Face to Face is always better, but...

My annual trip for the fun and sun of the Bradley Airport Sheraton was not necessary this year.

In a cost-friendly initiative, instead of hosting 150 for two days in Connecticut, we were all invited to participate via computer and telephone.

I enjoyed the previous meetings. It felt like the first day of school, reconnecting with friends you rarely see. The days were long, but the nights were too. One of the big bosses was a presenter today, and he said "Face to face is always better, but..."

Not only was this a fiscally sound move, but while many of us enjoyed the meetings, we were conflicted about being away from the family.

So here are the Top 5 reasons that a web conference beats a seminar:

1. The family - 2 days of your life are not lost.

2. The bathroom - The traditional hotel continental breakfast is full of things to get the stomach churning. Not to mention the eight cups of coffee.

3. The kitchen - The aforementioned food. You can eat healthier and on your own schedule. During lunch break I grilled bacon-wrapped garlic balsamic chicken breasts with goat cheese crumbles. Nice.

4. Multi-tasking - There were plenty of featured video clips to watch, and lots of important things to hear. But every once in a while there is something that doesn't relate directly to you, and that's a great time to do the dishes, laundry, or pay a couple of bills.

(If anyone in charge of hiring and firing is reading this, I took good notes)

5. Stay connected - You're already on the web, you can browse headlines once in a while. But heavy reading isn't recommended, and stay away from Facebook.

There you have it. The company saves money. The team saves time. It's a win-win.