Thank You for Your Support!

Greetings from the Conference Group! Thank you for the votes that we have received thus far as your favorite conferencing provider. Not surprisingly, we have received more votes than any other conferencing company to date, BUT you know what happens when one rests on one’s laurels. If you have not had the chance to vote yet, and you agree with your peers that selected us as their favorite, please take just a moment to cast your vote here.



As always, thank you for your support!

It's Time to Vote!

Time to Vote at TelecomVote.com !


Hello All! Since none of us EVER procrastinates, I am taking a moment to touch bases with you to request your vote for 2010 Telecom Association’s members choice awards. The voting opened up about 15 minutes ago, so at the very least, you know THIS TIME, I didn’t procrastinate!

As you know, many of you are partly responsible for our success. If the Conference Group has had a part in any of your success, please take 30 seconds to give us the nod at TelecomVote.com.

Thanks for your time and consideration. If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to contact me directly. Thanks!

Out of sight, maybe. Out of mind, not so much.

As I write this, I am sitting on a plane returning from a few weeks away from the office, having piggy-backed a vacation onto a business trip. Though I have not been seated at my desk with my ground level view of the shrubs that line the foundation of our brown brick building for over two weeks, my email inbox and voicemail are devoid of any unread (or unheard) messages. The dread that had inevitably accompanied me on my way home from past vacations is strangely missing. The fear of the unknown (with regard to office happenings and/or client requests) is a thing of the past.


Armed with my company-issued laptop and brand-spanking-new Droid Incredible smart phone, I have not only been kept in the loop with the daily goings-on at the Conference Group’s home office, I have actually been able to contribute effectively, and even address policy issues, without ever setting foot in the office.


I know what you are thinking… “Big deal… I have been working from home, or the road, or from the middle of the ocean for years now.” True. I hear you. However, for me, as a former hardcore corporate type, this newfound productivity from afar is truly liberating. Now that I am current on the housekeeping items that accompany me in my role heading up sales for the company, I can hit the ground running upon my return to the office in the morning. Not facing an inbox of 1000 plus emails, a number of which are unsolicited cures for what ails me or the secret recipe that will result in my business growing exponentially in the next 6 months, I am free to channel my vacation-induced optimism into concrete initiatives that will allow me to tackle some of those sales ideas dreamed up while sitting poolside in the days leading up to my return to the mothership.


While the line between work and vacation has blurred with all of the fun new gadgets and communication services at our fingertips, I love the result. Now, if only I had coughed up the $4.95 to access the wi-fi service on the plane… you may have read this blog entry well before my feet ever touched the ground in Philadelphia. Next time…

Web Conferencing: Don’t Fear the AYCE Pricing Plans

The world is becoming flat… with regard to web conferencing pricing, that is… Following in the footsteps of Internet access, and cell phone usage, web conferencing is seeing a shift in pricing from consumption (usage) based pricing, to flat rate, “all-you-can-eat” pricing plans.


Is this good news? The knee-jerk response from the service provider viewpoint is “no”! Why would we be happy to offer up our services in an unlimited monthly (or even annual) package rather than on a per minute, “pay for every bite” structure? Simple… value (oh, and revenue, which we will get back to in a minute).


This is a great deal for the consumer, as they can now accurately predict (read control) costs associated with their web conferencing use. This part is obvious. What is not so obvious is that this is also a great deal for the provider. How so? Much like the consumers having a known expense each month, providers now have a known revenue stream each month. In addition, most web services are accompanied by a toll-free audio conference bridge that is invariably consumption (yes, “per bite”) based. Plus, meetings that are conducted with a visual component tend to last longer, hence the proverbial “win-win” scenario for both the consumer and the provider.


One last point… Flat-rate pricing has now granted access to the latest and greatest technological advances to smaller companies and non-profit organizations that may not have had the resources to partake before the flat-rate buffet was on the menu. Yet another “win” for all.


In these challenging economic times, the customer will always seek the best value he or she can find. Embrace the flat-rate pricing models for web conferencing and watch your revenue grow.




Greg Plum is the Director of Business Development for the Conference Group, a facilities-based conferencing and collaboration company with over 10 years’ experience serving channel partners and enterprise clients. Greg can be reached at greg.plum@conferencegroup.com .

Can you sell conferencing for 2.5 cents?

Announcing Together Talk®, our newest toll-free reservationless service, at an industry low price of 2.5 cents per minute. As our agent, you have the ability to offer this same service to your prospective customers for the same price.

What Together Talk® offers:

• Toll-free access to a 99 line conference
• Reservationless access 24/7
• International toll-free access from a few countries
• Limited leader star commands: lecture mode, mute, and lock conference

What Together Talk® does NOT offer:

• Operator access via *0
• Attendance reports
• Conference recording
• Conference manager web interface

Customers must request this service via credit card sign-up using a link that we provide to each of our agents who express interest in offering Together Talk®. Upon sign-up, customers receive passcodes instantly via email and the Conference Group orders the conference card within 48 business hours.

To take advantage of this aggressively priced service and to learn about commission rates, please contact us directly on 877-716-8255, ext. 8284 for Kristin or ext. 8268 for Greg or email us at partners@conferencegroup.com.

Find out if you won the Apple iPad!

This year’s Channel Partners Conference in Las Vegas was the best in years! If you had the opportunity to attend, you got to see the channel’s latest and greatest offerings. For the Conference Group, that meant a preview of our newest service that is available exclusively thru our master agents… Toll-free reservationless conferencing for an industry low price of 2.5 cents per minute. That is the customer’s price, folks, NOT a buy price. Of course the service is missing some of the bells and whistles that our full-service offering includes, such as *0 operator access, after-call reporting, free recording, extensive toll-free international access, etc. BUT, you will now have the ability to offer a toll-free service for less than most wholesale prices. Let me rephrase that… I said “now”, which is not technically correct. This service will be available to the channel on April 5, 2010.


If you currently have access to our services via a master agency, contact them for more information (but if you do it before April 5, they won’t have much information). This is just a “head’s up” so you know what is coming and so you can plan accordingly. If your master agency tells you that they do not have access to the Conference Group’s services, please have them contact me directly. Of course, those of you who have enjoyed years of success working directly with us will also be able to offer this service beginning April 5, 2010.

Oh, I almost forgot… If your name is Jake Peterson and your company is called City Communications Integrated, you DID win the Apple iPad just for stopping by our booth at the Channel Partners Conference. Congratulations, Jake! (Hey, Jake, do you sell any conferencing?)

Check Out Greg Plum at the Channel Partners Conference in Vegas!

Check out this video with Greg Plum at the Channel Partners Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, Spring 2010.

http://www.varvid.com/channel-partners/