One three day event that was held entirely online involved 260 IT workers. The study found that holding the meeting online saved a quarter of a million US dollars, and prevented the release of 280 tonnes of climate changing C02.

The study also looked at the attitudes of workers to virtual meetings. They found that, despite the savings, businesses have been slow to adopt new technologies because people prefer to meet face to face.

Much of the savings that virtual meetings offer when compared to face to face meetings or conferences result from a reduction in air travel.

Research highlighted that travel is perceived by many as a perk of the job, and this remains another one of the barriers that prevent more businesses from making more use of modern technology.

Dr Dave Reay, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences, who supervised the research, said: “While people are becoming very comfortable with communication tools such as smart phones and Skype, technology can only take human contact so far.

“Virtual meetings will never replace all face-to-face meetings, but with money tight and carbon emissions rising they can certainly play a greater role.”

Technology tries to handle the communication. There are the well-known virtual meeting tools like WebEx and GoToMeeting, and lesser known tools like Via3 and WebConferencePro which work well in the right hands and with sufficient planning. We asked the president of LucidMeetings what that planning entails, regardless of the tools you use.

LucidMeeting is a unique tool, in that it focuses less on presentations and more on some of the administrative tools like creating agendas, capturing action items and documenting meeting minutes in a way that’s easy to use. We asked Christopher Gift, the President of LucidMeetings, to tell us what makes a good online meeting.

What are the unique challenges of running a good virtual meeting?

Most virtual meeting tools are designed primarily to share presentations and screens, which is great for sales demos and webinars. But when a working team or committee meets virtually, there’s usually a lot more going on than just a slideshow. If you want to have a great virtual meeting with your teams, you need to follow the same best-practices as you would for an in person meetings; provide a clear agenda, lead focused discussions, capture decisions, and follow-through afterwards.

According to Gift, There are 3 stages to running a great meeting:

Before the meeting

Have a goal and an agenda – Before you call a meeting, you should know what you want to accomplish, and the discussion points (or agenda) that move you towards that goal. If you’re hoping the group will make a decision during the meeting, you need to ensure they have the information necessary to do so in advance. If there is no way for people to prepare, know what’s on target and what isn’t, how are they expected to be successful?

Get the right participants – You need to bring the right people together to have a great meeting. This can be more complicated with virtual meetings, because you need to check availability potentially across multiple time zones. Once the schedule is set, you also need to ensure that all the key participants are equipped to participate in a virtual meeting. Can they access the meeting software using their computer or device? Will the conference call work for them in their country? Have they used the meeting software before, or do they need an orientation or training before the meeting? You want your meeting to focus on the goal and not the software, so make sure your key participants have a chance to get familiar with the software ahead of time.

Practice – Always run at least one test meeting with your new meeting software before you try to involve the larger team. It doesn’t matter how easy the software is to use or how tech savvy you may be – each tool is different. No one wants to have their learning curve become the team’s entertainment when there are more important matters at hand.

During the meeting

Stay on track – This means the meeting leader needs to watch the time, cut short the ratholes, and keep moving through the agenda. That said, it’s also important to engage the team and leave space for discussion. That is, after all, why you ask all these people to meet in the first place.

Assign a note-keeper (or two) – You need a record of what’s transpired, and it keeps people engaged an on track to be part of the process.

Summarize next steps – Typically, the meeting’s purpose is to provide context and decisions needed for the team to go out and DO something. It’s the leaders job to make sure everyone leaves knowing exactly what that something to do is.

After the meeting

Have a successful last meeting to set up the next one – To have a successful next meeting, have a successful first meeting, then clearly establish next steps and the date for the next meeting. When your team leaves a focused, engaging meeting knowing what they need to do and when they’ll be called together again to report progress, you’re on track for forming an effective meeting habit

Check with the team to see what worked and what didn’t – It’s also a good idea to check in with the team about what is or is not working.It’s important to also make sure you don’t fall into a rut and lose the team’s interest.

Whether you’re using a sophisticated tool like Lucidmeetings, a common platform like WebEx or a telephone conference line and scratch paper, planning the pre-during-and-post of a meeting before logging on ups the chances of success.

Interviewed by Midori Connolly of Pulse Staging and Events at the Virtual Edge Summit 2012 in San Diego, Sales Director for vcopious Elizabeth Davenport demonstrates new features of the VC2, virtual business environment application.

Elizabeth showcases how easy it is to broadcast multiple webcams live into a virtual environment. The VC2 allows up to 4 simultaneous live video streams into a virtual space. She also demonstrates how easy it is to quickly create and launch a new virtual business environment, connect social media tools, and engage your audience with VCMS, the vcopious Content Management System.

