Abstract: A videoconference gatekeeper (18) inspects the alias-address fields in admission-request messages from videoconference endpoints (12, 14, 16) to determine whether their formats indicate that the alias address should be interpreted as a "compound address" designating separate multipoint-conference participants. If so, it causes a multipoint control unit (20) to allocate conference resources to a videoconference among the participants thereby designated. In a registration-request message that the multipoint control unit (20) immediately sends the gatekeeper, it notifies the gatekeeper of the transport address at which it accords access to the conference resources, and the gatekeeper includes this information in an admission-confirm message that it sends the source of the admission-request message.