Since the development of advanced technology, many business funders are thinking of shifting conventional conferences to virtual ones. This idea is mainly supported with time efficiency and economizing funds. However, I believe the traditional way of organizing conferences is more beneficial, especially to brainstorm about crucial upcoming events.
There are numerous reasons why many usual business conferences are still held, despite the technological advancement. One of them is interactivity. In order to facilitate active participation in essential business meetings, which is often a challenge in online setting, many companies still refuse to switch to online conferences. What is more, they believe that face-to-face interaction affects the level of engagement. In other words, direct interaction between people and to be physically present in the same location boosts the level of enthusiasm in employees not only in the field of work but also to strengthen social contacts between one with another. These factors can justify why conventional conferences are still conducted.
There are benefits to arranging online conferences, however. The technical development inspired the idea of setting only online meetings, aiding to solve the financial problems and issues with time management. Economizing some amount of time spent on commuting to workplace, activities and processes might result in productivity boost. Also, meeting via video reduces travel expenses and lowers office space requirements, resulting in the reduction of carbon footprint and the overuse of electricity. These advantages do not only minimize the money waste, but also assist in pursuing environmental sustainability.
Despite the technological inspiration to set online conference organization, I disagree with the statement. If it had been that advantageous, the majority of companies’ business seminars would have already replaced face-to-face conferences with virtual ones. In other words, physical presence in common conduct of conferences is a must in logistics-coordinating a complex operation. Another factor is accessibility, the ease with which participants can join conferences and to interact with others on the purpose of exchanging essential information, leading to solidifying relationships between coworkers.
In summary, there is a view that, because of technical advancement, changing the regular way of conference is a great idea. In my opinion, it is wrong to set a shock therapy and to divert all usual business conferences just for online ones leading to weakening relationships between workers and averting the level of engagement and industriousness.