Research Report

Meeting Mode Risks and Benefits

Analysis of virtual versus in-person modes for small group meetings

Takeaways

• The in-person meeting mode is strongly preferred for 6 of 8 meeting purposes

• Virtual meetings carry much more risk of causing 17 of 20 negative outcomes

• Travel budgets are forecast to shrink significantly

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Use this report to

• Design more effective meetings

• Justify in-person meetings and business travel

• Help set travel and event budgets

What's Inside

Survey findings from 272 US-based business managers and executives.

Key analyses include:

Meeting mode preferences for sessions designed

• To influence, persuade or sell

• To challenge, defend or negotiate

• To inform, update or share

• To create, design or ideate

• To analyze, evaluate or forecast

• To decide, prioritize or plan

• To motivate, coach or build teamwork

• To teach, train or learn

Meeting mode risks for 20 negative outcomes including

• Ineffective selling or negotiating

• Weak consensus or commitment

• Lost attention

• Poor decisions

• Insufficient building of trust

• Low tolerance of diverse views

• Ineffective leadership

• Uninspired ideation

         and risk assessments of 12 other negative outcomes

Causes of resistance to in-person meetings and factors that would reduce these barriers

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Forecasted changes in travel budgets, 2021 vs 2019

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Forecasted shift away from in-person meetings, 2021 vs 2019

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Benchmarks for meeting frequency, type and effectiveness

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