Confirming industry speculation of Expedia Corporate Travel's designs on enveloping meetings technology into its offerings
(Meetings Today, Nov. 10), the company today announced a deal to use and offer SeeUthere Technologies' MeetingView attendee management and data consolidation tools.
Under the terms of the deal, Expedia will offer its corporate travel customers SeeUthere's tools on its Web site. ECT itself also will use those tools to fulfill clients' meeting services requests. Santa Clara, Calif.-based SeeUthere officials said Expedia takes no equity stake in the company. SeeUthere officials would not comment on whether the deal is exclusive on either side, but SeeUthere already is aligned with Cendant Corp.'s Travelport and has long positioned itself as a solution that can align with any other tool.
The move illustrates the growing partnerships between meetings management companies, online and offline, and online agencies. ECT competitor Orbitz for Business this past summer allied with Chicago-based David Green Interactive, a division of meetings and convention management firm David Green Organization.