ABSTRACT
This chapter intends to assess the qualities of video conferencing as a communication technology and evaluate how it fits in with modern business practices. It presents the market development of video conferencing technology. The chapter discusses some theoretical perspectives on video communication in business settings. It also provides empirical evidence of the travel-telecommunication relationship. The chapter prospects on technology development and its future impacts on business travel. Important features of modern business practice are project organization, processing and annotating of digital material and content, like memos, presentations, spreadsheets and other material relevant in a business context. The interaction between telecommunications and business travel has been discussed in the transportation and communication research literature since the first video telephony systems were introduced in the early 1960s. Although new technologies can create virtual rooms giving the participants a sense of co-presence, video conferencing can never replace the genuine aspect of personal meetings.
