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

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 educated and efficient consumers by the time they arrive at the hotel.

Technology can also help to narrow choices. Not sure if the board will vote to have the meeting in Indianapolis or Minneapolis? Online booking tools such as Starcite.com enable meeting planners to check rates and availability in multiple cities and hotels with just one request for proposal. These tools enable hotels and planners alike the convenience of efficiently communicating information about a specific meeting, whether it be meeting space requirements or special menus to accommodate dietary needs.

However, even with all our technological advances and the changes in the way we communicate, the strength of the hotel business has not really changed. Although we rely on technology, our business is based on the successful cultivation of professional relationships. High levels of service and personal attention are the key.

We choose to do business with people we like. I find building a relationship much easier in person than via email, and certainly a great deal more enjoyable. Are you available for lunch next week?

Matt Rose is director of sales at the Holiday Inn Select Indianapolis Airport, which will soon be rebranded as a Crowne Plaza property.