How In-Person Meetings Fast-Tracked Our vPPA Negotiations in Europe
Akamai continues to pursue our 2030 sustainability goals, and securing virtual Power Purchase Agreements (vPPAs) plays a critical role in achieving 100% renewable energy and emissions targets. Recently, my colleague Margot Hines and I held in-person meetings in Amsterdam, Netherlands, with our partners to move these efforts forward on a tight timeline.
The discussions reinforced the benefits of reestablishing face-to-face meetings for complex negotiations in a post–COVID-19 world. I’m sure some people believed that these in-person meetings would not be worth the effort. But, even considering the impact of travel and lodging, the benefits of bringing the team together proved otherwise. Indeed, the success of the sessions made us walk away with three key takeaways that I’ll share in this blog post.
Takeaway 1: We were able to build a stronger connection and trust
In-person meetings offer a connection that is hard to replicate virtually. Sustainability is obviously very important to me, so I am often in favor of a virtual meeting option. Negotiations, however, require a foundation of trust — particularly those with multiple stakeholders.
Trust is easier to establish and deepen when sitting across from someone versus sitting on your desk chair looking at a face on a monitor. During our time in Amsterdam, we engaged more meaningfully by having the renewed opportunity to read body language, respond to nonverbal cues, and have organic conversations that virtual formats sometimes hinder.
Trust is built not only through formal negotiations but also through informal moments — whether it's grabbing coffee together or chatting over lunch. These unstructured interactions gave us insight into one another's priorities and concerns, and helped us find common ground faster. This kind of personal connection helps negotiations flow more smoothly and ensures that when we encounter challenges, we're tackling them as partners rather than adversaries.
Takeaway 2: We witnessed enhanced collaboration and real-time problem solving
The complexity of vPPA agreements, with their environmental, legal, and financial intricacies, demands in-depth collaboration. Gathering in the same room allowed us to address questions and solve problems in real time, which is an option we continue to forget exists since the pandemic. Instead of needing follow-up calls or delayed clarifications, we could dive into the details on the spot. When something wasn't clear, all the right people were there to talk it through.
As with negotiations, we found that some of the most innovative ideas and solutions took root from casual conversations outside the structured meetings, making the effort to come together worth it regardless of the distance between us.
Takeaway 3: We made faster decisions with better efficiency and focus
In-person meetings also allow for greater efficiency. Although virtual meetings are convenient, require less coordination, and have far less of an emissions impact from a sustainability lens, they often spread out over weeks or months, with follow-up sessions needed for clarity and continued discussion.
Occasionally, time can help with negotiations; in those cases, virtual meetings can be superior to in-person meetings. However, our time in Amsterdam allowed us to concentrate our efforts into just a few days, compressing months of virtual discussions into a much shorter period on our first turn of the PPA documents.
I realized that by listening to my instincts and pushing the unconventional idea of gathering all key stakeholders in one place, we avoided the three months or more of potential delays that often come with fragmented conversations. We tackled the list of complex issues head-on in real time, without the pauses and disjointedness that can arise from juggling time zones and conflicting schedules.
Everyone was fully present and engaged and that focus helped us progress much faster than if we had taken the virtual route. The result was a more productive series of meetings that provided a clear path forward for future virtual discussions to finalize the entirety of the contract.
Let's create a more balanced future
There is no question that virtual meetings have become the norm and are a sustainable choice. In the post-pandemic working world, virtual meetings will always be essential in how we conduct business globally. However, the Akamai Sustainability team’s experience in Amsterdam highlighted the undeniable value of in-person interactions for complex negotiations. This exercise made it clear to me that building trust, fostering collaboration, and achieving efficiency are all amplified when stakeholders gather in the same room.
As Akamai continues to drive our sustainability goals forward, we recognize the critical role face-to-face meetings play — in combination with a virtual work environment — in achieving progress and keeping things moving forward. By striking the right balance between virtual convenience and deep connection, we can achieve ambitious results faster and with greater clarity in the world of flexible work. The future of business collaboration is bright, and in-person meetings will continue to be an essential tool for successful achievement of our sustainability goals by 2030.