President's Message
I hope you are having a great summer. Typically our industry slows down in summer, as most all vacations have been booked and your clients are now on their vacations.

WHAT IS NEW WITH OSSN?

By Gary M. Fee, OSSN President

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The NEW OSSN Allied and Host Agency listing section will soon allow both of these member categories to post their own listings and change their listing, offers, updates or destinations when they desire to do so. OSSN should have this new feature available by July 30th.

This month OSSN members voted on where the next 2006 Domestic HomeBased Agent Show would take place. The top two choices selected were San Diego, CA and Orlando, FL. OSSN will announce which city at the September 23rd, HomeBased Agent Show in Baltimore, MD. To register for the HOME-BASED AGENT show in Baltimore and receive the 2 for 1 rate by using code #3044 proceed to page: https://www.realtradeshows.com/
travelindustryshows/homebasedagentshow/
SecureReg.aspx

Starting the 1st of next month, OSSN members who desire to sell Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance and do not have your own state insurance license to do so will be able to sell excellent insurance under the OSSN license. This new program is in cooperation with TravelSafe Insurance and OSSN. A new registration page for agents who are interested is selling this type of full coverage and earn 25% commission will be up on the OSSN.com website shortly!

As mentioned in last months issue of the E-Agent Magazine, OSSN will be announcing information about a new E&O General Liability program coming into the travel industry marketplace. We are told that the new program is moving along very well as the new carrier establishes licensing in all 50 states. When OSSN is ready to make the announcement to members to start submitting enrollment forms, you will be the first to hear about it.

The TRUE program for sellers of travel to be identified as a commissionable entity by the supplier community continues to grow and prosper in our industry. The TRUE/ IATA based code shows suppliers that you have met the legal requirements in your state and have provided documentation to OSSN and IATA to prove that legal registrations have been met. With the ongoing issue of tens of thousands of “CLIA cards” over the last several years to very large agencies that have thousands of “agents” it soon may become even more of an issue as to what form of professional ID should be considered by suppliers for agent privileges.

John Hawks, ARTA President, will step down from position with ARTA on July 1st, 2005. OSSN is proud to announce that Mr. Hawks has taken a position with OSSN as Chief Editor for OSSN’s “Member News Update” and the OSSN monthly E-Agent Magazine. Mr. Hawks also is an author of other travel industry reference books that can be found on website: www.mytravelrights.com.

OSSN is now a member of The Travel Partnership Corporation (TTPC), a Washington D.C. non-profit corporation, to promote the addition to the Internet of a new sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) to be known as .travel. OSSN will announce when applications will be ready for members as soon as they are available.

Have A Great Summer!