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The image that most people have about conferences is large gatherings of people in an auditorium listening to speakers on a particular subject or company. These types of conferences still occur but are being replaced by video conferences and telephone conferences. There are various pros and cons for each of these types of conferences and one may be better suited to the type of organization that has the need to hold a conference than another.

The conferences that tend to be the hardest to organize are those that require all attendees to be in one location. Scheduling difficulties are obviously an issue but there are also a large number of extra costs that this type of conference incurs. The cost of transporting all the participants to the location has to be taken into account, as does the actual hiring of the conference's location. Some companies may have their own conference facilities at their head office but the huge numbers that are often required to attend these conferences often means that a suitable venue has to be hired. Accommodation and meals are another added cost that makes these large conferences extremely expensive.

Many companies have moved away from these old-fashioned conferences due to many of the reasons I have outlined already. So what type of conferences do they have? Telephone conferences and, more recently, video conferences are the most cost effective solution. There is no need for special premises to be hired or for attendees to travel to a particular location with these conferences. Company employees from all over the globe can be brought together easily and effectively by holding telephone or video conferences. The technology that enables these conferences is being improved and updated constantly and the participants are able to be heard and seen as clearly as if they were in the same room, even if they are actually on the other side of the world!

The only downside of these types of conferences is that the organizer is likely to hold the conference at a time that is amenable to them and may involve participants in other time zones attending at an unsociable hour. This is a small price to pay for conferences that can be organized in a very short space of time. This makes them ideal for discussing urgent issues in a timely manner without having to wait until a scheduled conference can be put together.

The world is demanding rapid solutions to problems and businesses cannot afford to delay discussing issues until the next conference can be organized with all the participants meeting in one place. By holding video or telephone conferences it is easy to gather the appropriate people together and be able to thrash out ideas in a much more timely and effective manner.

Of course, there are always going to be some types of conferences that lend themselves to being held in one place. Political conferences and trades union conferences are two of the most common types that are held in huge auditoriums but I think that this is purely for the television coverage that they attract. The increase in many employees working remotely from home can only lead to a rise in the number of telephone and video conferences and lessen the need for single location conferences. Obviously, there is a downside to this, you no longer have an excuse to get out of the conferences that your flight was cancelled!