The Institute of Travel Management is to set up a virtual office where Second Life avatars can discover more about the organisation and the Icarus project – its environmental toolkit.

The not-for-profit group also plans to host its inaugural Second Life conference in the third quarter of the year.

Chief executive Paul Tilstone said the initiative was a fun way to explore serious issues and a real alternative in the meetings and events market. “The virtual platform lends itself well to open and ground-breaking discussion as delegates can
participate with anonymity,” he said.

Tilstone, whose pseudonym in Second Life is Cormac Tigerpaw, said he was impressed by the results from a virtual conference held recently by a major consultancy.

He said delegates interacted differently as they were masked by their virtual persona and were not afraid to ask questions and make points.

“We will look at the difference Second Life can make to the carbon produced at meetings or events.”