Point / counterpoint: Is the boondoggle dead?

What comes to mind when you think “boondoggle?” A waste of time? A waste of money? Crafts you used to make at camp? While the traditional definition may have fallen out of the lexicon (except on conservative Twitter, of all places), in the experiential world a boondoggle is any event where the extravagance and activities seem to overpower the purpose.  We’ve all left a trade show or conference reminiscing about that happy hour on the boat or the surprise concert on the last night. Then wondering… did I actually learn anything? Meet anyone important? Accomplish anything other than a hangover? Think of Parks & Rec’s infamous Entertainment 720. Or, in the real world, SXSW and Cannes Lions.  It was easy to be allured by boondoggles in the Before Times. Meetings were conveniently planned in Vail ski resorts, looking at you CRASH Conference, or on a tropical beach, same, ICBMSI. But during the Covid Reckoning, people became much more conscious of how they spend their precious time and money. Throw in a slew of other factors — new travel complications, climate consciousness, virtual alternatives, Covid risk — and you might reasonably conclude that the boondoggle is dead.  But is it really? And...