Reversing the Media’s Meetings Backlash

In the face of myriad meeting cancellations and substitutions with Web conferencing, major industry associations have aligned under the Convention Industry Council (CIC) to develop a unique grassroots industry effort to promote the benefits of meeting face to face.

The multi­faceted campaign, “FACE TIME. It Matters,” launches this month as the CIC’s 34 member organizations roll out the logo, slogan and related marketing tools on members’ Web sites, in trade and partner consumer advertising, and at a variety of industry shows and events.

Industry associations which contributed to funding the initiative include the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), the International Special Events Society (ISES), the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives (SITE) and the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR).

The campaign was developed in response to the findings of a recent national survey of corporate and association meeting planners conducted by Ypartnership wherein 35 percent of respondents cited “image/publicity/public policy” considerations as a reason they expect to book fewer face-to-face meetings in 2010. Focus groups and in-depth interviews conducted by Ypartnership with some of the industry’s leading executives subsequently revealed that: 

       *  Face­-to­-face meetings build trust and relationships;

       *  Education and training are more effective in a live setting;

       *  Live meetings actually save time and money;

       *  Live meetings result in a more effective exchange of ideas

       *  Face-to-face meetings provide the human connection that powers business.

“We’re very excited about the launch of this grass roots campaign,” said Gregg Talley, chief strategy officer for the CIC. “The Convention Industry Council and its members will utilize the message to promote the irreplaceable benefits of human interaction and relationship building that may only be realized only through face-to-face meetings.”

When asked how the organizations involved will evaluate the success of the initiative, Talley responded, ” For the ‘FACE TIME-It Matters’ effort, it would be based on the up-take by the CIC members, their stakeholders and industry in general to use either the messaging around the ‘why face-to-face meetings matter’ or the ‘unity bug.’ We felt that, as an industry, we had not adequately articulated the human value of face-to-face events in a way that all of us could consistently reinforce. We hope this does that.”

“The FACE TIME campaign will bring home the critical human side of the meetings value equation. When combined with our ‘Meetings Mean Business’ effort and Oxford Economics compelling findings on the positive financial return from meetings, it becomes crystal clear how important meetings are to talent growth, business development and the economic vitality of our communities,” added Roger Dow, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Travel Association.