Delray Beach, FL – March 18, 2013: Hickory Global Partners ("HICKORY"; www.HickoryTravel.com), announced today the appointment of Christopher J. Dane, CTIE, veteran travel industry executive, as president. Dane is well known for long service as a managing director at American Airlines, a founder and executive vice president of Vacation.com, and most recently president of HRG North America's Affiliate Program and HRG/Executive Travel Associates, divisions of the third largest travel management company in the world. Hickory is the newly re-launched corporate travel agency consortium that is leveraging data-driven, revenue management business methods to change the way the model delivers ROI for agency and supplier partners alike.
In the past Dane was president of the former Hickory Travel Systems, a Hickory legacy firm, but left that post over differences with ownership. INTRAVEL, a holding company of The Traina Companies, acquired the assets of the 40-year brand in April of 2011. A year later Dane was brought onboard as general manager to transition the newly rebooted shop from start-up to full operation.
"After 35 years of wrestling with distribution, I had a bold plan to re-engineer the old Hickory but at the time, the environment was ill-suited," said Dane. "Now that the obstacles are cleared, we are disrupting this space with technology-based strategies and innovative moves such as offering the only robust consortia air program and hotel incentive program, and a ground-breaking data consolidation and business intelligence product in collaboration with TRX. We are bringing measurement and accountability, and guaranteeing ROI. In the next few weeks and months expect more break-through announcements. My goal is to keep our members on the leading edge of change, to innovate, not imitate. I'll leave imitation to our competitors as they try to keep up."
"Partners maintain consortia relationships because they become a 'comfort zone' or 'club'. When I heard Chris' plan for revolutionizing the consortia model, I asked him to take over," said Joseph R. Traina, HICKORY chairman. "Chris has decades of experience with both agency and supplier perspective, and the command of technology and digital innovation necessary to change the vocabulary of this industry."
During more than three decades of travel industry experience, Dane has held influential executive positions in the airline, travel agency, tour operator and consortia markets, at both traditional and new economy businesses. He has contributed to strategic planning at companies such as TripAdvisor, Sabre and Cendant.
Before helping to form Vacation.com through the consolidation of seven other consortia, Dane spent over 22 years in the airline industry with American Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Eastern Airlines. He also led the largest field division at Sabre where he was responsible for sales, service, training, and operational functions.
Early in his career he developed agency-side perspective, including managing the largest commercial agency in Dallas-Ft. Worth.
Dane graduated from St. Louis University with a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. Dane earned his Certified Travel Consultant (CTC) from The Travel Institute in 1995 where he was also a member of its Board of Trustees from 1996-2002. He was the first person in the travel industry to earn the Certified Travel Industry Executive (CTIE) designation.
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About HICKORY (Hickory Global Partners, An INTRAVEL Company)
HICKORY - The ORIGINAL Business Travel Solution - is bringing a bottom-line business approach to consortia. Hickory is shifting the model, building a platform to eliminate the data challenges inherent in traditional consortia and focusing on innovative techniques in measurement, business intelligence, revenue management, and guaranteed ROI. Partner Agencies access the best negotiated rate hotel program, the only robust consortia air program and hotel incentive program, data consolidation and business intelligence products, and other break-through services designed to make their businesses more efficient and profitable. Supplier Partners benefit from measurable results and extensive distribution and marketing opportunities across the HICKORY global network. For more information on Hickory Global Partners, visit www.HickoryTravel.com.
