IACC Meeting Room of the Future June 2023 Report

Venue Inspections As virtual access to meetings and conferences has become a new norm, so has the ability to virtually inspect venues during the site selection process. We asked meeting planners what the minimum size, if one exists, an event must be to warrant an in-person inspection as opposed to virtual only. 37 percent of respondents suggested they always undertake in-person inspections regardless of the event size and another 19 percent said they would for events of 50 attendees of below. A combined 43 percent will only consider an in-person inspection for events with over 50 attendees. Therefore, while the ability to offer virtual inspections is important, especially for spaces with smaller capacities, venues should still expect most planners to attend an in-person inspection.

Figure 14: Minimum size of an event that would warrant in-person inspection of a venue

Virtual site inspections can serve as a valuable supplement to in-person site visits during the venue selection to showcase the wonders of venues to event planners. Visualizing an event is one of the trickiest tasks in the sales process. Virtually showcasing a venue’s event space to clients anywhere in the world helps venues to close new business and plan events without the necessity for onsite meetings. Corporate travel restrictions and limited travel for sustainability reasons require new methods of interacting with customers, but cannot always fully replace the unique experience of an on-site visit.” —Miriam Hageböck, Global Head of Marketing Strategy & Business Development at Allseated

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