The OpenTravel Alliance, 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.

Click here for more information and to see a current agenda of all conference topics.