What’s more, a fascinating new trend is emerging whereby events, workshops, and offsites are becoming more prominent reasons for business travel in the new normal. Offsites, in particular, have doubled in volume as the primary reason for a trip since before the pandemic – skyrocketing the beginning or end of a given quarter. Events have also increased by 30% in volume as a “reason for travel” since before the pandemic. 

Introducing the future of business travel for a new world

The Cambridge dictionary defined “business trips” as journeys taken for business purposes. At TravelPerk, we decided to take that definition a step further. 

Business travel:

When you choose to meet colleagues, customers, and partners in real life because the value of meeting in person goes beyond the digital workspace.

Question 4: What tools and facilities will help achieve the goals of this meeting?

Not all meetings are created equal. Some don’t really require much more than the presence and attention of the meeting participants. Others, on the other hand, will need tools to help move the process along. Things like whiteboards or TVs for people to share screens or presentations can go a long way towards making a meeting more productive or creative.

That’s why a simple meeting that doesn’t need any props can easily take place online. However, your more intricate strategy or brainstorming sessions will inevitably benefit from a conference room or meeting room that can provide the right space with the right tools.

This is also important to think about if you have a more distributed team where some colleagues are able to meet in person, while others live in a different city or country. Most modern offices and coworking spaces will have the equipment needed to facilitate a hybrid meeting, but it’s worth keeping in mind to make sure all participants are included.

Question 5: Is there a way to take this meeting to the next level?

One of the greatest benefits of in-person meetings is the ability to build meaningful business relationships. Whether that’s with a client or among team members, face-to-face meetings bring with them something that online meetings simply can’t – the opportunity to get to know your counterpart on a more personal level.

At a meeting in real life, you’re able to read a person’s facial expressions and body language in a way you can’t through a videoconferencing tool. You’re able to sense their mood, understand their humor, and engage in casual small talk in a much more natural and intuitive way than online. That’s why thinking about how you can add this social component to a meeting and kick it up a notch is an awesome way to add value to this interaction.