Board of Directors elections are now under way.  Ballots have been distributed to member companies.  Ballots are due back by 4:00pm US ET on Tuesday June 12, 2012.

Information about the board positions is detailed below for your convenience. Information about OpenTravel’s structure and governance can be found on our website.  

Benefits of Leadership

A seat on the OpenTravel board of directors provides the opportunity to set strategic direction for the most well-known standards body in travel distribution, to work with peers across every travel segment, and to broaden one’s professional knowledge and network. Board members routinely speak at industry events, are quoted in publications and have visibility into the coming trends of travel distribution technology.

Purpose of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors provides leadership and strategic direction to encourage the development of recommended specifications for electronic distribution in the travel industry, and to advance the cause of OpenTravel by doing so.  In addition, the board oversees all operations of the organization via the CEO and staff.

• Two air carrier seats
• Two car rental company seats
• Three hotel or hotel company seats
• One at large supplier seat
• One non-US seat (supplier or non-supplier)
• Four at large non-supplier seats

OpenTravel board of directors terms are for two years, and terms are staggered, so roughly half the board is up for election each year (although other factors, such as mid-term turnover, may affect actual open seats).  In 2012, the following board seats are up for election:

• Two air carrier representative seats
• Three hotel representative seats
• One non-supplier representative seat
• One non-US representative seat
• Two rental car representative seats

A few notes:

• Suppliers are defined as any company that has primary control of the distribution of all inventory
• Non-suppliers are defined as any travel-related company that does not control distribution of all inventory
• A company based outside the US could hold any seat but one seat is set aside specifically for a member who is personally based outside the US and whose company is headquartered outside the US
• At-large supplier is defined as any company with primary control of the distribution of inventory, not including air carriers, car rental companies or hotels or hotel companies.  This could include but is not limited to railways, cruise lines, insurance companies, golf course owners, motorcycle, water or bicycle tour companies, etc.
• Members in the consultant business category are not eligible for non-supplier director seats
• No member company can have more than one representative on the board at any time
• The board of directors’ positions are unpaid

Requirements for the Board of Directors

• The candidate’s company must be a member of OpenTravel and must not be arrears on its membership dues
• Board members must participate in 75% of board events in real time, either in person or via audio or video connection (the board of directors communicate monthly either via phone or in person)
• Board members must attend the Advisory Forum
• More information regarding elections can be found in the Procedures Manual

Election FAQs and a full schedule can be found on this web page.

Nominations for work group chairs, co-chairs and work group representatives to the Interoperability Committee will commence after the election of the Board of Directors. 

If you are unsure who your company's voting representative is, or have any other questions, please send an email to Caliene Isaacs and be sure to include your company name.