Offsite meetings valued by employees, imago research reveals

Research into the value of face to face communication showed that employees value offsite meetings compared to those held in-house.

The research - Does the future have room for face-to-face communication - was conducted amongst a sample of more than 750 event organisers, delegates, graduate and undergraduate students.

The research revealed that delegates felt getting to know colleagues outside the office was the most valuable element of an offsite meeting, followed by increasing learning ability away from office distractions and meeting new people that encouraged new thinking.

Respondents who took part in the focus group sessions agreed that a neutral environment encouraged a fresh approach to thinking, with interactive sessions and good food showed investment in employees to make them feel rewarded.

Emma Boynton, Head of Sales and Marketing at imago, commented: “All too often meetings are arranged in-house. Whilst this is convenient it often doesn’t lead to productive outcomes for those attending or the organisers. Holding a meeting offsite should not just be seen as a day away from the office. As our research revealed that employees get more out of going to meetings that are not held in familiar surroundings – it encourages them to get to know their colleagues, increases their learning ability and by meeting new people i9t encourages a different way of thinking. All of these elements are beneficial to those attending and the businesses they work for as it provides a greater return on investment.”

The research was undertaken by Loughborough University and imago.  The Right Solution provided methodology, analysis and validation of the research which was conducted amongst 779 respondents using a mixture of focus groups, online and face to face questionnaires.  The final research paper is available from http://go.welcometoimago.com/meet-the-future. Follow the debate and share thoughts about the research on Twitter via #futureF2F.

Such has been the success of imago’s research, the organisation is planning a follow-up research project, which will be launched later this year. Emma adds: “The feedback from the research and its findings have been extremely positive. As an organisation it is helping us shape successful meetings for our clients and improve the services we offer. The purpose of the next research project is to look into individual areas in more detail and we look forward to seeing the results.”

imago unifies Loughborough University’s conference and events venues under one brand offering high quality meeting spaces, venues and accommodation along with excellent sports and leisure facilities. imago manages the AIM Gold accredited Burleigh Court and Holywell Park as well as Loughborough University’s conference and events facilities and The Link Hotel.

Key to helping delegates retain information revealed through imago research

An interactive presentation where delegates are encouraged to get involved with the learning process is of most importance to meeting attendees in helping them retain information, according to research carried out by imago.

The research - Does the future have room for face-to-face communication - was conducted earlier this year amongst a sample of more than 750 event organisers, delegates, graduate and undergraduate students – and is helping the conference arm of Loughborough University shape successful meetings for its clients.

Visuals, such as power point presentations, graphics and videos also ranked highly as an important way of retaining information, whilst technology such as audience response systems are only rated as of moderate importance. Social media ranked as the least important method of retaining information, particularly amongst students.

Emma Boynton, Head of Sales and Marketing at imago commented: “In line with other findings from our research into the value of face to face communications, we found that exercises and asking questions of the person leading the meeting help delegates retain more information. It confirms that people want to talk with other people face to face as it is how they get the most out of meetings. As one of our focus group attendees told us there is nothing better than a white board and pen or a flip chart to help with group cohesion. It was surprising to see social media ranked so low by students. They are considered its biggest group of supporters when using it socially so it is interesting that this isn’t reflected in a learning environment. The research has been of great value to imago as we have been able to take the findings and put the results into practice at each of our venues for the benefit of both organisers and those attending meetings.”

The research was undertaken by Loughborough University and imago.  The Right Solution provided methodology, analysis and validation of the research which was conducted amongst 779 respondents using a mixture of focus groups, online and face to face questionnaires.  The final research paper is available from http://go.welcometoimago.com/meet-the-future. Follow the debate and share thoughts about the research on Twitter via #futureF2F.

Launched in 2003, imago unifies Loughborough University’s conference and events venues under one brand which offers high quality meeting spaces, venues and accommodation along with excellent sport and leisure facilities. imago manages Burleigh Court, Holywell Park, Loughborough University’s conference and events facilities and The Link Hotel. 

October 30th, 2015

Research conducted by imago is being used to help shape the way its event management team assists clients in delivering successful meetings.

Conducted in conjunction with Loughborough University and The Right Solution, the research asked event organisers, delegates, graduate and undergraduate students what they felt were the main benefits of meeting face to face in a learning environment. The results found that the biggest benefits of attending a meeting were to learn from industry experts and to listen to speakers who inspired new ideas, challenge the norm and initiate change in every day thinking.

imago is using the results from the research to ensure its event management service provides clients with all the resources and knowledge to deliver a return on investment from their meetings.

The research also revealed there was a gap in the value event organisers and delegates placed on networking opportunities, both in terms of building relationships and meeting peers in a similar field from other businesses. Event organisers (92%) ranked networking as the most valuable element of face to face communication, whilst it ranked third for those attending events both from a delegate (84.4%) and student (74.6%) perspective.

Emma Boynton, head of sales and marketing at imago, commented:

“The research is having a real impact on the event management service we offer. The aim is to be able to work alongside clients and provide them with all the tools they need for a successful event, not just sell them a meeting space. This includes working out how they can best use their time so delegates get the most out of their day out of the office.

“The research showed that delegates rated listening to speakers who inspire new ideas, challenge the norm and initiate change in every day thinking as the most valuable element of face to face learning whilst students rated learning from industry experts first hand as most valuable. Through our links with Loughborough University we can source speakers which will be of genuine interest for both event organisers and those attending. And it is interesting that networking was rated highly by event organisers but not seen as such a valuable opportunity by those attending the event.”

The final research paper is available from go.welcometoimago.com/meet-the-future. Follow the debate and share thoughts about the research on Twitter via #futureF2F.

The research was undertaken by Loughborough University and imago. The Right Solution provided methodology, analysis and validation of the research which was conducted amongst 779 respondents using a mixture of focus groups, online and face to face questionnaires.

imago to launch new industry research on future of face to face meetings at The Meetings Show

Research on The Future of Face to Face Meetings environment will be launched by imago at The Meetings Show next month as part of its education programme. 

Undertaken by imago in partnership with Loughborough University, this will be the industry's first opportunity to examine the research and its implications for the meetings sector moving forward. The results will be presented on Wednesday July 8th in an open forum by the research team, which includes Emma Boynton, head of sales and marketing at imago, and Sally Greenhill from The Right Solution. 

Emma comments: “The research we have undertaken examines the importance and benefits of learning in a face to face environment and whether it can compete with other forms of communication, particularly amongst tomorrow's business leaders. The results of this research will allow us, and other organisations, to build a better picture of the economic market place to spot opportunities that are not being maximised or highlight areas of the market that are over saturated. We welcome everybody along to hear the results and find out how face to face meetings play an important role in the way we conduct business.” 

The Future of Face to Face Meetings Environment will take place on Wednesday July 8 at The Meetings Show, held at Olympia, London (3.50pm).