We live in the age of information. Resources for everything we need to know – and lots of things we don’t – are right at our fingertips. Need to fact-check in the middle of a conversation? You can find your answer as fast as you can type. Not only that, so much communication is done electronically, and more positions to work remotely from the comfort of your home open each day. Everything can be done from our computers.

Or can it?

Even in the digital age, companies still focus on in-person team building and corporate conferences to grow sales. Here’s why!

• Creates an experience

Our brains are so efficient when it comes to filtering information. We get what we need to know in the moment and then dispose of it to make room for more information. In order to really hold onto something, we have to create an experience. When we attach real people, real conversations, and real actions to an interaction, we form an experience that sticks well beyond a typical Google search or webinar.

• Promotes cohesiveness

People talk and interact differently in person. Working side-by-side promotes better cohesiveness among team members so that they can work together more efficiently.

• Enables fluent communication

We’ve all done it. You send a text or email that gets taken out of context, or someone thinks your angry when really you were just in a hurry and didn’t want to keep them waiting. When people meet together, they’re given a chance to bounce ideas back and forth fluidly. Plus, body language and tone make all the difference. As photojournalists, we’re always looking for those moments when ideas click and people connect.

• Provides mentorship opportunities

Mentorship should be personal: an opportunity to go deep and be vulnerable in order to grow. That’s hard to do through a computer screen.

• Builds enthusiasm

The big product reveal is even more exciting surrounded by like-minded employees. Having the CEO of your company demonstrate the new features and then getting the opportunity to experience them for yourself is just so much better than watching it in a video on your smartphone. In-person team building provides the enthusiasm your brand needs.