What will be the impact of Video Conferencing Technology on more traditional forms of meeting clients and demonstrating products? Will technological advances and concerns about the environment reduce business travel and the need for face-to-face contact?

The death of the showroom (as we know it) has long been predicted as a consequence of improved technology: websites are proclaimed to be “virtual showrooms” in the internet age; improved communication through increased up-take of video conferencing; simulated constructions of interiors with furniture in-situ all seem to be reasons not to invest in an expensive facility in a prime location.

Video-conferencing is predicted to be one of the most significant technological developments of our generation in terms of the impact it will have upon the way we all do business. It enables two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously. And much more, it can be used to share documents, computer displayed information and whiteboards. Its use is being driven increasingly by concern for the environment. Motivated by climate change, green specification is the hot topic of the noughties. By reducing the need for travel to meetings video conferencing is playing a pivotal role in reduction of carbon emissions.

It wasn’t until the nineties that the technology came into its own when Internet Protocol (IP) based videoconferencing became possible and more efficient video compression technologies were developed. For many years, futurists have envisioned a future where telephone conversations will take place as actual face-to-face encounters with video as well as audio. Sometimes it is simply not possible or practical to have a face-to-face meeting with two or more people. Sometimes a telephone conversation or conference call is adequate. Other times, an email exchange is adequate.

Videoconferencing adds another possible alternative, and can be considered when:

• a live conversation is needed
• visual information is an important component of the conversation
• the parties of the conversation can't physically come to the same location
• expense, time of travel or a company’s carbon footprint is a consideration

So if the primary function of a showroom is to communicate with partners, buyers and specifiers why is face-to-face contact still so important in the business world today and with these technology-based methods of communication on the increase will we see the significance of showrooms start to dwindle? Probably not, limitations of video conferencing such as our preference for eye contact during conversations and our still embedded appearance consciousness have been highlighted as reasons why face-to-face meetings will continue to be important.

More will be demanded of the Showroom of the Future, as methods of marketing and communication become increasingly complex and with so many more considerations and stakeholders’ views to take into account. Technology, education and people will play vital roles. All of these elements co-exist in the showrooms of the digital age: with spaces to meet, learn, touch and feel alongside state of the art technology which enables communication not bound by geographical location.