UK-based Virtual iVent has pioneered ground-breaking, new technology to create and launch the UK and Europe’s first complete virtual conferencing and events package.

Companies in the UK are already starting to see the potential. One engineering group in Britain cut its bill for organising a single international conference from £300,000 to £30,000 using Virtual ivent’s services.

Virtual ivent is also working to cut costs in the NHS and is in discussions with several FTSE 100 companies.

The technology has the potential to save British businesses and organisations up to half a billion pounds a year – whilst also cutting their carbon footprints.

Virtual conferences are already making a major impact in the US, with Fortune 500 companies looking to make savings of up to 90 per cent by switching to virtual technology.

It includes the realistic graphical representation of users, complete with facial emotions and body language.

Gavin Newman, Virtual Director of Leeds-based Virtual ivent, says his company is taking full advantage of the cutting-edge technology that it has developed to produce bespoke solutions for companies and organisations, whatever their size and needs.

The company has spent two years in research and development, with leading-edge partners and is the exclusive development partner for US software giant and industry leaders VenueGen in the UK and across most of Europe.

Mr Newman said: “Basically, we can offer everything a traditional conference or meeting has – and much more.”

“Our virtual venues include rooms for speakers to make their presentations and where seminars can take place, as well as conference halllobbies where delegates can chat.”

“The technology we have developed and brought together allows people to gain more information and be totally interactive. We can create the full atmosphere of an exhibition hall with virtual display stands. Our bespoke service also means we can create virtual classrooms and collaboration labs.”

“The potential savings that this kind of virtual conferencing can bring to a business are tremendous. We believe British business and organisations, like the NHS, could together save up to half a billion pounds a year by adopting thevirtual approach.”

“There’s also the environmental issue – virtual conferencingdramatically cuts an organisation’s carbon footprint, something that is becoming increasingly important to public bodies and private sector companies looking to meet green targets.”

Gavin explained: “We have found that people are more likely to get involved with the meeting, if they don’t have to actually stand up in a large hall, but can put their points forward in the virtual world.”

There are other benefits to virtual conferencing. Experts in the US have found that delegates pay more attention in the virtual world.

Some are also more inclined to take part in discussions because they are not intimidated by the thought of having to actually stand up in acrowded conference hall to make their point.

The project was started by programmer Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009. But it has picked up steam during the past several months, in part because of some publicity around the project. Bitcoin also benefited a bit from the controversy over PayPal cutting off the ability to send money to WikiLeaks, which for some raised red flags about one company’s ability to impede the transfer of money. One of Bitcoin’s features is that it is completely decentralized, and so is theoretically immune to censorship or restraint. It doesn’t require the use of a bank or payment-handling system like PayPal (which is blocking Bitcoin payments, coincidentally enough).

Bitcoin isn’t the only venture that is going after the e-currency pie: we’ve written before about Flattr, the micropayment startup founded by The Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde, which is trying to create a “tip jar”-style payment system for content (the company recently launched a way to integrate payments with Twitter).

But Bitcoin is somewhat more ambitious than Flattr, or many of the other micropayment and e-currency experiments that have gone before it. Rather than simply create a kind of virtual points system in which the points can eventually be converted into “real” money — or used to buy goods, the way that frequent-flier points and other quasi-currencies (such as “Canadian Tire money”) can — the founders of Bitcoin want to create a completely separate and virtual monetary system. In other words, one that could theoretically replace the existing system if enough people decided to use it.

That’s the difficult part, of course. Why would anyone use a virtual currency that has no “real” value, and is based on a system run by a group of shadowy hackers? Some programmers have started to accept payment in Bitcoins, but that’s not really a great indicator of a robust monetary platform — in a sense, it’s just like people exchanging goods or services in a barter system, something that is a big part of what economists call the “underground” or shadow economy. Supporters (including the Electronic Frontier Foundation) promote the idea that Bitcoins are free from government interference and can’t be frozen or devalued by anyone.

The idea of virtual currency isn’t really that far-fetched in some ways. Money as we know it is already somewhat virtual, since the pieces of paper and bits of metal that we use to pay for things don’t have any actual value themselves — their only value is that they can be exchanged at stores for things that actually have value, like food. Their underlying worth is determined by the central banking system and the government, through a series of federal guarantees, the setting of interest rates and so on (money used to be backed by physical gold in Fort Knox, but that hasn’t been the case since the 1970s).

