In-person Meetings in the Hybrid Era: Beyond the Screen

Hybrid working has fundamentally changed the way we interact professionally. Video calls allow teams, clients and partners to connect wherever they are, reducing travel and facilitating day-to-day collaboration. But as digital communication has become a regular part of our routine, the value of moments when we share the same physical space with other people has also become increasingly evident.

In cities such as Barcelona, where companies and professionals are increasingly combining different ways of working, spaces such as GRAN VIA Business & Meeting Center reflect this new reality, offering meeting rooms designed for both in-person and hybrid meetings, in environments created to encourage concentration, collaboration and decision-making.

Indeed, not every meeting has the same purpose. Some conversations can be handled perfectly well through a screen, while others require time, attention and personal interaction. Closing a deal, presenting a proposal, making a strategic decision or simply strengthening a professional relationship can take on a different dimension when people are in the same room.

In-person meetings also have an impact on business

The data supports this view. An international study by Accor, conducted among 9,000 business travelers across nine countries, reveals that 85% of respondents believe prioritizing in-person meetings could significantly improve their financial results. On average, the professionals surveyed estimate that they could generate 36% more revenue and win 37% more business if important meetings were held face to face.

The study also highlights the qualitative dimension of these encounters. Some 92% consider in-person meetings with external clients are important, while 85% value face-to-face interaction with their colleagues. In addition, participants estimate that, on average, one in-person meeting can have the same impact as three virtual meetings.

Beyond the figures, meeting in person facilitates aspects that are difficult to replicate through a screen: reading other people’s reactions more effectively, building trust, encouraging spontaneous conversations and creating an environment that is more conducive to collaboration and decision-making.

When a meeting needs more than a screen

The so-called “video call fatigue” has also highlighted the limitations of a model based exclusively on digital communication. After hours of online meetings, sharing the same physical space can provide a change in pace and dynamics.

An in-person meeting allows specific time to be dedicated to a conversation, without the usual interruptions of the digital environment. It also facilitates those small moments that often have great value: a conversation before the meeting begins, an idea that emerges spontaneously or a few minutes spent exchanging impressions afterwards.

For this reason, in today’s context, the key is not choosing between in-person and virtual meetings, but knowing when each format adds the most value. The Accor study itself points towards this hybrid future, in which digital tools remain essential, while face-to-face interaction continues to play a particularly relevant role in relationships, negotiations and important decisions.

GRAN VIA Business & Meeting Center: spaces to meet

At GRAN VIA Business & Meeting Center, we understand that every meeting deserves the right environment. That is why we offer companies and professionals a range of spaces that can be adapted to the needs of each meeting, from small-group meetings to team gatherings or meetings with clients and partners.

The Black, Work and Executive rooms combine comfort, privacy and technology to facilitate effective meetings in a professional environment. Our smaller rooms, with capacity for up to four people, are particularly suitable for interviews, small-group meetings or encounters that require concentration.

The Executive rooms, with capacity for up to ten people, offer a space designed for team meetings, presentations or meetings with clients and suppliers. And when some participants cannot be physically present, videoconferencing technology makes it easy to integrate a hybrid format.

Because technology can help us connect, but the space in which we meet is also part of the meeting.

Meeting to move forward

The evolution of hybrid working does not mean that in-person meetings have become less relevant. On the contrary, their value becomes even more evident when they are reserved for those moments when human connection, trust and direct interaction can make a difference.

At GRAN VIA, we provide spaces designed for both realities: technology to connect with those who are far away and environments designed to make the most of the moments when we can be together.

Because some meetings do not simply need a connection. They need a place where people can meet.