The Person Behind VIP — Virtually In Person
I am Pete Colantes — founder of VIP. My mission is simple: to prove that although it's virtual, every session can and should feel just as real, just as engaging and just as impactful as being in person. That mission drives everything I teach and everything VIP stands for.
Why Virtually In Person Exists
I did not set out to become a virtual facilitation coach. But looking back — it was always where I was headed.
When Zoom became the new normal, I watched talented instructors resist the change — frustrated, uncomfortable and struggling to connect the way they always had in a classroom. I understood. In-person training is ideal. But while many fought the shift, I made a different choice: I decided to master it.
It was not easy. I struggled. I made mistakes. But I kept learning from every single one — and slowly noticed something big. Almost everything I had always done in person could still be done virtually. The same engagement. The same connection. The only difference was a webcam.
That is exactly where the concept was born — although it's virtual, let's treat it as if it were in-person.
After 17 years of training everyone from new hires to senior leaders, I realized the difference was never just Zoom features and never just facilitation techniques. It was the intentional combination of both at exactly the right moment.
That discovery became the REAL Virtual Facilitation Framework. And that framework became VIP: Virtually In Person.
Let's Work Together
Built on REAL Experience
I did not learn this from a book or a certification program. I learned it from 17 years of standing in front of real people, in real training rooms and real virtual sessions, figuring out what actually works.
I trained nervous new hires. I coached managers through major changes. I facilitated international clearance sessions where details mattered enormously. I delivered defensive driving programs where lives were literally at stake.
And for 6 of those years — from a webcam. Proving session after session for a Fortune 50 logistics organization that although it is virtual, it could absolutely feel just as real.
That is what VIP is built on. And that is what makes the difference.
What Participants Say
Honestly feels like live, right there in a classroom with the other participants. It was a great experience. Pete is very helpful and knowledgeable.
— Virtual Training Participant, Fortune 50 Logistics Organization.
More interactive than an in-person setting except our peers are not with us physically in the same room.
— Virtual Training Participant, Fortune 50 Logistics Organization.
