Committee, Council, and Task Force Expectations and Responsibilities 


Objective: 

This document is designed to give Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs, Committee Members, Task Force Chairs, and Task Force Members an overview of expectations and responsibilities.

 

1.  Definition

 

Committee:

  • A permanent group whose members rotate on and off in two-year staggered cycles, or at the discretion of the GBTA President & CEO.
  • Committees consider broad industry issues relating to hotel, automation, aviation, etc.
  • Funding/support is designated in each annual budget until the committee is eliminated or its purpose changes.  All expenses need to be cleared with GBTA Committee Liaisons.
  • Committees are of the size that sub-committees are possible for multiple projects and goals.
  • Committees should be prepared to present their project work during the annual convention.
  • Committees should be comprised of a minimum of 51 percent direct members.

 

Task Force:

  • A temporary group selected to complete a specific project.
  • A Task Force is created for a one-year term and may be renewed beyond one year at the discretion of the GBTA President & CEO.
  • Funding/support is for one year.  A task force may be extended or may be converted to a committee subject to approval by the GBTA Board of Directors.
  • Results should be ready for presentation at the annual convention, where appropriate.
  • Task forces should be comprised of a minimum of 51 percent direct members.

 

2.  Scope

Committee’s Functions:

  •  Advisory in nature, lending expertise and support to the association’s programs and operations.
  • Designed to provide members with an opportunity to be involved in their areas of special interest.
  • Focused on projects or issues, which apply to members and augment the association’s operations.

 
Operational Guidelines:

  •  The GBTA President & CEO, in conjunction with the GBTA Executive Director & COO, appoints Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs.
  • Committees receive funding for meetings and or special projects through the budgeting process.
  • In line with GBTA policies, travel expenses are reserved for the Committee Chair or Co-Chairs; however a Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chair can allocate their funds to another person or function.
  • Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs can appoint members, subject to approval of the GBTA President & CEO.  In some Committees, membership is nominated and voted on by committee members.  GBTA must be apprised and approval all potential new members prior to the delivery of the invitation to join the committee.
  • Committees should function according to a definitive work plan, and Committee work should reflect GBTA’s overall mission and strategic plan.
  • GBTA’s education unit must approve presentations by the Committees at the annual convention.
  • Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs are not empowered to create any contractual or financial obligations that bind the association.
  • Committees are required to avoid all conflicts of interest and anti-competitive behavior.
  • Committees must avoid solicitations for sponsorship.
  • Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs and Committee Members are not empowered to represent the association with the media, unless cleared by the GBTA Communications department.
  • Work and products created by the volunteer committees are appropriately labeled as GBTA’s and are not co-branded, unless specific approval is secured from the GBTA President & CEO and/or the GBTA Executive Director & COO.
  • All White Papers and/or statements of policy must be approved by GBTA prior to being released.  The GBTA Committee Liaison will advise once complete.
  • Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs must maintain confidentiality of all discussions relating to services, products, projects, and planning of the association, and ensure that Committee Members do the same.
  • GBTA Committee Liaisons must be present at all official Committee meetings.

 

3.  GBTA's Expectations of Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs

Committee and Task Force Chairman and/or Co-Chairs are expected to:

  •  Manage within the annual budget provided by GBTA.
  • At this first meeting, Committees should create a budget for the following year.
  • At the first meeting following convention, Committees should outline their goals and objectives for the following calendar year including any deliverables and dates if possible.  A Committee must complete a minimum of five projects per year (see guidelines below).
  • Plan a tentative calendar of meetings and conference calls at least six months in advance with confirmation of meetings 30 days in advance.
  • Plan the meeting or call agenda.
  • Send an email notification to all Committee/Task Force Members of pending meetings or conference calls.
  • Assign a member of the Committee to take minutes for each meeting or conference call (this may rotate within the Committee).  All minutes should be sent via email to the GBTA Committee Liaison at GBTA headquarters within two weeks of the meeting or conference call.
  • Liaise with the GBTA Board Liaison and the GBTA Committee Liaison on a regular basis.
  • Ability to speak to the press on behalf of the Committee and Committee projects.
  • Manage the ratio of direct and allied members.  If there is a change in a Committee Member’s status, the Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs must re-evaluate the Committee balance and take action accordingly.

 

New Chairman and/or Co-Chairs will be provided with orientation by the GBTA Board Liaison.

