"No touch" vs. "high touch": technology allows meeting planners to do both.

• Author: Rose, Matt
• Position: ADVICE: MEETINGS

I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW car without ever driving it.

Some may think that is silly, but today many of us do our shopping from the comfort and convenience of our laptop via the Internet. In today's virtual world, we use Internet-based applications to educate ourselves, compare products and services and make decisions about with whom we will do business and what products and services we will buy.

Today's technology allows us to be better-educated and more efficient consumers. We use the Internet for everything from making vacation plans to making dinner reservations for Friday night. And sometimes to buy a car.

Sure, I had already driven a similar model car prior to buying one on-line. But I picked my options, color and even negotiated the selling price without ever visiting the showroom floor. My total time at the dealership was only about an hour. It was easy, it was convenient and (dare I say it) buying my car was enjoyable.

The same can be said for booking a business meeting venue. Hotels and meeting planning companies today incorporate the same level of convenience for booking a meeting. For example, detailed hotel information, links to menus and audiovisual choices and online booking tools allow meeting planners to research and book a meeting at a Crowne Plaza hotel without ever visiting the hotel.

Many small to mid-size meetings today are booked where the first handshake occurs the morning of the meeting. Although on-site inspection of a hotel and its meeting space cannot be replaced by a computer, meeting planners today can use technology to become better...