Most of us have been invited to attend or talk at a conference; whether it's on business issues, hobbies and interests, or product innovations, a conference is the ideal opportunity to meet and greet others with similar interests, but who you might otherwise never have a face to face conversation with. You can, literally, walk in their space. It's a time to network and also hear from learned speakers. Conferences are the ideal places to quench that thirst for knowledge, combined with our need for human interaction.

Recently, however, I have experienced a few conferences where the stress of just getting to the location and trying to find time to relax into the day's programme has been more than counter-productive.

On a recent occasion, I was asked to represent a client at a unique industry conference. The agenda was beyond what I could have dreamed about: guest speakers I had always admired; the list of delegates read like a VIP guest list. I was delirious with anticipation.

But as reality dawned on me about the practicalities of how to get to the event, and to fit the day around a busy work schedule, my concerns began to overshadow the excitement of meeting like minded people and generating new contacts. During the day, it was less of a chance to do a bit of informal mingling and more like a fight against time. As topics were expanded due to interest from the floor, speakers overrun, presentations got behind schedule, and there simply wasn't time to share ideas and discussion with the other attendees during the short breaks.

Even during the much-anticipated networking lunch, trying to network was just not feasible. By the time I had queued for my gratis savoury pastry and scalding cup of coffee, juggled the cup and saucer and the flaky nibble, it was impossible to walk, talk and shake hands with any prospective new friends without spraying them with a mouthful of rough-puff. Before long it was time to sit back down and view the next presentation. Being force fed a diet of concentrated details concerning where to find safe exits, mobile phone etiquette and remembering to pick up information packs left me with a case of severe information indigestion.

When the final speaker had finished, instead of a vote of thanks, the audience voted with their feet and it was a quick dash out the door to get back to the office to tie up the day's loose ends.

So when the next conference was announced, it seemed like the ideal time to look into webinars. A webinar is a presentation, lecture workshop or seminar that is transmitted via the internet directly to your PC. There are interactive elements and you have the ideal platform to give, receive and discuss information. It's interactive conferences without the worry of when to have a comfort break or if you are going to miss the five o'clock deadline back at the office.

Keeping in touch with colleagues, clients and business contacts has never been easier. It's now possible to contact anyone in any part of the world as web conferencing becomes the norm.

And I could hardly contain my excitement when I heard that Microsoft had launched Office 2010 PowerPoint Broadcast Service. Now, not only could I be part of the remote networking community - but I could also create an online presentation and share with a real-time audience.

As more of us are linking up remotely, Microsoft has developed a Broadcast Slide Show option in PowerPoint 2010, making it easier, for example, to share a presentation. It's convenient to present to anyone, anywhere. Just send a link, and in one click everyone you invite can watch a synchronised view of your slide show in their web browser, even if they don't have PowerPoint 2010 installed. So, if you're keen to broadcast your ideas to a remote audience, it couldn't be simpler. To start a broadcast from PowerPoint 2010, click Broadcast Slide Show on the Slide Show tab. Ensure the PowerPoint Broadcast Service is selected and click Start Broadcast.

All PowerPoint 2010 users can access the PowerPoint Broadcast Service using a Windows Live ID. When you start a broadcast, it will provide a public link that you can send to anyone on the Internet you invite. The PowerPoint Broadcast feature generates a URL which you can email or share with your audience and they can watch you deliver your presentation directly from their browser.

Attendees listening on the phone or a conference call need to click only once to open your link in their Web browser and watch your broadcast. Their view will update automatically to show your current slide and play animations as you show them. This view has the same cross-platform, cross-browser support as the Office Web Apps.

Organisations will also have the flexibility to host their own broadcast services and set permissions for who can create and view broadcasts.

You can sign in with your Windows Live ID if you use Hotmail, Live Messenger, or Xbox LIVE. Don't worry if you don't have and ID, it really only takes a few minutes' time to sign up.

Once you are ready, PowerPoint 2010 will provide a public link and you can send this to up to 50 remote attendees. Obviously anyone you send a link to is able to watch your broadcast; likewise they may send on to another person who can then also view your broadcast.

It's really simple to view a PowerPoint 2010 broadcast if you have the latest version of Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari for Mac.

Now you can present to a live audience without worrying about the add-on costs, for example, of travel or catering. A live PowerPoint presentation has so many advantages - it's simple, convenient and informative - and you don't have to clean up the trampled vol-au-vents.