Call for Proposals: Academy of Management Specialized Conferences
In response to member appeals for additional professional development and scholarly exchange opportunities, the Academy of Management has committed to exploring new meeting possibilities by experimenting with alternate modes of delivery and identifying novel approaches for collaboration through smaller, regionally-based specialized conferences.
The Board of Governors, along with volunteers from across the Academy's divisions, interest groups and other leadership communities, have developed a long-term plan to provide a diverse portfolio of conference offerings that will allow members to connect and engage throughout the year, virtually and face to face, in varied locations that are reflective of the geographic dispersion of our international membership. Several new conference models are envisioned as part of this plan. In addition to these models, we expect new conference ideas that reflect the creative energy of our membership to emerge. The plan for realizing this vision for AOM conference activity is designed to continuously evolve as we experiment with new program structures, delivery modes, content features, and conference designs.
To get started, we imagine three types of specialized conferences that could fulfill our mission to connect people and ideas while also advancing our vision to inspire and enable a better world through our scholarship and teaching on management and organizations. With this call, we also aim to solicit proposals for conferences located outside of the U.S. that would serve at least 350 members. Proposed conference models include:
AOM Special Thematic Conferences
AOM Special Thematic Conferences focus on the deep exploration of interesting and relevant themes within and/or across specific management disciplines. These conferences are driven by highly innovative content and opportunities for connecting around thought-provoking topics that stimulate discovery and research. These programs focus on the deep exploration of interesting and relevant themes within and/or across specific management disciplines.
Special Thematic Conferences are envisioned to feature innovative content that bridges the interests of two or more divisions or interest groups. Original concepts that provide new and interesting opportunities to gather around focused themes or single management disciplines are also welcomed. Members are invited to collaboratively develop and co-create this proposed new conference model.
Conference Model At-A-Glance:
• Location: Outside of the U.S.
• Expected Attendance: 350-500
• Conference Development Timeline: 18-24 months
• Expected Program Duration: 2-4 Days
• Primary Delivery Mode: Face to Face
• Outputs: AOM Specialized Conference Proceedings
AOM Professional Development Conferences
AOM Professional Development Conferences are designed to provide members with skills and knowledge for both professional development and career advancement. These interactive conferences offer a high quality and high level learning experience that has significant positive impact on the professional growth and advancement of attendees. AOM PDCs offer a mix of creative and innovative elements that provide skills training and advanced learning on topics for continued advancement and immediate application.
Conference Model At-A-Glance:
• Location: Varied
• Expected Attendance: 350+
• Conference Development Timeline: 14-18 months
• Expected Program Duration: Varied, 2-5 Days
• Primary Delivery Mode: Face to Face (Hybrid, Virtual)
• Outputs: Media Components/Archived Resources/Teaching Resources or other Professional Development Materials
AOM Regional Immersion Conferences
AOM Regional Immersion Conferences provide an opportunity for the Academy’s global membership to deeply engage and explore local scholarship and regional phenomena in an interactive and intimate setting. These meetings are held in rich contextual environments, marked by highly innovative, experiential content that fosters deep intellectual discovery and mutual learning.
At the core of the AOM Regional Immersion Conference model are experiential learning journeys. Experiential learning and immersion activities embedded throughout the conference are designed to provide deep engagement opportunities and spark new scholarly discourse and exchange. In addition to experiential attributes, AOM RICs feature scholarly papers, symposia, and interactive workshops and may include a variety of other session types and events that encourage dialogue, stimulate new research and offer unique learning opportunities for members.
The best scholarly papers presented at AOM RICs will be published in the Academy of Management Specialized Conference Proceedings.
Conference Model At-A-Glance:
• Location: Outside of the U.S.
• Expected Attendance: 350-500
• Conference Development Timeline: 24+ months
• Expected Program Duration: 3-5 Days
• Primary Delivery Mode: Face to Face
• Outputs: AOM Specialized Conference Proceedings
The Academy of Management's Specialized Conferences Committee is currently inviting brief statements of interest from potential host institutions and local organizing committees for an AOM Specialized Conference to be held in 2021 or beyond.
The Specialized Conferences Committee will accept brief preliminary proposal forms on a rolling basis. The ideas that generate the most interest will advance to a second stage of development. The committee will then collaboratively work with these finalists to more fully develop final proposals.
Note: This call seeks ideas for conferences that would be located outside of the United States and that would serve at least 350 members. This call also offers suggested conference models, to get started. As the initiative builds, we expect other new conference ideas that reflect the creative energy of our membership to emerge. The plan for realizing this vision for AOM conference activity is designed to continuously evolve as we experiment with new program structures, delivery modes, content features, and conference designs.
SUBMIT A NEW CONFERENCE IDEA
Questions or Comments? Please contact the Board of Governors' Specialized Conferences Committee.
For more information, download Considerations for Hosting an AOM Specialized Conference
