I’m going to state a claim here and now. Face-to-face meetings will never go away.
Our human nature makes us want to congregate, to see each other in person. Communication is mostly non-verbal so our intentions and emotions are seen only when we can meet live.
That’s great news for our trade show industry and our clients! There has been a growing trend of concern over social media’s impact on conferences. But, regardless of how much they text or communicate online, I believe even our millennial generation has the need to assemble in groups and meet in person with potential partners and friends.
Here’s an example to support my claim. Instagram, a social media site that focuses on photo sharing, seems to be the “it” platform for teenagers these days. And, Instagram addicts (so called by Mashable) are coming together at InstaMeets. This trend is happening all over the world, bringing together like-minded individuals who have met online. A successful InstaMeet seems to have a balance between structured organization and a flexible itinerary created by the group itself.
Hmmm. I wonder if meeting planners will have to rethink the way they set up some of their smaller conferences in the future? Could this be a potential source of revenue for associations? A way to introduce Millennials into the association world? Maybe it can become part of the conference experience for your attendees—a new way of networking onsite.
Don’t judge me please, of course I’m thinking of a way to monetize this trend, I’m in marketing and it’s my job to make you more profitable and your attendees happy so they return to your events.
Maybe I should create an InstaMeet with all our readers so we can crowdsource a brilliant idea for our industry. Either that or just take a few fun photos and share. So what do you say, want to InstaMeet later?
This is an InstaMeet of my cubicle friends.