much speculation about the possibility of replacing face-to-face meetings and conventions with virtual meetings, therefore producing a decline in the MICE sector. During tough economic situations, hosting online events is probably a cost-effective option. However, we ought to bear in mind the fundamental objectives of organising meetings and events - to exchange information and to network. As businessweek.com put it, "asking if virtual meetings will replace live meetings is like asking if singles’ chat rooms will replace real dating." Virtual meetings still lack certain elements, such as the immediacy and intimacy of the face-to-face interaction. In addition, there could be a higher tendency for people to multi-task when they are involved in virtual meeting. For instance, they may become distracted with answering e-mails, making it more difficult to keep participants fully engaged in an online discussion. Although virtual meetings are growing in popularity, participants are expected to see shortcomings when it comes to the quality and the effectiveness of communicating information through this conventional means.

Credits:
Businessweek
SpiceNews.com.au
Educause