Airfares soar - Conferencing on the horizon

From Financial Week
As airlines skyjack-up prices, biz rethinks budgets, policies

Average fare soars 12.2% in 12 months, while fees run wild. High time to teleconference?...

Colleen Cunningham, former president and CEO of Financial Executives International, said she expects companies to make investments in videoconferencing and other communications technology to help offset the effects of higher food and oil prices on travel expenses.

“I am on a board that has moved two of its four board meetings to teleconferences to manage meeting and travel expenses,” she said.

Interesting that the high cost of travel is the main disincentive for business to look at alternatives like videoconferencing. You won't even find the word "environment" in the story.

On the other hand, NUPGE is investing in a new videoconferencing system and OPSEU will be receiving a unit. OPSEU is currently investigating conferencing technology. While dollar costs are important, travel has a cost to the environment. This is what motivated NUPGE to invest in this technology and for OPSEU to look at ways of conducting business and growing without growing our greenhouse footprint.

Conferencing is part of my responsibilities during my MDT stint here at OPSEU. Here's the three part plan I'm working with:
a) conduct a needs assessment of meetings in OPSEU
b) review conferencing technology in the context of OPSEU's current infrastructure
c) report to 1st Vice-President with recommendations

I'm currently wrapping up part "a" and dabbling in part "b".