February 2013 VCI-Group President’s Message

Our industry is at a “tipping point”.  Every week new companies are entering the conferencing/collaboration space or existing companies are changing how they deliver applications and services.

We are moving away from being a hardware-based “box” to a software “cloud”- based industry.  Many of us have been around since the boxes were the size of a refrigerator; now we are dealing with tablets and androids that fit into our coat pockets and can connect into a video conference with our six-figure telepresence units.

How do you keep up to date on new products, services and companies in this arena?  Some of you may attend conferences; but, you cannot be out of the office every month at a conference.  The time, cost is generally prohibitive; but, you still need to know what is out there and what can work in your company.

Let us help you find what webinar or conference you should attend.  Let us be your “one-stop” shop to know what is going on in the industry and where you can learn more about it.

We are asking all of our Alliance Members and Vendors to provide us with the information for all the webinars, in-person meetings and conferences being held throughout the year so that we may post it on our website.  This will give you the ability to see what is out there that you need to attend, when it is happening, who is offering it and how to register to attend. 

There are a few things coming up quite soon, including our monthly VCIG – LIVE!  webinar which will be held on February 21^st and focuses on WebRTC.  I don’t know about you; but, I have no idea what this is, yet everyone is telling me that it is going to change the way my company does their conferencing and collaboration.  Here is the link to register: http://www.vci-group.org/events/vciglivereg.aspx.

Another is Elliot Gold’s annual Telespan Workshop on March 7-8 in Las Vegas – his focus this year is: Game Changers.  Per Elliot, “the market is no longer just about offering conference calls or videoconferencing, it’s about several new waves, really a tsunami, of collaboration tools and options.”  Please register for this conference at http://www.telespan.com/workshop/index.html and as a VCI-Group member you will be able to take advantage of a conference discount.

Lastly, Enterprise Connect will be held in Orlando, FL – March 18-21, 2013
at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center and you can register at http://www.enterpriseconnect.com/orlando.

Visit our website often to see what webinars are available and how to register.  The best way to service your clients and your organization is to stay informed and educated.