Two of travel management's key membership associations have approved measures to increase the influence of travel sellers within their organizations.
Last month, direct (travel buyer) members of the National Business Travel Association overwhelmingly voted to approve changes in the group's bylaws that would turn two board seats previously held by direct members over to allied (travel seller) members. The Society of Government Travel Professionals, meanwhile, also altered its bylaws, extending to three from two the number of years that suppler representatives can serve on the board; increasing to five from two the number of board seats for them; and for the first time allowing supplier members to hold the positions of secretary and treasurer.
According to NBTA, the change in its rules had been suggested by "a number of members" and gives suppliers a "larger voice on the board." Nevertheless, NBTA emphasized that it remains a "buyer-led" organization. Eighty-four percent of the more than one-quarter of all direct members who voted approved the proposal, which will raise to four from two the number of allied members serving on the board. Only supplier members of NBTA will vote on supplier members seeking board positions.
"The president and vice president of the Allied Leadership Council currently sit on the board," NBTA wrote. "One new allied board member will be elected during the 2007 NBTA election cycle, and a second will be elected during the 2008 cycle. Each new allied representative on the board will replace a direct member representative whose term is expiring. After the 2008 election, the overall size of the board will remain the same, and the representation on the board will consist of nine direct members and four allied members. The key officers on the board (president and CEO, vice president and chairman/past president) will continue to be direct members elected only by directs."
The NBTA board requires a two-thirds majority among attendees to a given meeting for such actions as expelling members and determining board member eligibility. A three-quarters majority is required to remove an elected officer. A simple majority decides other matters.
In a letter to members, president and CEO Suzanne Fletcher indicated that NBTA leaders "appreciate and understand" concerns that some members raised regarding the proposal.
"The influence of any individual direct member--or direct members as a whole for that matter--will not suffer in any significant way as a result of this proposal," according to NBTA documents. "The partnership that already exists between allieds and directs at the NBTA level will be strengthened and more successful when greater consideration of allied members' perspectives are taken into account."
The organization illustrated the "purpose" of the changes with examples of the allied members' importance to the overall group, including: leadership of NBTA chapters; significant committee participation; use of NBTA's educational programs; support for legislative advocacy; and participation in buyer-seller networking.
NBTA, its chapters and its Foundation also receive "considerable financial support" from the supplier members' companies. "That support is the result of business decisions they make about the value they expect to receive from their involvement with NBTA; it is not charity. However, precisely because the allied community receives high value from their financial support of NBTA, they have an interest in ensuring that the association continues to be a forum which delivers them value."
Rather than "simply make policy decisions based exclusively on the views of one segment of its membership," NBTA said it designed the proposal to improve overall decision-making. "Under this proposal, the diversity of perspectives brought to the table by directs is slightly reduced, while the range of perspectives brought to the table by allieds is significantly enhanced," the association wrote. "The downside of a slightly smaller voice for directs should be offset by the better decision-making that will result."
Fletcher today told Management.travelthat she and other NBTA leaders felt that the previous setup "was just not equitable and fair."
Regarding SGTP's unrelated but similar leadership restructuring, SGTP chair of bylaws and elections Chris Mize-McMillan was quoted in a press statement as saying, "The overall objective was to be more inclusive by opening up the board and officer positions to more members of the organization." The measure was unanimously approved by the board and won a vote among members.