posted 01-14-2002 12:35               

Virtual Conferences—The Next Best Thing to Reality

Faced with travel moratoriums, Bob Franco, vice president of HR/Global Talent at American Express, had to rethink the design of his group's biannual meeting on innovation and knowledge sharing scheduled for August. When he and his planning team decided to have an online meeting, Bob wondered how his group, used to learning about breakthroughs by participating in firewalks and understanding change management by visiting the Skip Barber Racing School, would respond.

To ensure that group members gained the maximum benefit from their remote locations, Bob and his team carefully tailored the three-day event to the digital medium. All 65 participants "attended" from their homes, where they had been shipped Webex software, supporting materials, and an event t-shirt. Time was used judiciously; for example, Bob spent only 15 minutes on opening remarks. Participants engaged in conversation and small-group breakout sessions via chat rooms and conference calls. During "cocktail hour," a web cam even homed in on a participant drinking wine by his pool.

Self-paced learning experiences helped people differentiate between data and information, and knowledge and innovation. For example, equipped with a bag containing ingredients, a history of cookie baking, and recipes, participants baked cookies in their kitchens. After the exercise, they called their teammates to describe the extent to which they innovated during the process.

Was the conference successful? Bob thinks so. People gave positive feedback, they grasped the topic, and they reconnected with each other. So can Internet conferences supplant the real thing? Bob hopes not as a rule. "Lack of money should not interfere with building a team," he says, "and this type of meeting is a viable alternative. But nothing really replaces face-to-face contact during the year."