Business & Finance

OTA Announces New Sessions for 2010 Conference

Distribution in the Long Tail, Innovation in Customer-Facing Sites and Apps

MARCH 8, 2010 - The OpenTravel Alliance (OTA), the travel industry’s leading distribution specification/standards development organization, announces a nearly-final agenda for its 2010 Advisory Forum, including sessions on distribution in the long tail and customer-facing innovation in the travel industry.

“Travel segments in the long tail, including tours and activities and vacation rentals, are some of the hottest in the industry,” said Stephen Joyce, CEO of Rezgo, and a participant in the Distribution in the Long Tail panel. “These are complex travel products that don’t present or sell successfully in the traditional model of transactional distribution, so players in these segments have to deploy technologies that will align the best product to address traveler needs. Establishing and leveraging industry standards is the fastest way to achieve that goal.”

Expert representatives from each of these segments will give their view and discuss their perspective of how these segments will evolve. Other panelists in this session include:

  • Aaron Nissen, Director e-strategies, TravelAlberta
  • Ted Miller, Chief Operating Officer, Instant Software
  • Moderated by Dennis Schaal, North American Editor, Tnooz

Another new session added is titled Innovation in Consumer-Facing Travel Sites and Apps and is presented by Scott Gillespie, Author of Gillespie's Guide to Travel Procurement.

"Travel has had surprisingly little innovation in the last decade, especially for such a big and web-friendly industry,” said Mr. Gillespie. “Contrary to popular belief, the forces of mobile, social and search are not going to be the big drivers of travel innovation... at least not in the traditional sense."

This provocative session will cause attendees to question their answers and change the way the way they look at innovation.

Event: OpenTravel Alliance North American Advisory Forum
Date: April 26 - 28, 2010
Location: Marriott Seattle Waterfront
2100 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA 98121 USA
Time: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 9:00 AM – Wednesday, April 28, 2010 5:00 PM

Those interested in speaking or have a topic to be addressed can contact Valyn Perini at: valyn.perini@opentravel.org.

About the OpenTravel Alliance
OpenTravel’s mission is to engineer specifications that make data transmission flow smoothly throughout travel, tourism and hospitality. OpenTravel creates, expands and drives adoption of open universal data specifications, including but not limited to the use of XML, for the electronic exchange of business information among all sectors of the travel industry.

With a diversified membership representing influential names in all sectors of the travel industry, OpenTravel is comprised of representatives from airlines, car rental firms, hotels, cruise lines, leisure suppliers, service providers, tour operators, travel agencies, and trade associations. For more information, visit www.opentravel.org.

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