At Plan Ahead Events, we not only plan meetings; we are advocates for them and show our support for the meetings industry. And we know that as much as virtual meetings can solve some challenges for people who cannot physically attend the actual meeting for one reason or another, the virtual world can never replace the real world of face to face experiences.
And this was the message carried by Jacques Attali to delegates at the Association of Corporate Travel Executives' Global Education Conference in Paris. "I understand that a lot of things can be done on videoconferencing,” said Attali, but “quality events, where people will learn something” are extremely valuable to an organization.
Attali, who was named by Foreign Policy Magazine as one of the top 100 public intellectuals in the world, said the music industry has demonstrated the importance of attending events.“I very often think that music is the best way to forecast the future,” he said. “Look at what happened to the music industry. Try to sell a CD – nobody wants to buy it. Try to sell a concert ticket – you will find a lot of people ready to buy it. Why? Because it is an experience. An event. Where people share life experiences.”
According to Attali, a French economist and former advisor to President Francois Mitterrand, the most important place in an office is the coffee machine. When employees meet at the coffee machine, their interaction is “outside hierarchy” allowing them to freely discuss ideas – a vital source of innovation for a company.
People meeting people and talking face to face: irreplaceable!