And what is Bitcoin’s value backed by? Well, that’s where things get complicated. The value of a Bitcoin is determined in part by supply and demand — the system is set up so that there are only a finite number of Bitcoins in existence, which prevents the problem of people just “printing” more Bitcoins the way crumbling governments have in places like Germany in the 1920s. Bitcoins are actually generated by the routine functions of a computer that is processing large mathematical problems (known as “Bitcoin mining”), so the supply is controlled, and will never exceed 21 million.

Even apart from convincing people that they should start accepting or using it as currency, however, the biggest problem Bitcoin could have is a legal one: if the U.S. government decides to treat it as a “private currency,” then it could be subjected to all kinds of strict regulation — such as the need to integrate with the taxation system, or provide for exchange into U.S. currency at certain rates — or it could simply be outlawed entirely.

Virtual academies allow children to work at their own pace, an aspect which offers the above average student the chance to excel. Public school teachers must create lesson plans which can be readily accomplished by a classroom of diverse learners. Such a scenario inevitably hampers those who are forced to wait for their average and below-average peers to master the curriculum.

High school students attending a public virtual academy also have far more opportunities to complete school early, earn dual credit, college credit and flexible credit. A student can participate in internships and workshops geared to a future career interest to earn elective credit or advanced credit in core subjects.

Although traditional public schools are mandated to inform students about the same programs, few do good job at moving students from the classroom to real-world learning situations or college courses. The school’s state funding allotment for the student follows the child to their new educational venue. Perhaps a lack of funding and district population decrease is more important to some school officials than preparing students for the future and offering the chance to attend for free.

The recently passed Ohio House Bill 153 removed myriad obstacles for the establishment of more charter and e-school academies in Ohio. Only academic benefit will come from opening the doors to college for more students. Wealthy families can afford to build a college fund. Poor families have the opportunity to apply for financial aid. American middle class families are left in a financial bind when it comes to sending their children to college.

The Post Secondary Options Program allows high school students to take college classes for free at a local college or online. It is not too late to take advantage of free college options for your child. Students must apply to the program by March 30 to take classes next school year.

As CEO of vcopious, a software solution that gives its customers total choice and control over their Virtual Business Environment, Ken is translating his customer needs into new features for the VC2 software application daily.

Here he outlines how the cost benefits of ownership have been realized, with some customers saving nearly $200,000 annually. Customers that own the virtual event software application can ensure data security or quickly and efficiently create persistent digital destinations that are accessible every day, 365 days a year. Ken also discusses how customers are beginning to look beyond the event and have begun implementing virtual events for other uses. He highlights the recent release of a documentary, Digital Dharma, where a vcopious virtual environment was used to share the film globally.

Pro: The Same Event for Less

Consider these facts: Cisco Systems canceled its sales training this year. Apple is pulling out of future Macworlds. Among companies I work with: A Global 500 high-tech outfit known for its extravagant physical events is going from holding eight in 2008 to one in 2009. Instead of spending $1 million for sales training as it did in 2008, a billion-dollar company will hold its July training virtually. Last November an event and meeting department for a billion-dollar B2B company went from a staff of five to one.

In these tough economic times, advancing technologies are making virtual events not only a less expensive replacement for physical meetings but also a superior one. Why do we have meetings and events? 1) to exchange information; and 2) to network. Virtual meeting and event technology can facilitate these two objectives easily.

The technology allows the virtual attendees to “enter” a building that can look like any convention center or meeting place. With a click of a button they can enter the conference hall, with a podium and audience, and choose which conference sessions they want to see and participate in. From there they can go to the exhibition floor and enter a booth with reps, signage, collateral demos, and giveaways and prize drawings. There is even a networking lounge where attendees can meet.

This means saving 50% to 80% by wiping out the costs of venue rental, hotel rooms, transportation, and packing and shipping displays. Generating a lead could cost just $20 virtually, while the same lead from a physical event could mean an investment of $200 to $1,000.

The convenience, increased productivity, and cost savings of hosting virtual events make them an inevitable replacement for physical events.

Con: Can’t Replace Face to Face

Asking if virtual meetings will replace live meetings is like asking if singles’ chat rooms will replace real dating. Human face-to-face interaction is, and will continue to be, the most effective form of communication. It’s simple. Live meetings deliver the rich, potent experiences that virtual meetings can’t. They deliver motivation along with messaging, and inspiration with information.

That’s why corporations that want to inspire a salesforce to perform or build confidence with customers are continuing to rely on the punch that live events deliver. My company, InVision Communications, produces 200 live meetings per year, many for clients who say that audiences’ desire for live face time with executives is a major driver of attendance. Corporate event attendees, like concertgoers, like their experiences real, not “pay-per-view.”

