The familiar gestures and actions of ‘click here, swipe left, swipe right’ and ‘add to basket’ have all become the norm of our day to day lives. Studies examining screen time have revealed a range of figures from six hours all the way up to 10 hours 39 minutes per day. Regardless of the duration, it’s clear we're hugely reliant on technology.
But, when it comes to organising business meetings, booking conferences, finding the perfect venue, or planning corporate events, can we truly rely solely on technology to handle the myriad of criteria and decisions involved?
At the heart of how we work lies our commitment to connecting people, forging strong business relationships, and continually enhancing our services. This has led to exciting developments to our platform, Meetingspro, where customers can now take full control of their meetings and effortlessly manage their own requirements from start to finish in just four steps.
Since its launch, we’ve seen a fascinating 49% online adoption rate, a near clean split halfway between those choosing to use the technology and those sticking by traditional methods. ‘Is the glass half-full or half-empty’, comes to mind…but we’d argue it’s full to the brim, meeting the needs of not just the wide range of customers we look after, but also our talented team of venue finders. Meetingspro has undoubtedly made the venue find process more efficient. But this split in adoption makes it essential to consider the comfort level of the majority when it comes to relinquishing control entirely to tech.
Event briefs can be complex, requiring multiple dates, an array of layouts, and even with the best in venue finding technology, there can’t yet be fields for every tiny detail. Sometimes, all you want to do is speak to a real person; no automated phone bots, no chat bots, just a warm and friendly voice listening to your needs, what matters to you, and the specifics surrounding your event. For those briefs, our venue finders will always be on the other end of the line for our customers, and we continue to grow the team despite the efficiencies being achieved by our technological advances.
Our venue finders, rather than being displaced by technology, have been optimised by it. Their skills, expertise, and local knowledge can be used in a more strategic and consultative approach. By using experienced venue finders and utilising the latest technological advancements, you can harness the best of both worlds.
From a business perspective, this balance is driving operational and cost efficiencies, as customers can use our knowledge, experience, and human interaction to respond to the briefs that need it, whilst the technology serves transactional, lower-value bookings of boardrooms for 10 or a DDR conference for 50. It’s doing everyone a favour, customers, and venue finders alike, to automate the process of these bookings.
If we were to dig further into the 51% who still rely on our team of venue finders, we’d likely see industries like professional services, pharmaceutical companies and highly legislative sectors that rely on specialist, dedicated teams, those trained in ABPI for example. Due to the nature of the business, an online booking environment can’t be trusted to meet strict criteria, and it needs personal intervention to oversee compliance. On the flip side, we’d also see creative industries where checkboxes just don’t cut it for the quirky.
We will always move with the demands of technology and endeavour to be at the forefront of change in the events industry, but in a world where in-person meetings and personal connections still hold immense value, it's crucial to strike a harmonious balance between the convenience of technology and the human touch. We know that nothing beats human interaction, so to demonstrate this and showcase the close connections that are formed over time between a venue finder and their client, we asked our team of ~50 to share some of the quirkiest briefs they’ve seen…
“I was once asked to try and arrange tree planting in a car park in Romania.” – Frankie.
“Someone once asked us to book fire walking but on the pavement in central Birmingham!” – Becky.
“A hotel that was pet-friendly for parrots…” – Chloe.
“I was once asked for 10 evening events all on the same day up and down the UK and they all had to have a firework displays at each event. They thought it would be an nice idea as it was near bonfire night!” – Nicola.
“One booking requested the hotel beds be totally stripped as the customer would only sleep on their own sheets.” – Jayne.
Recognising the human touch.
So, while technology plays a pivotal role in modern venue finding, it's important to recognise that human expertise, personalised service and even an empathetic voice on the other end of the phone remain indispensable in the realm of event planning. By combining the power of technology with the insight of seasoned professionals, you can orchestrate successful meetings, discover outstanding venues, and create unforgettable corporate events that leave a lasting impact on your attendees.
We know that nobody brings people together like we do. We are your soundboard, your dedicated point of contact to support with the ideas, changes, and the weird and wonderful demands.