GetThere Provides More Collaboration Solutions to Business Travelers in association with Tata Communications

Corporations can now choose public Telepresence rooms for virtual meetings as a Business Collaboration option in GetThere

SOUTHLAKE, Texas – 17 June 2010 – GetThere®, the world’s leading travel and collaboration management solution, in association with Tata Communications, a leading provider of the new world of communications, today announced that they will team up to provide access to public and private Telepresence rooms for GetThere’s customers looking to meet virtually. The agreement between the two companies advances GetThere’s Collaboration offering, providing its customers with access to Tata Communications’ network of public Telepresence rooms located around the world. 

The new offering meets the growth in demand for virtual meetings as an option for corporate travel programs and business travel plans. Participants in a Telepresence session benefit from life-size, high-definition video and audio quality, providing an immersive experience and giving them the sense that they are in the same room. The overall experience facilitates effective collaboration in a wide variety of interactions, from standard meetings and recruiting interviews to training sessions.

”GetThere customers are increasingly asking us to help them maximize both their travel spend and their investment in collaboration solutions,” said Suzanne Neufang, General Manager of GetThere.  “Through our relationship with Tata Communications, we’re able to deliver to our corporate customers and their business travelers a broader set of relevant collaboration alternatives, enabling the selection of both travel and non-travel options depending on the reason for a trip, and allowing them to truly maximize their investments in collaboration products and services. Tata Communications’ ever-growing base of public Telepresence rooms around the world makes them a great global partner as we continue to enhance our travel and collaboration solution,” she said.

Tata Communications, a leading provider of Telepresence services, was the first to open public Telepresence facilities, enabling customers to harness its immersive technology at a cost-effective, pay-per-use, hourly rate. With their community of partners, the organization currently has the largest network of public rooms and is present in 15 major business centers and emerging markets, including India, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and Africa. Tata Communications expects to have over 30 public Telepresence rooms by the end of 2010.

Peter Quinlan, Director of Managed TelePresence services, Tata Communications said: “Tata Communications offers private and public Telepresence rooms that enable companies to boost their productivity and conduct meetings as often as needed, while at the same time reducing their carbon footprint and travel-related costs. The seamless interconnectivity of our Telepresence exchange minimizes distance between people around the world, bringing them together quickly and easily.”

“Using Tata Communications’ Telepresence services increases the accessibility of businesses beyond their major company offices to a wider ecosystem of users. Users could include customers, suppliers, remote workers and business partners. We are excited to be working with GetThere and look forward to helping them add a new dimension to their clients’ managed travel programs,” concluded Quinlan.