Renewable Energy and Creative Economy and Telepresence Technology
Dr.Samai Jai-Indr
http://nationmultimedia.com/2009/09/25/business/business_30113051.php
Business-matching savings via telepresence
THE NATION
Published on September 25, 2009
The US Embassy said yesterday that it could save up to US$50,000 (Bt1.65 million) on conducting business-matching by using a technology called telepresence.
Commercial counsellor Cynthia Griffin said that with the hi-tech system, the embassy could save not only expenses and but also time for business-matching or meetings to facilitate businessmen.
The embassy in cooperation with Cisco System yesterday held the first telepresence conference in Bangkok on renewable-energy opportunities in Asia with energy companies and experts from five countries - the US, Singapore, China, Taiwan and Thailand.
Cisco's TelePresence is a new-generation virtual meeting solution that fills the needs of the present economic environment.
The meeting successfully increased businessmen's understanding of each government's policy on promoting alternative energy.
Altogether 102 US companies participated in the conference via the system and the Internet.
The US Embassy will continue managing meetings via telepresence as it can not only reduce heavy travel costs but also the time spent by businessmen.
"Although the meeting via the conference has not reached an instantaneous outcome, it can provide a right-away response from persons across the country," Griffin said.
The US Embassy has signed an annual contract with Cisco to use its facilities to conduct meetings. It was the first time that the embassy had managed a meeting via the new system in Thailand.
Many American firms were satisfied using this tool to learn about the renewable-energy policies of each country's government. The embassy will follow up on the meeting, and will frequently hold meetings like this throughout this year.
The next session will focus on wine tasting with three leading wineries from the US meeting virtually with local importers and hotels. The three US companies are Pacific Estates Winery, R &B Cellars and Pariscope Cellars.
FedEx will deliver wine from the US to Thailand, where importers can taste the wine and send an instant response to the producers.
Tatchapol Poshyanonda, managing director of Cisco Thailand, said the telepresence system had helped the company to reduce not just its travel costs and time, but also its carbon emissions, and prevent disease infections during the flu outbreak.
Besides the US Embassy, the Board of Investment and Kasikornbank have also used the system to facilitate their work.
The leading telecommunications firms are also planning |to offer the telepresence system |to their customers in the near future.
Cisco will provide free teleconferencing until the end of this year.
Samai Jai-In, adviser to the deputy commerce minister, has shown interest in using the Cisco system in the ministry's export promotion activities for many products such as Thai fruits and rice.
As part of the "Creative Economy" drive of the government, the telepresence system will better serve both public and private organisations in doing business with foreign countries.
Cisco has 624 TelePresence facilities in 197 major cities in 45 countries.