Executives are turning thumbs down on business travel

Saturday, 13 Dec, 2011 0

 

An overwhelming 92 percent of executives think that business travel is not only failing to improve while half say it is getting worse, according to a new survey that suggests several reasons why virtual meetings will continue to grow.

Topping the list of cities business travelers don’t want to visit for conventions or trade shows: Houston, with negative comments from almost half of the respondents.

“In fact, respondents said they would prefer attending a virtual conference over actually visiting several American cities,” said ON24 Inc., a provider of webcasting and virtual events.

The cites’ business travelers wanted most to avoid included Los Angeles, Orlando, Miami and Chicago.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson was ranked as the nation’s worst airport, followed by Washington D.C.’s Dulles and Los Angeles’ LAX.

“The survey respondents cited a variety of reasons for the woeful state of business travel,” said ON24. The worst part about flying was the possibility of sitting in the middle seat (53 percent), followed by potential delays (50.6 percent), security lines (40.9 percent) and rude airline employees (25.6 percent). 

 Executives also noted the possibility of sitting next to a “nightmare passenger” as a concern, with three quarters (74.2 percent) of respondents.

Hotels fared no better, with a surprising 52.8 percent of executives concerned about the risk of bed bugs, along with dirty linens (44.8 percent) and noisy guests (42.3 percent). 

Responses about trade shows and conventions reflected the usual criticisms about boring presentations (60.7 percent) and getting behind at work (60.1 percent). 

 “These results demonstrate that virtual communication is more ‘in sync’ than physical events with how people today prefer to work,” said Denise Persson, ON24’s Chief Marketing Officer. She added:

“In today’s digital age, professionals increasingly prefer virtual events and webcasts to traveling to in-person events. Virtual event attendees can consume content conveniently and efficiently wherever they are–at their desks, on their laptops or with any mobile device. With virtual communication, there are no logistical barriers interfering with getting the information you need.”

 By David Wilkening

 


 

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