Still, while virtual meetings will never entirely replace live ones, the technology has a place within physical events. The shortfalls of the traditional meeting model, with an on-stage presenter talking to a passive audience, have become clear with the rise of interactive and social networking tools. These advances have driven live meetings to incorporate better peer-to-peer and audience-to-presenter interaction. Today almost all live meetings use significant on-site and Web-based technologies. For example, some meetings invite attendees to use their laptops to participate in live blogging and Q&A during presentations. Others give participants proprietary PDA-sized devices to allow them to find peers with similar interests, and get electronic copies of presentations. Even cell phones have become interactive tools for sending text messages to presenters or to the large screen.

These technologies allow attendees to get information without paper, interact real-time with presenters and one another, and build a community based on shared knowledge and interests—all while enjoying actual live contact with other human beings.

The fair, conceived as a virtual marketplace where authors, readers and professionals of the industry can meet, will have “stands” open to the general public. Among the exhibitors will be publishing start-up 24Symbols, the social media platform Entrelectores, the e-distributor Libranda and associations like CEDRO, and the confederation of booksellers, CEGAL. Publishers participating in the experimental fair include Planeta, Vicens Vives and Santillana.

Fair-goers will need to register to watch video conferences or participate in the interactive activity, but if your plans are just to toddle around or peep into the news that exhibitors offer, there’s no need to abandon your anonymity.

Readers will be lured by best-selling authors Juan Gómez-Jurado and Manuel Loureiro, while professionals — worried by the digital shift in publishing — will want to log on for conferences being offered by digital strategists, including Silvano Gozzer and Javier Celaya.

Gozzer, who serves as head of Anatomía de la Edición and its twin start-up Anatomía de la Red, says he was, initially, both puzzled and amused by his invitation to be an exhibitor and speaker. “The idea was weird, since we are used to face to face meetings,” he says. “We needed a leap of faith to understand the importance and the mechanics of the proposal. Maybe this edition of the show will still feel odd, but readers, who tend to be more open minded than the industry, will surely know to take advantage of the virtual environment, one with which they are already familiar.

“We have to give double credit to the organizers,” he adds, “because they have come to remind the publishing industry that innovation is one of our commitments to readers.”

In December of 2011, a Virtual Reality IED Combat Simulator Training session was conducted at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center in Illnois. The Counter-IED Collective and Individual Mounted Training Program designed to place Soldiers in a simulation armored vehible with high definition video projections onto screens surrounding the vehicle – resulted in realistic combat conditions including explosions, noise, smoke and visibility encumbrances. The Virtual IED Simulation ignites quick responses with real-time reactions in order to avoid mobility kills while enabling Soldiers to practice medical evacuation, night training, unexploded ordinance report procedures, and troop-leading practices.

John Rogers CEO of RL Leaders states, “I am very pleased Camp Atterbury and the National Guard have taken command of and are actively incorporating the Battle Drill into their IED training curriculum. It’s an honor for RL Leaders to be working with them. The IEDBD has great training applications for this and multiple platforms. More importantly, we think it’ll save lives and are delighted with the thousands of extraordinarily positive responses from soldiers that have gone through it.”

Once a Soldier has engaged RL Leaders training simulator at Camp Atterbury, digitized recordings are made available for further unit review through interactive media. These assists identify weaknesses, L2 (lessons-learned) and strategies | tactics for improving procedural responses.

Spc. Darren J. Ganier-Slotterbeck, Civil Affairs Specialist has a fluid understanding of IEDs and Afghanistan due to prior service there and he states, “I deployed in 2005, 2007 and 2008 with the Marines. I’ve been blown up multiple times,” said Ganier-Slotterbeck, “and it definitely brought back memories. I was a little shaky when I got out of that thing. I’m not going to lie.”

The vision of virtually simulated combat simulation was initially launched by the United States Congress as early as early as 1994 as their publication demonstrates, Virtual Reality and Technologies for Combat Simulation September 1994 – OTA-BP-ISS-136, NTIS order #PB95-109658, GPO stock #052-003-01397-5.

It is interesting to note, the United States Congress identified the need for Virtual Combat Simulation as early as 1994, which has resulted in effective training simulations. It is also interesting to note – the government and DoD (Department of Defense) designate a need far in advance of fulfillment, which gives greater credibility to the sense and sensibility of the progammatics – somewhat dispelling negative popular opines where they may exist.