GROWTH OF VIRTUAL MEETINGS FUELS TELECONFERENCE BOOM

Virtual meetings are hot. According to the International Teleconferencing Association (ITCA), the North American teleconferencing industry has grown an average of 30 percent a year since 1993. Henry Grove, president of the Philadelphia-based group, reports that revenues of $2.3 billion in 1993 grew to $5.1 billion in 1997 and are forecast at more than $6.3 billion for this year. Videoconferencing experienced the greatest growth--over audio, audiographic, and business television conferencing-