Organizations struggling to recover from the global economic slowdown, particularly those with global or regional connections, are considering to reduce travel budgets in order to maximize their corporate efficiency. Instead, electronic communications media are being used more frequently by individuals and organizations to communicate within and between groups. Several studies and companies support this tendency.

However, a study by Straus & McGrath has revealed that the type of communication medium tends to affect meeting outcomes, pointing out that where intricate social interaction is required, when tasks and decisions are complex and when there is a need to respond rapidly, face-to-face communications are the more effective media channel. The study cited numerous psychological and business reasons.

The pros and cons of face-to-face business meetings versus meetings with computer-aided communication devices are outlined in the full MICE report. These conclude that organizations would be best served by finding the right combination of the two forms of business communication to suit the type of meeting to be undertaken.