When deployed in a smart way, technology can be a positive enabler of efficient collaboration between businesspeople. Technology can make collaboration more enjoyable, more affordable, and more efficient. In the past few years, the term "unified communications" (UC) has arisen to denote systems that seamlessly tie together different communications and other computer-based tools to make collaboration more effective.   Lately, videoconferencing has sometimes come to be included in the definition for unified communications. Good as videoconferencing is, however, as an enabler of multi-participant communications between groups of people across geographical distances, the fact remains that it still can't truly emulate the face-to-face meeting experience.   The challenge of creating true "in person" experiences for physically disparate teams is the topic of an upcoming INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO East 2008 session, UC & Collaboration, scheduled for January 24, 2008 from 2:15 to 3:00 p.m.   This session introduces a new technology called "telepresence" that promises to deliver the business-class collaboration capabilities required to keep up in today's fast-paced global economy. Casey King (News - Alert) from LifeSize and representatives from IntelliCom Analytics, Siemens Communications and Allworx will explain what telepresence is and how it can fit into a unified communications strategy.