I'm not a huge fan of meetings myself, but the thing about this argument that has always annoyed me is that it implies that those employees attending the meeting would not otherwise be getting paid. The same goes for the electricity, etc. Whether or not the meeting occurs, the company still forks out for salaries, utilities, etc. Therefore, the only real cost of meetings above and beyond regular costs is the tab for the coffee and donuts. Seems a small price to pay if multi-million dollar decisions are being made...