WASHINGTON --
With the acquisition of TravelCom, a four-year-old e-commerce trade
show, the Travel Industry Association (TIA) expects to attract new
members to the venerable trade group as one of the direct benefits
derived from the acquisition.
In fact, Mike
Pusateri, TIAs COO, told TravelWeekly.com that as soon as the
announcement was made, people have been calling and asking when
they could join the group.
The calls,
Pusateri said, quite frankly, wouldnt have happened if we hadnt
bought this show.
The show is slate
to be held as usual next April at the Hilton New York. At least
1,300 people attended this years show.
Pusateri said TIA
had been in negotiations with JD Events, the creators and operators
of TravelCom, to possibly partner on the trade show, but then
ultimately decided, with JD Events blessing, to buy it for an
undisclosed amount.
It was a pretty
significant opportunity to bring more relevance to that part of the
market [e-commerce], Pusateri said. It is a fast growing area of
opportunity, yet it is a concern to many in the industry because it
is moving so quickly. It is on everyones mind and travel, as it
pertains to e-commerce, is one of the top two segments.
So TIA, being the
umbrella for the industry, felt this would be a place that would be
appropriate for us to come in with some leadership and partnership
ideas and see if we could bring more relevance to existing members
and find an opportunity to add members by having this
show.
Pusateri said TIA
has established an e-commerce committee that will be overseen by
Jay Gray, TIAs vice president of technology, and chaired by Joan
Lowell, vice president of distribution for Hyatt Hotels and
Resorts.
TravelCom
previously was considered slightly vendor heavy, one of the
critiques from attendees, according to Pusateri.
Under TIAs
guidance, the show will likely have broader participation with the
various segments that we have [as TIA members] from DMOs to CVBs,
to state tourism bureaus and attractions, in addition to the
traditional transportation companies and lodging and accommodations
companies. We could add a lot of value.
Beyond the show,
Pusateri said TIA would also play a larger role in advocating
e-commence industry issues on Capitol Hill.
Weve set up an
ecommerce committee to not only run the agenda for the show with
the speakers and the topics, but also to deal with issues in
government affairs, whether it pertains to taxation on the Internet
or spam control or research, Pusateri said.
All of which is
in line with TIAs objective of becoming the voice of the larger
travel industry.
The strategy from
our board and our members [is for TIA] to diversify and be more
relevant to our members, Pusateri said. You are going to see a lot
more partnering. We are diversifying in every segment of the
industry and making sure we are relevant. If that means more
partnering or opportunities come to us or identify opportunities
beyond that, we certain will consider them seriously.
To contact
reporter Michael Milligan, send e-mail to [email protected].