September 2002

Rise in Teleconferencing Boosts Committee Participation

By Ernie Markezin, Associate Director of Committee Services

It used to be that time and travel constraints prevented many members from participating in or even joining a committee. With improved teleconferencing services and equipment now available for committee meetings, members can still participate in meetings where a travel conflict might have meant a missed meeting and perhaps missed opportunities.

In just the first five weeks of the 2002-2003 committee year, more than thirty 30 members participated in committees through teleconferencing as compared to a handful in the same period a year ago. One committee’s guest speaker was teleconferenced in from Washington, D.C., while other committees have attracted members who are often away on business and had therefore thought, until now, that committee service was not practical.

The Society can arrange for conference calls for anywhere from one to well over ten participants. Participants, once they have notified their committee chair and the Society, are provided a toll-free number and a pass code for their committee in advance of the meeting, eliminating the need to sit by the phone waiting for the call from the committee. Some new equipment has been added, including satellite microphones and speakers, to help reduce those moments when the only words heard are a call to “speak up.”

Of course, teleconferencing is not a complete substitute for the exchange that takes place by attending a meeting in person. But if time or travel constraints would otherwise have you miss a meeting, the teleconferencing option is there. Simply contact, at least three days in advance of your meeting, Nereida (Nellie) Gomez, Manager of Committee Services, at (212) 719-8358 or via e-mail at
ngomez@nysscpa.org.