Do the words “virtual meeting” bring a chill down your spine? Or do you enjoy the option to wear comfy pants during corporate meetings?
Whatever your stance is on the matter, we can all agree the virtual meetings were the savior of 2020. When COVID-19 stopped in-person meetings, the corporate world had a choice: shut down the business, or move the office online.
As we continue to open up the world post-vaccine, virtual corporate meetings don’t seem to be going anywhere. However, in-person events are coming back (with some slight changes.) Keep reading to learn about the future of corporate events.
Virtual Corporate Meetings
There is a strong chance that everyone reading this article has attended at least one virtual meeting. According to this study, the number of meetings per person increased by 12.9%! Whether that meeting was for work, pleasure, or even a wedding, you’ve experienced what it feels like to go virtual.
While virtual meetings bring their own set of challenges (cue the millions of “your mic is off” moments we’ve all witnessed), they have proven to be helpful. Virtual meetings can help to bring more people together whilst also cutting costs on travel, lodging, and event management.
As we progress through the reopening phase, don’t expect to be rid of all virtual meetings. Especially with the number of workers who want to continue working from home. In fact, 70% of managers in this survey are more open to flexible remote working models than ever before.
All this to say: if you haven’t gotten comfortable with using a virtual meeting platform yet, you should! For more tips on how to create a powerful online event, check out our blog post here!
In-Person Corporate Events
Don’t let the statistics above fool you: lots of people are more than excited to get back to in-person events, (especially those living alone or living with children.)
While large in-person events may take some time to appear on your calendar, you can expect to see some events with a few changes. Let’s discuss what those changes may look like:
Smaller Events
We’ve spent more than a year either alone or with fewer people, so the thought of walking into a giant corporate meeting may scare away your staff.
Why not start planning smaller events?
Smaller corporate meetings offer more space for personalization and teamwork: more people can participate in exercises, there’s more space for movement, and costs can even be cut dramatically.
The adaptation of corporate meetings to be in smaller groups can offer a lot of benefits to your employees and the company as a whole.
Outdoor Events
If you are still looking to host many employees at one event, you may want to look into outdoor events.
Studies have shown that the concentration of viral particles of COVID-19 is higher indoors than outside, which means that outdoor events are proven to be safer.
To ease your employees back into in-person corporate events, you may want to opt for an outdoor space. Transitioning back to “normal” is hard enough, why not make it easier on your team if you can?
Corporate Meetings Will Continue to Change Form
Technology has drastically shifted the way that corporate meetings function. If all of these changes can happen in just one year, think of what will come in the future!
The look of corporate meetings might change, but the purpose is the same: strengthen your team and grow your business. If you’re looking for more tips on how to do that, check out our blog!
If you are looking to grow your business through marketing, contact us! We’ve got your back.
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