This year marked the first year of existence of the Visual Communications Industry Group, as well as their first annual conference. The group, by a vote of its members, changed its identity to its current, non-vendor-specific organization from its prior identity as the Polycom User Group.

Theo Economides' presentation, titled "Attorneys Need Professional Help" was a case study in the use of desktop videoconferencing for Collaborative Practice (CP) Divorce Attorneys. That is: divorce mediators. The mediator's purpose is to help divorcing couples to have a good end, and a great new beginning, without the complications of litigation.

One of the interesting facets of using videoconferencing in this context - to support meetings of up to six attorneys and clients - is that the technology is used to bridge a "psychological" distance between participants, moreso than a strictly geographical distance. Put in a nutshell, videoconferencing enables people to meet together, and to get their work done, when they would all rather not actually be in the same room with each other!

The entertaining presentation with a "This is a New Adventure in Videoconferencing" concept used an "Indiana Jones" theme to underscore the adventure involved. It was well received by the well-engaged audience.