Rearden Signs WorldTravel As First Distribution Partner

Rearden Commerce and WorldTravel BTI Wednesday announced that they have entered into a broad-based sales, marketing and deployment partnership. The alliance, which is not exclusive, would place WorldTravel's preferred suppliers' content on Rearden's policy-driven sourcing platform, encompassing online booking capabilities and procurement services.

"The idea of looking at a portal for more than just travel may push other players to get into a more procurement-driven role as well," said Norm Rose, president of Travel Tech Consulting.

Partnership talks began about six months ago, after three WorldTravel clients—GlaxoSmithKline, Hewlett-Packard and Whirlpool—decided to test Rearden's product. Three weeks ago, Whirlpool became the first company to fully deploy the product.

WorldTravel BTI and Rearden have a target list of 10-15 additional joint clients. Meanwhile, Rearden is looking to sign more distribution partners. "I don't think we'll sign that many big travel management companies," said Tony D'Astolfo, vice president of travel services at Rearden. "WorldTravel has customers all over the place, and that's a very valuable part of the enterprise. What I'd like to do is complement that with a number of regionals for the small and the mid-markets. We're still developing our strategy, but we expect to have our ecosystem built out in a pretty significant way."

Tom Lacny, WorldTravel BTI senior vice president of global markets, said the partnership reflects procurement departments' demand for fewer and more integrated suppliers in order to better optimize and manage sales. "What we found is that procurement audiences—particularly in the large market—are looking for a broader integration of suppliers, more of a one-stop shopping rationale," he said.

Procurement is involved in at least half of the travel buying decisions WorldTravel clients make today, Lacny added. "It's often the procurement influence—though it may not be the direct decision maker—that becomes part of the team and becomes integral to the decision process," Lacny said.