Office Space News
Regus Unveils First Telepresence Suite in London
Published June 30th, 2009 by Jennifer LeClaire
Not too long ago, Regus announced a major initiative with Polycom and Cable&Wireless to bring telepresence technologies to its serviced office centers around the word. The joint effort is worth more than £32 million over five years and the announcement commanded the attention of the entire executive office suites industry.
Well, it didn’t take Regus long to make good on the promise. This week, the company opened its first Regus Telepresence Suite. It’s equipped with Polycom’s RealPresence Experience High Definition (RPX HD) immersive telepresence system. As part of the official opening ceremony, Regus also celebrated the launch of its Berkely Square location in Central London, which is the site of the telepresence suite.
In all, Regus’ initial telepresence rollout this summer will span 14 cities, including Paris, Singapore, New York and San Francisco. I haven’t seen the whole list, but I hope Miami is on it because I’d like to experience this in living color.
“We are redefining the world of work, offering business of all sizes flexible, innovative and inspiring locations in which to meet, work and collaborate,” says Mark Dixon, Group CEO of Regus. “In response to rising demand from these organizations we are augmenting and expanding our existing business lounge network around the globe, as we look to better enable the workers of today and tomorrow. The telepresence solution will play a fundamental role in helping us achieve this.”
Upping the Conferencing Ante
Regus already offers the world’s largest network of publicly accessible video conferencing rooms. Regus boasts 600 studios worldwide featuring Polycom standards-based video conferencing. By adding Polycom’s RealPresence Experience (RPX) immersive telepresence studios, Regus is offering new level of intimate meeting experience that aims to help people in different locations work as effectively as if they are in the same room.
“Adding Polycom immersive telepresence suites to Regus facilities provides a powerful combination of services available for businesses looking to extend their presence and support an increasingly dispersed and mobile workforce,” says Bob Hagerty, Chairman and CEO at Polycom. “Because Polycom systems are based on established standards for video communication, Regus customers can use telepresence to connect with other Regus facilities, their own offices or with their customers, vendors and partners anywhere in the world.”
Beyond the issue of a real-life conference experience, there’s also the cost factor. In the face of a global recession, companies are exploring new ways to control costs, get more competitive and be a responsible corporate citizen by minimizing carbon footprints. The Regus initiative accomplishes all three goals in one fell swoop. Companies can also boosting productivity with video conferencing and telepresence technologies.
“This will be a new way of working for many businesses where cost savings and improved productivity are realized immediately,” says Jim Marsh, Cable&Wireless CEO, Europe, Asia and U.S. “It will provide new customers with the ability to transform the way they work and give existing video users the opportunity to expand their footprint without the need for significant investment in new high-definition video conferencing hardware.”
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Elizabeth Sanchez June 30th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
That was a fast implementation. I’d love to see how this works in person. This is definitely going to give Regus the edge with large enterprises. I am not sure how much Regus is charging to use its telepresence suites or if it’s rolled into some sort of businessworld package. They have to get a ROI somehow.
Marcus Hester June 30th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Regus gives you every reason in the world to tap into telepresence… they hit the productivity angle, the cost-saving angle, the green angle. It looks like Regus is posturing for a major marketing push around this. You can’t blame them. With that kind of investment, they need to get the word out that their premier serviced office space is equipped with some of the world’s best conferencing technology.
Rob Zeus June 30th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
This is definitely part of the workplace of the future that we’ve been talking about. Telepresence is far from mainstream right now, but I would imagine this type of conferencing technology will pick up momentum with terrorism, pandemics and other threats on the rise. @Marcus – I’m surprised they didn’t hit that angle, too.
Bill Brookshire June 30th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
What do they mean by immersive? Is this 3-D or something? I haven’t actually see a demo of Polycom’s telepresence tools. With that price tag, it seems like it should come with Star Trek transporters that beam people from place to place. It must be really awesome technology to be so expensive. Who would have thought the serviced office industry would be on the cutting-edge of technology?
Maggie Correta June 30th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Fourteen cities for the summer is a good start for Regus. Clearly, they are focusing on equipping serviced offices in major cities. Makes good sense. I’d love to see an entire list of cities. Has Regus disclosed the list yet? I wonder how many of the telepresence suites are going to be in serviced office space here in the U.S.