This is one of the PolicyDebates.
Placeholder. See the paper by Robbert van Renesse, arguing against face to face meetings.
It has even been proposed in an email discussion that face to face meetings should take place at the start of a conference rather than after all the reviewing is done, but this idea did not seem to get much traction. (JC: add argument here?)
-- FredDouglis - 01 Apr 2008