Canada's Association of Retail Travel Agents (ARTA Canada) announced that the association's president, Bruce Bishins, CTC, will present a speech to airline and travel technology executives at the Open AXIS Group Strategy and Standards Forum to be held next week in Miami, Fla.

Bishins will be presenting the travel agency perspective on why new messaging and connectivity standards, including direct connect, are essential to giving travel agents wider access to the growing array of airline ancillary products and services -- key to increasing agency profitability and consumer satisfaction. Bishins will also focus on the importance of the industry's efforts to deploy Distribution 2.0, where booking work flows are enhanced by having traveler recognition and tailor-made offers available at the same time the itinerary and fare search begins.

Also presenting at the forum will be Keith Wallis, MBA, Air Canada's manager of distribution business development, who will provide the airline perspective, and Jim Young, executive director, Open AXIS Group, who will present the keynote address on the "State of the Union" of Distribution 2.0 and the new messaging standards.

"Travel agents have much to gain by expanding their booking toolkit with new and emerging technology which can bring a host of profitable and ever-increasing opportunities in serving the traveling public. ARTA Canada fully supports the Distribution 2.0 initiative -- one destined to improve the bottom line of our members," said Bishins. For more information, visit www.openaxisgroup.org.