New Industry Campaign Stresses Value of Meetings

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 by Cvent Staff

Just under a year ago the meetings industry got Meetings Mean Business, a grassroots campaign to protect the millions of American jobs that depend on business meetings and events. Now, nine industry associations have come together to launch a new campaign: “FACE TIME. It Matters.“

Lead by the Convention Industry Council, the new marketing campaign will promote not just the business value but also the human value of face-to-face meetings and events.

“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,” said Roger Dow, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Travel Association, in a statement.

When it comes to the benefits of live events, recent focus groups and in-depth interviews conducted by Ypartnership with some of the industry’s leading executives found 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

To learn more about the campaign and access tools for spreading the word on the benefits of live events, visit facetimeitmatters.org.