While I agree that tons of biz can get done without meetings and I've done tons of deals over the years late night over a drink, there are certain scenarios where a meeting is necessary:
1. You don't want others seeing who you're talking to.
a. affiliate is thinking of switching sponsors & doesn't want Sponsor A seeing them talk to Sponsor B.
b. same goes for the sponsor program. if a competitors whale wants to switch to you sometimes its better to talk in private.
2. Sometimes you want to talk specifics and it's easier in a quite room instead of loud club.
3. To impress your client. Showing them you can afford a large meeting suite shows you have the money to do business.
4. If multiple people from a company are required to answer questions (owner, programer, rep) sometimes it's easier to meet at a specific time/place (meeting room) rather than try to find each other in a loud club. Or sometimes companies will have their reps scattered at different parties so that they have better coverage. Get answers from multiple people is easier if they're all together in a "meeting"
5. You don't want competition listening in and stealing your ideas. If you do 200 joins daily but let most people know you're at 10 to keep a low profile the last thing you want is someone overhearing your conversation and then copying your biz the next day.
And the list goes on...
As a webmaster I did all my biz like everyone describes. Now with AFF I understand the need for private meetings.
Just my
