A Brussels-based company
aims to tackle one of the major stumbling blocks for companies seeking to
incorporate more remote conferencing options into their travel programs. Glenn
Wastyn, president and CEO of the Global Videoconferencing Network, plans to
deploy early next year a global network of at least 2,000 high-definition
videoconferencing units in numerous hotels, part of an ultimate goal to reach
20,000 units. GVN's role is both to manage the hardware associated with
videoconferencing as well as develop methods of integrating with travel booking
processes.
Wastyn said work this
year is focused on investing to ensure sufficient units are in place to make it
useful to corporate travelers.
"Scale is the
driving force of any network solution, be it Internet, cell phones or
videoconferencing," Wastyn said. "Videoconferencing doesn't have a
large network of compatible and connected equipment."
While Business Travel News research this year
indicated that corporate onsite remote conferencing systems have become much more widespread, high installation costs often are a barrier for small and
midmarket companies. BTN's research
indicated that more than half of travel buyers use offsite remote conferencing
facilities to supplement their travel programs.
Interoperability also
has been a challenge. While companies using their own systems naturally will
always be able to communicate within their networks, not all public systems are
wired to communicate with one another. Wastyn described GVN as "an
intranet environment open to the public."
Wastyn's project comes
as a few multinational hotel companies, including Marriott International and
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, are installing telepresence rooms at
several key properties around the world. While those efforts largely have
concentrated on gateway cities such as New York, London and Washington, D.C.,
Wastyn said he's also focusing on getting smaller markets into the game.
"Some will require
telepresence at the highest level, but we have to be able to serve hotels in
Springfield, Mo., and Boise, Idaho, and in any corner of the world," he
said. "Some will be two-, four-, six- or 12-person meeting rooms."
Besides the technology,
Wastyn said GVN also is focusing on booking integration. In April, GVN
announced a partnership with Whygo, a provider of an online booking portal for
remote conferencing. Whygo itself last year partnered with BCD Travel to
provide remote conferencing booking options for clients; Wastyn formerly was
BCD's vice president of supplier relations for several European countries.
For now, GVN uses Whygo
as-is, through its own site, but Wastyn said the ultimate goal is to develop a
platform that can combine both private and public networks, synchronize with
hotel booking tools so hotels can manage their own bookings and integrate with
travel management companies, online tools and offline booking processes.
"We need an open
platform for others to hook into that can mimic all the different distribution
channels of travel," he said. "We want to make sure the business
traveler has no obstacles, with exactly the same process as when you book a
hotel room, and this can include booking tools, payment solutions, loyalty
schemes and everything that exists."
While several buyers
have integrated remote conferencing into the booking process in the form of
notifying travelers of options at the point of sale, few have gone as far as
integrating the actual booking of such systems, according to BTN research. The cost associated with
this technologically intricate task has been a barrier for many buyers.