[danielf]

Originally Posted by Anonymouse

I'm afraid the OP is being a little naive. There's a reason why business meetings and political affairs are still conducted in person: there are all kinds of subtle signals which pass between the parties to any such meeting, links that have to be established on a personal level. Diplomats have known this ever since diplomacy was invented; only after such links have been established can you conduct business or political transactions long-distance with any degree of confidence, secure communications notwithstanding. In some cultures, it's also considered only polite to meet in person first.

There's other benefits as well...