The answer is no, because it's not representative. Typically, the people who will attend those meetings are in favour of the change. Those who are satisfied with the current system—the vast majority of people—won't go to the trouble of taking part in that kind of exercise, or at least very few of them will.
For confirmation that the public is truly in favour of change, a referendum has to be held. As I see it, there's no way around it.