In the room Skype is all well and good, but sometimes to seal the deal you need to travel W ith digital communication changing the way we work, face-to-face meetings with business colleagues who aren't on our doorsteps are becoming far less frequent. Budget constraints, too, mean you're likely to think twice before arranging travel to meet prospective or existing clients, suppliers or partners in another city or country. Worries over costs could also mean you turn down that business conference abroad, even though you know it would be a great networking opportunity and help drum up future contracts. But nothing quite beats being in the same room when you want to seal a deal or establish a new working relationship, so sometimes it makes sense to switch off Skype and make real-world contact. A study carried out by travel management company Egencia showed 86% of global business travellers agree that meetings conducted in person are more effective and productive than virtual meetings and video-conferencing. For board level, that number jumps to 91%. Not only do face-to-face meetings continue to be important, but 70% of business travellers feel they would be 208 Meetings in person are more effective and productive