With the return to normal business activity comes the return of face-to-face meetings and, with it, the holding of events and meetings. In the case of meetings, many professional meetings are held in a company, occupying a large part of working life.
Work meetings are a fundamental part of the organisation of a company or institution, making internal team communication possible and encouraging sharing and joint work. It is an essential activity in strategic planning, which is why a good organisation is decisive for the good development of the company.
In general, the organisation of a business meeting requires careful planning, especially if it is a meeting that requires travel and space booking. Therefore, from Consultia Business Travel, as an agency specialising in business travel that has a specialised area in the organisation of business meetings, we are going to focus on the most important keys to carry out a perfect organisation, read on!
What is the current situation of business meetings and MICE tourism in general?
Business meetings are one of the most important activities within a company, and this importance is reflected in the positive and promising figures that are increasingly being recorded for this type of tourism.
Spain is one of the countries where most meetings and conferences are held in the world, so its tourist attraction is not only limited to leisure offers, it is a type of tourism that has a current annual impact of around 7,000 million euros, according to data from the Spain Convention Bureau.
Among other very interesting data, INE sources record that, before the extraordinary situation caused by the health crisis, around 10 million people travelled to Spain to attend meetings, events and trade fairs, with an average turnover 330% higher than a leisure tourist, generating more than 12,000 million euros in the country.
Moreover, to be more precise, tourists who travel for work purposes spend up to 206 euros per day, in contrast to sun and beach tourists, who only spend, on average, 146 euros. Therefore, MICE tourists generate 30% more income than leisure tourists.
There is no doubt that meeting tourism has a promising future ahead of it. Far from being satisfied with video calls and remote connections, the sector is expected to make a full recovery by 2024, with figures of up to 12,511 million euros expected to be generated by 2024.
However, many factors have changed in the planning and coordination of a business meeting. For this reason, it is essential to have specialists in the management of this type of events to carry out an efficient organisation of business meetings, so that they carry out a job based on personalised attention and organisation, adjusting to the needs of each company.
What types of working meetings can be organised
A good professional in the sector will be able to organise business meetings that are completely personalised and adapted to the needs of each company.
However, in general, there are different types of business meetings that usually cover the rest of the business meetings. In this sense, business meetings can be classified as follows:
- Internal meetings: Meetings held between employees of the same institution. These are motivational meetings, business plan meetings, meetings to involve the team, meetings with the team of other delegations…
- External meetings: hey are organised between several companies. Among the formats of these meetings we can differentiate between negotiations, informative sessions, product/service presentations, demonstrations, forums, round tables…
Although meetings are classified according to their purpose and the way they proceed, each company is free to decide how it wants to organise its business meetings, so, in order to develop a correct planning, we are going to delve into some tips for organising a business meeting
Tips to keep in mind when organising a business meeting
In order to organise a business meeting in the best possible way, let’s focus on some general tips to keep in mind to ensure the smooth running of the event:
- Objective. It is important to define the objective of the meeting very well. The rest of the actions necessary for the meeting to run smoothly will be developed around this objective.
- Organise the programme in advance. How much time will be needed, which parts it will contain, what is the ideal time to start and end the day, what are the break times, if there will be co-working times… These are all points that should be taken into account when organising the agenda. In addition, it is highly recommended that those invited to the meeting have a programme in which they can see the itinerary of the event, so that they know at all times what is happening and what will happen next.
- Organise it around the participants. It is very important to pay special attention to this point. Taking into account their comfort, their needs, their interests, making them feel cared for and respected, will have a direct impact on the outcome of the meeting.
- Experiential day. The space, the audiovisual projections, the surroundings, the gastronomy, complementary and leisure activities… are all points that can turn the work meeting into an experiential day that the attendees will not forget.
- Meeting space. For some companies it will be vital to rent a venue for business meetings. For example, if a large number of people are to meet, if you want to make a good impression on participants from other businesses or if the meeting is held outside your city. It is important that this space meets the optimal conditions for the smooth running of the meeting.
- Travel. If the meeting is to be held out of town, you will need to organise everything from transport tickets to accommodation, taking into account the number of people, locations, arrival and departure times, etc.
- Necessary audiovisual material. Sometimes it is necessary to present documents or reports, so having the necessary audiovisual materials and technical professionals will be essential for the smooth running of the meeting, avoiding any unforeseen events or setbacks in order to be able to focus on running the meeting and attending to all the participants.
- Distribution of tables and chairs. Carry out a good distribution of the room according to objectives, interaction, etc. Also taking into account the order of hierarchies and hosts, if there are any.
- Something to eat. Depending on the duration of the meeting, in many cases it will be necessary to have something to eat, including a coffee break in the programme. For this purpose, it is necessary to take into account the necessary catering arrangements and, in cases where this is required, individual intolerances and needs.
- Signage and hospitality. So that guests feel cared for at all times and know where to go if they need to.
- Protocol. Depending on the type of business meetings, it may be necessary to establish a specific protocol. If this is the case, it is necessary that all guests and participants are aware of the protocol.
These are just some general tips on how to organise a business meeting. If you need to organise business meetings in your organisation and you don’t know how to do it, from Consultia Business Travel, as specialists in business travel and events, we will be happy to organise and accompany you and your guests in the best personalised event for your company, contact us!