People are the Wild Cards (another soapbox message)
Relative to the Coronavirus this became really obvious when colleges and universities worked to reopen. Some colleges did a lot to prepare and have been relatively successful. Most colleges thought they prepared—guidelines, rules, cleaning, protocol---and then the students came back to campus. And students behave like young people who are in college ---I know because that is where I started my career. And it is not all students, but as my mother would say, “a few bad apples who ruin it for everyone”. That has been true at more than just campuses.
So let’s take it to the Meetings, Events, Hospitality and Travel world. The Airlines and Airports can clean, put in air filtration systems and have rules. The Hotels, Convention Centers and other Venues can too. The Meeting Planner and Event Owners can put amazingly well thought out plans in place, and share them with the attendees.
But all it takes is “a few bad apples who ruin it for everyone.”
Before you think I am reading too much into this, I have heard your stories of your meeting attendees jumping off of balconies into pools, being drunk and getting hurt or hurting others, dancing on tables, accidentally lighting fires, doing things that even caused death. We read in the news of people doing things on airplanes we would not even think an adult would do. Every time more rules are put into place, and yet people kept bending or breaking them. They do not feel anything will happen to them, or that the rules apply to them. And frequently they do not think of the consequences to others.
I want “face to face” meetings and events back too. I don’t know anyone in the industry who does not, unless they discovered they travelled to much, so a job search might be in order. We want them back because we love people and experiences and there is nothing that can take the place of the human contact. Other goals and objectives may be met in other ways, but the energy in a room, the things we see when we travel—that needs to be done in person. We also want everyone we know and love to go back to what they love to do---not just for the money, but also for the passion they have for it.
So when I am reading the message over and over (and over), from people who are more respected and known in this industry than I am, “It is safe to meet in person again”, I am totally frustrated and at times angry. As I said before I have not doubt that hotels, airlines, planners and the rest are doing what they are saying they are doing. But then there are those “few bad apples” and that is what puts everyone and everything in jeopardy. And we do not have control of them. And many planners are not the ones who can make the decision to have face to face meetings.
I see individual travel increasing and I believe it will continue too because individuals can control how and where they travel. Those that are comfortable will, those that are not will modify their travel or postpone for longer. We know meetings and events (and other business travel) are what really fill airplanes and many of the venues.
Organizations have a responsibility to protect their organizations. If someone gets ill or dies because of business travel, the organization will most likely be held responsible. Hopefully they really care about the people, and not just their reputation or the financial impact. Either way they have to think of the impact. That is why many organizations have already said no meetings, and in some case business travel, before the end of June 30---Quarter 2. Some have been looking at extending that, and with the new hopeful vaccine maybe they will wait to make a decision. Even if the vaccine starts being administered before December 31, there is an excellent chance that not enough will get distributed for at least 6 months. To me it looks like their may be some promise for the spring for at least some business travel to resume, even if it is not for large meetings and events.
I believe small meetings will be possible in some areas –under 100, under 50, und 25. Of course there are areas that allowing 500 and maybe more. As I mentioned before it is tough to do anything that crosses state lines in the US, because of all the different policies. I attended an excellent session the other day by a international researcher about how face to face meetings will return. He feels it will be years, if ever that we go back to meetings and events that have thousands and thousands of people. One of the points he made, is we may have to revisit the spaces we use, far past this pandemic. This experience will change people, and how we do things for a very long time.
