August 22, 2008 Video conferencing booms as travel is cut Play video

(Peter Howe, NECN: Quincy, MA) - Rob Skinner is a Boston attorney, and a recovering road warrior. More and more, instead of running to a plane, he walks to a video conference

“It sounds like a great opportunity ... and we have an interesting opportunity which will dovetail nicely with the work you've done on your other securities case”

This is just one-way skinner uses the technology to avoid travel for all kinds of meetings ... Including hiring interviews for law school students.

A main reason that video is so important for us is that if I’ve got to be in San Francisco for a meeting it means a six hour flight there and six hour flight back. That's 12 hours. 00 38 34}

Ropes and gray loves videoconferencing ... Usage up more than 20 percent both of the last two years. Not just to cut travel, but to enhance phone calls.

When we're doing a creative brainstorming session it's important to see the faces of the people you're involved with because that's where you can really connect and see the enthusiasm

It was predicted for years videoconferencing would replace travel, especially after 9--eleven. Many found it wasn't ready for prime time.

Networks that can now really support full motion interactive video conferencing have really helped the industry turn a corner 13 36 32}

At Steve Cogliano's company, Videre conferencing in Quincy Massachusetts, business is booming.

Sales up 50 percent from last year, conference

There’s the economic side with the rising cost of travel and the inconvenience of travel along with the soft economy

Today options range all the way from free conferencing for up to 20 people from Boston’s Dim Dim, WebEx charging 375 dollars a month for five conference connections, and high-tech Telepresence conference rooms from Cisco systems that run 300 thousand and up.

Whatever technology you choose, attorney Skinner predicts you'll love what it does for your life.