b'Time Savings Increased ProductivityOnline meetings require no time to be devoted to packing,According to one meeting expert, If a virtual meeting was traveling to and from the airport, going through the TSAa superhero, productivity would be its power. Much of this line, flying, flight delays, traveling to and from the hotel,no doubt can be attributed to the time and cost savings checking into the hotel, unpacking, and so on. While an in- cited above. However, another important factor relates to person meeting may have required an attendee to be awaysurveys and studies showing that most people are more from home for 72 hours or more, it is likely that a relativelyproductive working from home.small percentage of those hours would have been devotedEnhanced Meeting Toolsto actual meetings.Cost Savings The online format provides access to several collaborative capabilities that might not be practical or efficient in Avoiding travel means avoiding not only the costs ofan in-person format. For example, participants can ask airfare, ground transportation, hotel rooms, conferencequestions or make comments as during live presentations, facilities and meals, but the opportunity cost of theand online polling applications offer a quick and easy attendees non-productive time over the course of the trip. way to get real time feedback from meeting participants. Smaller Carbon Footprint Perhaps most important, online meetings can easily be recorded and shared with those who are unable to attend Less travel means fewer carbon emissions, which is anor with those who join the organization after the meeting.additional benefit for organizations committed to improving the environment. Having to pivot the AAP Annual Meeting in Hawaii to a virtual format was certainly a difficult and somewhat Broader Attendance disappointing decision because there is simply no A virtual meeting can be attended by people whosesubstitute for seeing longtime colleagues and friends in the travel expenses might not have been deemed affordableflesh, or for walking the sands of Waikiki Beach. But as in the case of an in-person meeting. This is especiallycan be seen above, there are many advantages that virtual advantageous for organizations with a significantmeetings have over in-person meetings, and every reason international employee or membership base. to believe that the 2020 AAP Annual Meeting will be a virtualand realsuccess. Timing FlexibilityLogistics challenges almost always require in-person meetings to take place over several consecutive days, whereas a more productive scenario might be to have the meeting spread outsuch as taking place for a half-day per week over several weeks. With virtual meetings, such a scenario is possible.AAP Periospectives| 9'