How In-Person Connections are Essential for Post-COVID Business

How In-Person Connections Are Essential for Post-COVID Business

Introduction There’s no question that many people who used to travel for work miss the connection, experience, and texture of face-to-face meetings. And they miss the change in surroundings that can spark new ideas. As we emerge from the pandemic, many business travelers will jump at the chance to hit the road again, when it’s safe and responsible. Yes, there will be issues to consider and problems to resolve. But economies will get moving again, and so will the people and ideas that drive them. We can bring back business travel—and ensure that it’s better than ever. Agree or disagree? For getting things done, meeting in person is more effective than meeting virtually. of business travelers agree 83% of travel managers agree 79% Source: Skift and TripActions survey

In this guide, you’ll learn: 01 02 03 The value that Why video Smart tips to help in-person meetings conferencing has make employee bring to businesses its limitations gatherings safer

The Benefits of Being There For business travelers, face-to-face meetings can directly affect the bottom line—and spark new ideas. 2X 42% The increased chance that Percentage of customers that prospects will become business travelers believe customers when an in-person would eventually be lost meeting is involved without in-person meetings Source: USTOA Whether it’s establishing or fostering relationships or closing a deal, many business travelers and travel managers see the value of in-person meetings as “very important.” In fact, the #1 reason for taking business trips is financial. Source: Skift and TripActions survey “ Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions. You run into someone, you ask what they’re doing, you say ‘Wow,’ and soon you're cooking up all sorts of ideas. —Steve Jobs “

Why We Travel Here are 3 important reasons to send staff, leaders, or even whole teams out into the field. 01. 02. Checking in 03. Team building Holding a meeting For companies with multiple Being there fosters an easier Making the investment to bring bases—or, say, manufacturing exchange of thoughts and employees together helps facilities abroad—visiting means ideas. People respond to a create a sense of unity. These seeing operations first-hand, range of cues to understand gatherings also allow for the having unexpected asides, and and become comfortable with chance to put faces to names creating the potential to identify others; all of the subtlety and and increase understanding new approaches. For remote subtext in an interaction is fully between colleagues and employees, these visits also in play. This can help close a departments. Plus, changing underscore that headquarters deal, give rise to new ideas, locations can spark creativity is paying attention. and bring people closer. and generate ideas.

Teleconferencing: Upsides & Downsides Drawbacks Benefits Cuts the number of Minimizes risk opportunities for spontaneous meetings that can spawn ideas Cuts costs Hampers connections that over the course of Reduces commuting an in-person trip can result in strong bonds. “ Today’s video meeting capabilities are impressive, but they remain the next best thing. Face to face, when possible, is still best. —Christina Cassotis, CEO of Pittsburgh International Airport “

Why Teleconferencing is Exhausting Science has established that there are psychological consequences to hours of video chatting. The Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab found four primary reasons why video chats fatigue humans: Close-up eye contact Hours in the mirror Lack of mobility High cognitive load People move around over There’s no conference People looking at Everyone on video has to the course of an in-person table or other separation; themselves constantly work harder to try to meeting; video chat forces staring at other people so in real time during video understand and interpret them to sit in one place. closely is highly intense. chats tires them out. non-verbal cues. Source: Nonverbal overload: A theoretical argument for the causes of Zoom fatigue “ We have lost many of the social cues we unconsciously rely on [with teleconferencing]—which might be why it feels intuitively challenging or somehow less satisfying as a way of connecting with another human. Source: UX Collective “

How to Make Meetings Happen Now The age of the thousand-person conference may not return immediately. But it’s okay to start small. What’s required is a shift in thinking. It means remembering why we travel and coming up with new ideas about how to meet safely. Here are some options to consider. 01. Create travel bubbles Companies can copy countries that have attempted to create safe spheres. Those involved must agree on the conditions, which could include: ● Having an upper threshold ● Getting tested prior to ● Requiring that traveling for infection figures. travel and upon arrival. employees be vaccinated. ● Ensuring that all meeting ● Checking that no one is in ● Deciding to implement spaces are well-ventilated. a high-risk category. short quarantines.

How to Make Meetings Happen Now 02. Send small subsets of teams to meet The bigger the group, the more problematic. With social distancing requirements and the possibility that someone in a larger group could be infectious, it’s smart to keep the size of groups small and/or send teams in phases. 03. Use outdoor activities for team building Outdoor physical activities can happen in just about any weather (with the right clothing); or consider warm-weather destinations. Either way, the trip may turn out to be more effective and invigorating than anyone could have expected.

Conclusion Business travel is returning where and when it can. And business travelers are eager to get back out there. Clearly, the months ahead may not be straightforward. They could take unexpected twists and turns. But perhaps the unexpected benefit will be that travelers emerge from the pandemic with a different perspective—one that could include a: Better work-life Healthier approach Renewed focus on balance to work travel sustainability and responsibility Wherever we end up, it’s important to remember that getting out into the world—whether an international city or even just a neighboring town—is valuable. After all the separation, both in work and personal lives, the true value of being there should be more apparent than ever. Business travel is still worth pursuing.

TripActions is a leading corporate travel and expense management platform trusted by 4,000+ companies globally. TripActions empowers organizations with real-time data and insights to make business decisions, paired with flexible travel management tools that enable quick and decisive action to keep travelling employees safe, control costs, and save money. Learn more at www.tripactions.com. Join the TripActions Community at https://community.tripactions.com. #LetsGo tripactions.com | #tripactions | #LetsGo