 

4.  Length and Definition of Term, Transition Dates

Term:  Each member of a Committee shall serve for two years at the pleasure of the GBTA President & CEO and until his/her successor is appointed with transition dates marked by GBTA's annual convention, with the following exceptions:

 

1) the Committee shall be terminated sooner;
2) such member be removed from such Committee;
3) such member shall cease to qualify as a member thereof;
4) the GBTA President & CEO shall deem such member to continue serving on the Committee for an additional year or second term;
5) If a member is added-mid year, the term would be for two full years and extended to expire at the close of the next convention in that year (for example, members added in January 2007 will expire at the close of convention in 2009).

 

Succession:  The GBTA President & CEO, in consultation with the Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs, shall appoint successors to outgoing committee members based on qualifications and membership status.

 

Chairman:  The GBTA President & CEO shall appoint the Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs.  The Chairman and/or Co-Chairs shall serve a two year term unless removed as Chairman and/or Co-Chairs by the GBTA President & CEO or until his or her successors are appointed and qualified. Chairman and/or Co-Chairs must be a direct member of GBTA.  In lieu of appointing Co-Chairs, the GBTA President & CEO may appoint a Chairman and a Vice Chairman, with the Vice Chairman being an allied member.

 

GBTA Committee Liaison:  The Committee Liaison is the Committee’s single point of contact with GBTA.  He/she should be kept apprised of potential new members, co-ordinates with the Committee on scheduled meetings, receives copies of all committee correspondence, be in attendance at all committee meetings, and should respond to committee inquiries within 48 hours.

 

Removal:  The Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs, in consultation with the GBTA President & CEO, can remove a Committee Member from office prior to the expiration of the term for which that committee member has been appointed.

 
Change of Job:  If a committee member has a job change but is still within the travel industry, the member may remain on the Committee until completion of the term.  If a committee member has a job change outside of the travel industry, the member may remain on the Committee at the discretion of the Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs.

 

Loss of Job:  In the event that a Committee member loses his/her job, the member may remain on the committee for 90 days from the date of his/her termination.

 

Multiple Members on a Committee from the same company:  There shall be only one member per company per Committee.   If this occurs due to a job change, the affected Committee Members and the Chairman and/or Co-Chairs have 90 days to determine which member will remain on the Committee.

 

5.  Expectations of Committee Members

 

The ideal committee member:

  • Is an active member of GBTA
  • Has the support of their employer
  • Is willing to commit time
  • Is knowledgeable in the selected field
  • Contributes, takes ownership of tasks delegated
  • Is a team player
  • Has a positive attitude
  • Listens
  • Honors rules, regulations, and procedures
  • Fulfills responsibilities and assignments
  • Is empathetic, tolerant
  • Has personal and professional goals and principles
  • Represents the Association in a professional and dignified manner at all time

All committee members are required to sign and return the GBTA Confidentiality Agreement to the address listed below.

 

Committee Membership:  Committee membership is appointed to a person, not a company.

 

Committee Resignation:  Members choosing to resign from his/her position are encouraged to send a written notification to the Chairman and/or Co-Chairs and GBTA Committee Liaison.

 

6.  Grounds for Dismissal from the Committee

Attendance at meetings is mandatory.  If a member misses two meetings in a row or three meetings total, it is at the discretion of the Chair/Co-Chairs to remove that member from the Committee.  Conference calls are considered a regularly scheduled meeting.  Absence will be counted towards dismissal.  Corporate substitutes will not be accepted.  Teleconference is not considered acceptable attendance for a scheduled “in-person” meeting for Committee members residing within North America.  At the discretion of the Committee Chair/Co-Chairs, Committee members residing outside North America may be allowed to participate in "in person" meetings via conference call or video conferencing, except for any Committee meeting held in conjunction with the GBTA Convention.

 

Note:  In light of current economic crisis, at the discretion of the Chair/Co-Chair, the preceding provision may be temporarily extended to include Committee members residing within North America.  This extension shall be in effect until through the 2010 GBTA Convention.

