Internet inspections edging out personal visits from meeting planners?
Are site inspections for meeting planners going the way of the buggy whip and the dodo?
An amazing 61.4% of 192 respondents to MiMegasite.com’s latest poll said they would choose a meeting property based just on information, specs and photos found on the internet — without even conducting an in-person site inspection.
Breaking it down some more:
- The percentage of respondents who said they would do it under most circumstances was 28.6%.
- The percentage of those who said they would do it only if they were short on time was more than one third.
- The remaining more than one third of respondents said that they would not book a property under any circumstances without first conducting an in-person visit.
”As the sophistication of Web sites continues to advance, many properties now offer 360-degree views of guest rooms, meeting space, banquet space, and other areas, allowing planners to get a solid idea of a property’s feasibility for their meetings,” said MiMegasite. ”And when it comes to judging the service staff at a property–which obviously cannot be done over the Web–many planners rely on word-of-mouth anecdotes and recommendations if they are not going to conduct an in-person site visit.”
Will the trend continue? Probably.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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