Visit Savannah CEO: Why conventions and meetings matter to Savannah's economy

This is a commentary written by Joseph Marinelli, president of Visit Savannah, the Savannah area's travel and visitors' bureau.

The COVID-19 pandemic is now in our rearview mirror and doing business face-to-face is back in fashion.

Meetings and conventions are essential to Savannah and Chatham County. They matter to the 26,000-plus of our friends and neighbors who support the “visitor economy” every day. They also matter deeply to those who visit us to attend these meetings who want to enjoy all that Savannah and Tybee Island have to offer.

One of the most powerful tools at the disposal of leaders in government and business—the “it” factor that can move the needle, spark innovation or close a deal—is ensuring that employees, constituents and colleagues are participating in face-to-face meetings and events.

Bringing attention to this critical business function is why Global Meetings Industry Day—celebrated on March 30—is incredibly meaningful. Meetings, conventions, trade shows and events drive local economies and businesses while simultaneously powering other industries, spurring new ideas, forming deeper business connections and fueling individual professional growth.

In 2022, nationally nearly $100 billion in meeting and events-related travel spending nationwide, which supported 600,000 American jobs. And our community was host for everything from high-end board meetings to citywide conventions that brought tens of thousands of people to town spending hundreds of millions of dollars. And that visitor spending has a ripple effect across our regional economy.

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When people attend a meeting or conference at the Savannah Convention Center, for example, they also stay in area hotels and short-term rentals, enjoy our Southern hospitality and unique coastal cuisine, take tours, visit our museums and support area businesses like drug stores, gas stations and dry cleaners.

Beyond the broader economic impact, meetings bring numerous intangible benefits—things you won’t always see on a spreadsheet but are critical to sustained business success.

First, the strongest business relationships are forged through face-to-face interactions. While virtual meetings may be convenient, data shows that they are much less effective in developing lasting relationships. According to a study from Forbes Insights, face-to-face requests are 34 times more effective than emailed ones.

The same study found that in-person meetings matter to the c-suite as well. In fact, 77% of executives consider business travel essential and 43% of business travelers say reduced business travel is negatively impacting their company’s financial performance. There is a significant competitive advantage to getting workers back on the road.

Forbes Insights study: Business meetings and the case for face to face

While established business travelers know these benefits firsthand, there is a younger generation of professionals who have yet to experience the full benefit of business travel. Workers who came of age during the peak of the remote office ascent need these experiences to expand their professional networks, learn new skills and generate growth opportunities for themselves and their employers.

Simply put, we humans are built for face-to-face communication and the environment that professional meetings provide. The subtle gesture or verbal cue can convey more about one’s interest in a product, proposal or idea than any lengthy email or virtual exchange. Government and business leaders—and our entire community—stand to gain so much just from the simple act of attending and hosting in-person meetings.

Our expanded Savannah Convention Center will double in size and when it opens at this time next year. Think about how your company or organization can bring a meeting or convention to town and by all means, let us at Visit Savannah know how we can help you make that happen.

The evidence is clear: Meetings matter. In 2023, let’s get down to business.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Visit Savannah touts Global Meetings Industry Day convention center