DEMOCRATIC LEADERS, SPEAKERS TO CONNECT DAILY WITH DELEGATES VIA LIVE VIDEO CONFERENCING

Polycom Video Systems Will Link 56 Delegations with Prominent Party and Campaign Officials Simultaneously Each Morning

Boston, MA - Hours before the 2004 Democratic National Convention officially gavels open on July 26 at the FleetCenter, more than 4,000 delegates gathered in Boston will have already participated in their first official Convention event, without even leaving their hotels.

For the first time in Convention history, 56 delegations will connect each morning via a secure server to participate in live video broadcasts. Video conference leader Polycom, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLCM) has partnered with the DNCC to provide daily "Polyconferences" between delegates and Democratic leaders, including former Vice President Al Gore, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Convention Chair and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Kerry-Edwards Campaign Manager Mary Beth Cahill and Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) Chairwoman Alice Huffman.

"Polycom's technology has helped us create an innovative environment to deliver information and better communicate with our delegates in real time," said Rod O'Connor, CEO of the DNCC. "The Polyconference will serve as a virtual Convention, allowing delegates to hear from prominent Party leaders and Convention speakers at the opening of each day, and we are proud to offer this unique opportunity for the first time here in Boston."

The DNCC today announced that Gore will open the series of daily, live video sessions with remarks at 8 AM on Monday. On Tuesday, delegates will hear from Huffman and Cahill. Albright will participate in Wednesday's session, and Richardson will close the series on Thursday.

Polycom - the official video conference provider of the 2004 Democratic National Convention -has provided VSX 7000 units to each of the 22 hotels and the one university housing the 56 delegations. The video conference units allow each delegation to connect to a secure central host site using Polycom MGC 100 multi-point conferencing units, and to hear from one speaker.

"We are pleased to join the Democratic Convention, and project manager The Rendon Group, in making video conferencing an historic part of the political process," said Robert Hagerty, chairman and CEO of Polycom. "We believe virtual communication and collaboration as natural as being there in person enhances group productivity and decision making. The delegates' morning Polyconference, where they will hear from key Democratic leaders and receive briefings on the evening Convention schedule, is truly an innovative application for the technology."

Polycom, Inc. is the world's technology leader of high-quality, easy-to-use video, voice, data and web conferencing and collaboration solutions. The Polycom Office™ makes distance communications as natural and interactive as being there by providing best-in-class conferencing solutions that are interoperable, integrated and intuitive to the user. The Polycom Office is based on industry standards and supported by an open architecture that promotes interoperability in multi-vendor environments and complements leading network infrastructure platforms.

Visit our videoconferencing section for more information about Polycom products.

[July 27, 2004]