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Half UK business people say no need to meet in office

Jul 20, 2008

Research released today by Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts has shown that, while we are doing even more business than just a decade ago, we are doing it in different ways and different places.

Of 1,500 business people surveyed, 54 percent said they no longer need to be face-to-face with clients - preferring to use emails, the telephone and videoconferencing.

But - while face-to-face meetings in offices appear to be losing their popularity - meetings in less conventional places are becoming increasingly common, with one in five doing deals on public transport and a fifth continuing negotiations while on holiday. One in ten admitted to securing a business deal on Christmas Day.

Not all traditions have been jettisoned though - the number of people doing business on the golf course has more than doubled to almost 10 percent in the last decade. And a third said they'd rather conduct a meeting over a round of golf than be stuck in the office. 

Doing deals over food remains popular with three quarters conducting business over lunch. Both breakfast and dinner have become more popular over the past decade - 35 percent of business people now conduct business over an evening meal, while 21 percent are talking shop bright and early over breakfast. 

Further evidence that formality is losing its starched-collared appeal was revealed as almost a quarter said they frequently use out-of-hours social events to do business. 

"It's quite striking how quickly our working world continues to change - 1998 seems a nanosecond ago, but so much has changed in just those ten years," said Chris Hale, spokesperson for Crowne Plaza and IHG's Vice President Marketing & Communications Europe, Middle East & Africa. 

"We are all used to having quick early morning meetings over breakfast - certainly our hotels are full of business people discussing work over bacon and eggs. Whether they are talking about critical business strategies or the best way to eat a boiled egg, I really couldn't tell you.

"It's no surprise many of the formalities of meetings are disappearing. But it's also quite reassuring that in this sea of change some traditions are actually becoming more popular - signing a deal on the 19th must be as satisfying as getting a hole in one," said Hale.

Contact name: Andrew Smith, PR Director EMEA

Contact email: andrew.smith@ihg.com