The development and increased usage of cell phones, e-mail, and the internet has resulted in the business world becoming way more connected across state lines and nation borders. Business trips were essential for companies to greet people in person and make deals, sending representatives to meet up and discuss. In-person business is preferred by many since there is less ambiguity. There were so many different forms of business travel that existed in one nature prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The major categories included but are not limited to: sales, conventions, legal work, and even re-location. Business travel is expected to be permanently diminished by the pandemic with the normalization of online meetings and conferences, which will cause stress on the travel industry in general at least in the near future.
Sales and meeting with potential clients or other warm leads were a giant in the business trip sector. Representative(s) were sent to meet with the prospects, whether half-way across the world or a quick 45-minute flight away. Sales is the category that will likely return to the budget for business travel in many companies as the world begins to recover from the pandemic. This is because whether the prospect has been met with or is brand new, face-to-face sales tends to always be more successful for both parties in terms of getting to know as much information as possible within a transaction. It can be difficult to get to know a company, as well as their atmosphere, mission, etc. which can be just as important as more factual information when deciding whether a partnership or client-relationship is a good fit. With that being said, sales-related business travel will likely make a fairly strong recovery after the pandemic, at least relative to other sectors.
Meetings within a company are one area of travel that will probably never return to the same level that it was at prior to the pandemic. Larger companies that have offices spread out used to send their employees of different branches on trips to meet and have training sessions or other types of meetings. Many training sessions, however, will likely be replaced from online classes or video sessions. This could be an area hit very hard as inter-company relations are less essential, where the simple information that can be transmitted online is more important.
Conferences and conventions were another large area of travel for business, with representatives of companies going to locations for networking, learning about an industry, or any other reason related. While online versions of these events have greatly increased since the pandemic began, this type of travel is expected to see a decent recovery. This category, similar to sales, is something that has great value if conducted in person, as there are certain types of business relationships made at these events that simply would not happen if they were online. It is only human to make connections in person at these conferences or conventions, and travel for these should bounce back to some degree.
There are still other forms of business travel not necessarily discussed in this article that will be affected by the pandemic, but the main conclusion that should be reached is that while some areas will be harmed more than others, it is unlikely that the overall expenditure and budgeting for business trips will increase. Companies are cutting their spending on this category as COVID-19 has allowed us as a society to work around the need for meeting in person.
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