Meet Me In the Video Room

"Although face-to-face meetings will remain vital as a means of education, networking, and relationship-building, virtual meetings will increasingly play a role," says Meetings-guru Corbin Ball on his Website.

Martha DeGraw sees the growth in video meetings firsthand. As senior director of product management for InterCall, a worldwide conferencing services provider that focuses on audio, video, and Web conferencing solutions, she says that video meetings are now a common event for many companies around the world.

One reason for their popularity is the huge cost savings that video meetings provide. Instead of flying people in from all over the nation (or world for that matter), you can simply "meet" via a video screen.

As a videoconferencing service bureau, which means they are a bridging service for audio, video, and Web communication, Intercall connects people through Web cameras, high tech Web conferencing rooms, or desktop video applications. The bridge is the brain that connects everyone together, says DeGraw.

InterCall has established a growing database of close to 10,000 public videoconference rooms worldwide with such companies as Kinkos and HQ Global Workplaces. Video rooms can cost between $150 and $300 per hour, but that far outweighs the cost of airfare and hotel. Rooms also have equipment variances that can include multiple monitors, VCR or DVD players, or connections that allow computer content to be presented.

Aside from meeting in videoconferencing rooms, DeGraw says that companies are also using the Internet and Web conferencing because they are becoming more integrated.

"With traditional Web conferencing you have a screen – it’s 100 percent data – and it allows you to present documents over the Web," says DeGraw. "Now with advances in technology, you can use your computer workspace to share with others, in real time."

Internet-based video is growing very rapidly because of the computer-based Web cams. The quality may not be as good as the videoconferencing rooms, but it’s often overlooked because of the cost savings, convenience, and ease, says DeGraw.