 

7.  Scheduled Meetings

 

It is recommended that each Committee/Task Force/Council should meet three to four times a year.  Meetings should be planned at least 30 days in advance. It is recommended that two of the meetings should be in person and the other two should be through other means of communication such as teleconference or web conference. At least one of the off-site meetings per year must be held at GBTA’s headquarters. Meetings should be coordinated with the GBTA Committee Liaison in order to ensure the most cost effective meetings.  Suggested options for meeting locations:

 

-  Committee member’s corporate offices local conference rooms
-  GBTA headquarters
-  Airport locations

 

  • All meetings will have an appointed note taker. Notes must be on the approved GBTA template. Notes must be brief, outlining date, time, place and attendees, agenda subject and brief outcome.  Any actions must be noted with name of person responsible. Provide information on the time and place of next meeting.
  • Meetings will end with a review of notes and meeting achievements. Note taker must send minutes to committee Chair and/or Co-Chair within two weeks of meeting.  ommittee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs will distribute to committee membership and GBTA Committee Liaison.
  • All meetings will consist of a review of prior meeting actions to ensure follow up action was taken.
  • Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs act as a facilitator and are the liaison with GBTA.
  • Committee members are expected to pay airfare and hotel expenses to attend meetings.

 

8.  Guidelines for Requesting Committee Funds

 

GBTA allocates a small amount of funds to its Committees on a yearly basis. Committees requesting additional funds from GBTA should use the following as a guideline:

  • The request should clearly indicate what funds are needed and their purpose.
  • The request with explanation should be submitted to the GBTA Committee Liaison.
  • The request must be approved by the GBTA Executive Director & COO (or the GBTA President & CEO) and the Committee Chairman and/or Co-Chairs will be informed of approval.

 

9.  Copyright Assignment

 

As a member of the GBTA Committee, Council, or Task Force (the “Committee”) that assists GBTA staff members and others in the development, modification, and refinement of business travel related materials, papers, brochures, educational pieces, or any other originally created work by the Committee for its (collectively, the “Intellectual Property), I hereby completely, exclusively, and irrevocably assign and agree to assign to GBTA in perpetuity ownership of all of the copyrights (and all rights subsumed thereunder) in and to all of my contributions to the Intellectual Property (the “Contributions”), both those Contributions that have been made in the past and those that will be made in the future.  I hereby grant, convey, assign, and set over unto GBTA, its successors and assigns, on an exclusive basis, all of my right, title and interest in and to the copyrights in the Contributions, including, without limitation, copyrights and renewals and/or extensions thereof, for all territories of the world in perpetuity.  Good and valuable consideration has been provided to me for the assignment of these rights.  I also waive any and all rights of attribution and integrity with respect to GBTA’s use of the Contributions.

 

In addition, I hereby represent and warrant to GBTA that the Contributions are my own original work; that I am the sole owner of the Contributions and all of the rights herein granted; that I have the full right and power to make this assignment; that the Contributions do not violate any copyright, proprietary, or personal rights of others; that the Contributions are factually accurate and contain no matter libelous, slanderous, or otherwise unlawful; that I have not previously disposed of any of the rights herein granted to GBTA nor previously granted any rights adverse thereto or inconsistent therewith; and that there are no rights outstanding which would diminish, encumber, or impair the full enjoyment or exercise of the rights herein granted to GBTA.

 

Note:  All exceptions to this document must be approved by the GBTA President & CEO.

My signature on this document is confirmation that I have read and understand the expectations and responsibilities as defined above.

 

Printed Name:  ______________________________

Signature:  __________________________________

Committee:  _________________________________

Date:  ______________________________________

 

Retain one copy for your records and return original signed document to: 

 

Sallie Dietz

Global Business Travel Association
123 North Pitt Street
Alexandria, VA  22314 

 

 
Guidelines:  GBTA Committee Checklist of Projects

Committees must complete a minimum of five projects on an annual basis (convention year).  The following are examples of suggested projects. Committees are encouraged to devise creative ways, other than those listed, to provide resources and education to the corporate travel industry:

 

• White Papers
• Industry Documents
• Policy Guidelines
• Request for Proposal (RFP) documents
• NetSmart Sessions
• Convention Sessions (multiple presentations of the same session count as one project)
• CCTE Training Courses
• Inclusions in one or more GBTA publications (GBTA Business Travel Quarterly, GBTA Daily News Brief, etc.)
• Committee Specific Survey
• GBTA Chapter Presentations (multiple Chapter presentations are counted as one project)
• Presentation at an GBTA domestic or international event

Note: GBTA Task Forces and Councils are not subject to the same project guidelines as GBTA Committees.