GoToMeeting is advertised as a business tool that can take the place of in-person presentations. The idea itself is appealing: consider the expenses of travel combined with the value of time spent commuting to and from the meeting location, multiplied by the number of attendees. The cost of even a small meeting can be surprisingly high. When you realize the actual cost, it becomes hard to justify having in-person business meetings unless absolutely necessary, especially when an electronic alternative exists that can eliminate the inefficiencies and leave you with only the cost of the meeting content. But is such an alternative truly viable?

I recently had the opportunity to try GoToMeeting. It was a presentation by a telecommunications company to a group of marketing agents. The goal was to introduce the company’s product line and provide agents with the necessary information to sell the products effectively. The organizers wanted to create enough interest to encourage immediate sales efforts. A combined audio conference call with GoToMeeting visuals was chosen as the optimal way to reach this geographically dispersed group.

Participating was incredibly easy. An email invitation instructed us to dial a phone number and enter a conference code to join the audio portion of the presentation. I used my reliable Uniden speakerphone for this. The email also included a link for joining the visual component. Clicking this link directed me to the GoToMeeting website, where a small client software automatically downloaded to my computer within a couple of minutes. There were instructions provided in case of firewall issues or loading errors, but I didn’t encounter any problems. GoToMeeting launched perfectly.

My 19-inch monitor displayed two windows. One was an empty presentation screen, and the other was a control panel. I had previously provided GoToMeeting with my name and email address for participation. When the control panel appeared, it displayed a list of attendees, including myself, the presenter, and the other participants. The control panel also had a real-time chat window, which in this instance had a message from one of the meeting organizers providing the phone number and access code for anyone who hadn’t yet joined the audio conference. Additional messages appeared throughout the presentation. I had the option to type and send messages to the group if I wanted.

As the presentation started, the blank screen transformed into a display of the presentation slides. I clicked to enlarge this window to full screen, minimizing the control panel. Occasionally, a notification bubble popped up on the panel, signaling the arrival of a new participant.

With a large display of the presentation slides right in front of me and the presenter’s voice coming through the speakerphone, I was reminded of past experiences sitting in dimly lit conference rooms for similar presentations, struggling to see the slides or hear the speaker. This was a significant improvement—more comfortable and convenient. I was even dressed more casually than I would on a casual Friday at a traditional company. Moreover, this presentation was in the evening, and I was grateful not to brave the cold weather and drive ten miles to sit in a stuffy conference room. While they might have offered coffee and donuts, I was content enjoying my own cookies in the comfort of my warm home office.

In essence, I gained the full value of an hour-long meeting without the added burden of a two-hour round trip. This scenario assumes an in-house presentation. If the meeting were at a distant office or facility, it would involve bus rides, flights, rental cars, and potentially an overnight hotel stay—all for receiving the same information from the same presenter with the same attendees. Considering the current economic climate, which makes more sense: physically going to a meeting or using GoToMeeting?