World Travel Market banned the press this week from a session entitled 'Get The Latest From Google Travel'. Thanks...
Luckily we had a man on the inside willing to tell us about it (as he did before) - so handing over to Alex Bainbridge of Travel UCD.....
As part of the WTM08 conference yesterday, I took part in a panel discussion with Google UK's travel industry head, James van Thiel.
In response to yesterday's question about what Google were going to do about the growing problem James replied that there was little they could do - after all the advertising system is a marketplace.
Previously Google have stated that in Q1 2008 there was 20% CPC bid price inflation.
I understand Google's point that, as the marketplace controllers, there is little they can change in order to bring bid prices down.
I disagree - I believe not only are there actions they can take but they must take them. Increasing supply by getting Expedia on board as an advertising publisher is a good start but more travel websites need to be incentivised to follow.
If Google fails to act to curb bid price inflation then those distribution companies that are out there looking for 25% plus distribution fees - which currently look expensive - suddenly become much more attractive.
Come on Google. As travel suppliers we much prefer the open marketplace approach vs other travel distribution systems that have technical or commercial barriers to entry.
We need you to succeed - and to do that - we need you to curb bid price inflation.
Alex Bainbridge is managing director of Travel UCD and author of the Musings on Travel Ecommerce blog.
:)
Don't worry - two TV crews (press presumably) recorded the entire session..... so I expect the truth will out in the end
So if those crews were not Travel Weekly TV, and they weren't from Reed - who were they? A mystery.
All of the videos from the seminars are going to be on the WTM website I understand. I think they had a film crew in all of the seminars this week.