Holiday Inn research hard to digest

SINGAPORE – Here at TravelMole we get plenty of bizarre media releases but this one from Holiday Inn Hotels certainly takes the biscuit.

We’re still scratching our heads and wondering whether it is an April Fool’s Day joke that somehow got lost in cyberspace.

According to the company’s spin doctors, “the humble biscuit plays an integral role in influencing company directors, entrepreneurs and budget holders at boardroom meetings”.

The media release goes on:

Research by Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, part of IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), revealed that the quality and type of biscuit presented in a meeting can make or break a deal.
In what is considered the first ever “Business Biscuit Study”, Holiday Inn surveyed more than 1,000 business professionals across the UK.

More than half – 58 per cent – of those surveyed said the biscuits served in a meeting can “positively influence a company’s first impressions”, with a massive 80 per cent stating that biscuits improve the quality and outcome of a meeting.

Those in the legal profession are most likely to be influenced by a good quality biscuit (67 per cent), followed by sales, media or marketing professionals (65 per cent). Some 59 per cent of public sector workers agreed that biscuits can have a “favourable influence” during a meeting.

Overall, nearly half (47 per cent) of those quizzed thought that it was very important to serve biscuits during a meeting, with almost two-thirds (64 per cent) confessing that the quality of biscuits on offer was a matter of note or discussion.

Surprisingly, biscuits were also deemed the second most important aspect of the boardroom, behind only tables and chairs, and were prioritised over lighting, technology and artwork.

According to the data, biscuits – or the absence of them – can help highlight the meeting agenda particularly when breaking bad news.

A strong 42 per cent of those surveyed indicated that they would not serve biscuits if they were about to fire an employee. However, the chocolate digestive was singled out by 18 per cent of professionals as the top biscuit used to soften the blow when delivering bad news.

Chocolate digestives proved the leading contender throughout the research and topped the list of the boardroom’s “Most Wanted” ahead of shortbread (second), oat biscuits (third), jam rings (fourth), with Bourbons (dark chocolate sandwich creams) completing the top five.

Business biscuit etiquette shows that 50 per cent of business professionals would take a maximum of two biscuits during a meeting, with three being the magic number for 18 per cent. One single biscuit was the limit for ten per cent.

However, the research also showed in certain circumstances biscuits are totally off limits. Almost half (49 per cent) of businessmen and women would decline a biscuit when presenting, with 28.2 per cent revealing they would refuse the biscuits if they looked too crumbly.

Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) would wait until someone more senior than them had one before joining in. Just nine per cent of women and 17 per cent of men would take a biscuit whatever the circumstance.

TravelMole Disclaimer: Here at TravelMole we like our biscuits, (Tim Tams) but believe they play no part in publishing bizarre media releases.