Chartering a New Workgroup

Any HTNG member in good standing, or any group of HTNG members, may propose a new workgroup.  Workgroup proposals should generally follow the format used in the charters of existing workgroups, but initial submissions may be in the form of a rough draft for discussion purposes.  For workgroups chartered within an HTNG Special Interest Group, the member(s) must be members in good standing of that Special Interest Group. 

Charter Approval and Workgroup Governance

The HTNG board (or, in the case of Special Interest Groups, the Executive Committee of the Special Interest Group) will evaluate each workgroup proposal and, if it is deemed credible, will appoint a governing subcommittee consisting of one or more HTNG board members, executives, or advisors.  The subcommittee is responsible for negotiating and approving the group's charter and for overseeing the selection process and performance of the workgroup.

The HTNG board will prioritize proposed workgroup efforts according to available financial and management resources.  The board may consider any factors it deems relevant in prioritizing proposed workgroups, including the breadth and magnitude of anticipated benefit, the level of interest expressed by existing members, the potential for rapid deliverable of meaningful results, and any available sponsorship funding.

Eligibility

Participation in HTNG workgroups is open to (a) companies that hold Corporate memberships in HTNG (and in the chartering Special Interest Group, if any); (b) hospitality companies who have at least one employee who holds a Regular Individual membership in HTNG (and in the chartering Special Interest Group, if any); and (c) individual consultants and companies with fewer than 5 employees, where the consultant or at least one employee holds an Individual Industry Partner membership.  Allied members may also participate on a non-voting basis. 

Applicants’ HTNG membership dues (and Special Interest Group assessments, if applicable) must be fully paid at the date of application, and other accounts with HTNG (whether for the member company itself or for any of its current or former appointed or registered participants for HTNG activities), must be no more than 30 days past due.  Applications received from non-members and members whose dues are not current or whose other accounts are more than 30 days past due will not be considered to have been received until all amounts owed have been paid in full, and funds (or pending credit thereof) have been received and verified by HTNG.

Initial Participants

The HTNG member(s) who propose(s) a workgroup may designate, subject to approval of the governing subcommittee, additional HTNG members which, together with the proposers, become the workgroup's initial participants.  The intent of named Initial Participants is to help ensure that a workgroup can achieve critical mass through the presence of a group of customers and vendors already committed to cooperating with each other to address the problem set identified by the workgroup charter.  Initial participants are announced when the workgroup is first publicized to HTNG members and the general public.

Initial participants may, but need not, include one or more financial sponsorships.  Financial sponsorships are eligible for permanent recognition on workgroup deliverables as determined by the HTNG board subcommittee overseeing the workgroup.

Applications to Participate in Workgroups

New Workgroups

An application timetable will be announced when the workgroup is publicized.  All companies applying prior to the deadline will be eligible to become initial voting members of the workgroup, subject to payment of any applicable fees.  The application form is available on the HTNG website at

Existing Workgroups

Applications to join EXISTING workgroups are subject to the policies established by each workgroup.  In each case, an application form is submitted, and admission requires a majority vote of the current voting members of the workgroup.  Some workgroups impose additional restrictions.

Workgroup Participation Fees

A nominal fee will be assessed to each participating company and independent consultant in each workgroup, to defray expenses associated with meeting rooms and catering.  Additional fees may apply to companies that send multiple participants to face-to-face meetings, and credits are available based on factors such as contribution of meeting facilities or catering and distance traveled.

The current fees and policies can be found at www.htng.org/workgroups/common/fees.htm. 

Self-Governance

Each workgroup may set policies, which must be nondiscriminatory within any class of HTNG members, for qualification of new members, disqualification of existing members, provisional memberships, and similar items.

Miscellaneous

By applying to participate in a workgroup, you agree to be bound by these policies.

Issues or objections to charter or workgroup formation process will be settled by the governing subcommittee.  The subcommittee is authorized to speak on behalf of the HTNG board and membership.

These rules may be changed by HTNG at any time.  The rules in effect at the time your application is submitted will govern your application.

Version History

Version 1.0 - 14 July 2004

Version 1.1 - 24 September 2004

Version 1.2 - 2 December 2004

Version 1.3 - 29 September 2005

Version 1.4 - 06 February 2006

Version 1.5 - 02 August 2006

Version 1.6 - 08 February 2007

Version 1.7 - 27 March 2007