OpenTravel Alliance Announces 2012 North American Advisory Forum Final Agenda

OpenTravel Alliance (OpenTravel), the travel industry’s leading distribution specification and standards development organization, announces final agenda and keynote speaker for the 2012 North American Advisory Forum. OpenTravel Alliance (OpenTravel), the travel industry’s leading distribution specification and standards development organization, announces final agenda and keynote speaker for the 2012 North American Advisory Forum. OpenTravel Alliance is pleased to announce its keynote speaker for the 2012 North American Advisory Forum is Dr. Deborah McGuinness, author, research and Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Titled "The Potential of Semantic Technologies in Travel," Dr. McGuinness will address the science and application of semantic technologies across industries. The application of semantic technology in the travel industry is in its infancy, but the industry is desperate to utilize this technology to figure out how to optimize search results and to provide personalized offers and service to travelers. Travelers, as users of Amazon and iTunes and other applications that do a great job personalizing the shopping experience, are beginning to demand the same type of user experience from travel companies. However, travel companies tend to be burdened by legacy technology in their inventory control and pricing applications, by the legacy messaging technology in use, and by continuing slim margins. What are the trends in semantic technologies, and how might they be applied to the travel industry? Agenda highlights include: Travel Retailing Made Easier - Airlines have embraced the concept of retailing to not only more effectively present and sell airline product but that of its supplier partners in other travel segments. Delta Airlines is a leader in this initiative, with the help of Datalex and OpenTravel's messaging standards. The Next Big Thing for Travel Distribution Systems - REST XML Resources - The rising complexity and cost of managing legacy travel distribution systems are leading many travel companies today to adopt a REST (REpresentational State Transfer) architectural style because it provides standardized resources that enable precise interaction with other REST systems. The panelists will discuss the fundamental shift in application design required to begin thinking in terms of resources rather than objects and methods and how the OpenTravel 2.0 specification is being designed to provide a common XML resource model for the travel industry. Participants include Homeaway, Sabre, HP, Amtrak and Marriott International. Big Ideas: The Distribution Summit - Join a panel of distribution executives as they ruminate on the state of distribution in the travel industry. This discussion will touch on topics discussed during the conference, and will look forward to what we all might expect in the coming months and years. Moderated by Gene Quinn, president of Tnooz, and Valyn Perini, CEO of OpenTravel, expect a lively and compelling conversation, and bring your questions for the experts. Upselling Using Partner Data - How Trading Partners Can Work Together to Enrich Semantic Offers - At OpenTravel, we’re turning the abstract into the concrete by building a semantic ontology for the car rental industry, including thinking through what it takes to actually plan for a semantically enhanced booking experience, what we call semantic offers. Other travel industry segments are adopting this model, and in this session, suppliers will review the commercial benefits, commercial scenarios and technology involved. Participants include Avis Budget, Amtrak and Thematix For the full agenda, visit the Advisory Forum website. This event is open to members and non-members. About OpenTravel Alliance OpenTravel's mission is to engineer specifications to ensure traveler and supplier information flow smoothly throughout travel, tourism and hospitality. OpenTravel creates, expands and drives adoption of open specifications, including but not limited to the use of XML, for the electronic exchange of business information among all sectors of the travel industry. OpenTravel is comprised of companies representing airlines, car rental firms, hotels, cruise lines, railways, leisure suppliers, service providers, tour operators, travel agencies, solutions providers, technology companies and distributors. Tens of thousands of OpenTravel message structures are in use, carrying tens of millions of messages between trading partners every day. To learn more about OpenTravel visit www.opentravel.org.