I think a big question is not how essential it is in a vacuum, but how important sales travel is in a competitive landscape.

ie, sales would work equally well if everyone did it via Zoom calls. But if one competitor is willing to send reps in-house for in-person meetings, and the rest are just scheduling Zooms... I can see the industry quickly collapsing back into constant sales travel, if there's even a small marginal gain from face-to-face meetings

(or dinners, or drinks, or whatever else sales reps do to close a deal)