Our blogs have been a bit quiet of late but we’re pleased to say that’s due to how busy we’ve been in the venue! The last few months have seen us return to face to face events with a vengeance which the team has very much welcomed after our prolonged closure. It’s been so wonderful to see delegates come back together with smiling faces, creating a real buzz in the building once again!
We’ve been reflecting on the busy summer months and one such conference where happy faces were in abundance was at the 12th AMA SERVSIG conference which we welcomed at the start of June for their first face to face conference since 2019. With nearly 270 delegates in attendance from 28 different countries, including 36 delegates participating in live stream presentations, the service research community certainly came together in droves!
The conference themes focused on ‘reconnect, rejuvenate and reshape’ which couldn’t have been more apt in recent times, resulting in 270 submissions across 11 tracks. This was one of the first conferences where we provided supported with abstract submissions through our Conference Management Services (CMS) so we were delighted the themes resonated with so many people!
The conference kicked off with registration at the Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC), which our Conference Services Manager looked after in the lead up to the conference as part of our CMS offering, followed by a welcome reception hosted by the City of Glasgow, where attendees enjoyed a lovely evening in the splendid Merchants House reconnecting with academic friends old and new.
The first full day of the conference began with a keynote by Professor Steve Vargo of the University of Mānoa, Hawaii which was livestreamed in the Auditorium to allow remote attendees to enjoy the address titled “From goods-services distinctions to service ecosystems: A journey and prologue”. Thanks to a conference app, provided as part of our CMS, remote delegates were able to join a live Q&A with all attendees keeping up to speed with conference proceedings and last minute agenda updates.
The day closed with a hugely significant plenary session chaired by Professor Ray Fisk looking at the crucial work of Servcollab and, specifically, their vital work around refugees. The panel offered both a humbling and inspiring insight into the service work around supporting refugees.
Day 2 finished with a marvellous awards dinner at the breathtaking Old Fruitmarketwhere the best papers were awarded in Oscar night fashion!
Following a day of fascinating special sessions, day 3 closed with the now traditional SERVSIG ‘fun’ networking reception at the Glasgow Science Centre, where delegates enjoyed some great food and drink including an ‘interactive cheesecake’ and enjoyed playing with the various exhibits and displays.
Check out what Dr Matthew Alexander, Reader in the Department of Marketing at the University of Strathclyde and member of the 12th AMA SERVSIG Conference Committee said in this lovely testimonial specifically about our CMS:
“Running a conference is an enormous amount of work for what can be a pretty short duration and it requires a skill set that a lot of academics don’t have so this is where having support is really important particularly when looking at the management of abstracts, creating a conference website and also managing the registrations. It brought us a lot of confidence knowing that we had a service in-house to provide us with this support. It takes a huge amount off your shoulders and allows you to perhaps get more involved in the fun aspects of the programme. The Technology and Innovation Centre was a brilliant venue and one consistent theme from delegates was how well organised the conference was.”
If you’re a member of staff and keen to find out more about our Conference Management Service then why not check out our new SharePoint site which can help with your event planning. If you’re keen to host an event and want to find out more (we’re open to everyone for events!), then we’d love to hear from you!