ATLAS SIG Business Tourism Conference
Business Tourism and The New Normal
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
November 15-17, 2023
Introduction
A message from Rob Davidson, Visiting Fellow at the University of Greenwich and Managing Director of MICE Knowledge. (www.miceknowledge.com)
On behalf of the ATLAS Business Tourism Special Interest Group, it is my great pleasure to invite you to the 2023 ATLAS Business Tourism conference from 15 to 17 November 2023 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where our hosts will be MBO College Centrum, located in the historic heart of the city.
The ATLAS Business Tourism conference is an annual event, operating under the auspices of ATLAS, The Association for Tourism and Leisure Education and Research (www.atlas-euro.org). Since 2004, it has become the most important international annual forum for the exchange of ideas and the sharing of best practice in teaching and researching this subject. The theme of this year’s conference will be:
Business Tourism and The New Normal
In 2023, our world continues in a state of turbulence and transformation, shaken by the impacts of the global Covid pandemic and the consequences of an illegal war in Europe, as well as rapid and far-reaching changes in the technological, economic, demographic and social aspects of our lives.
Even as we enter a period of recovery from the most extreme impacts of the pandemic, business tourism has not returned to the pre-pandemic normal. Hybrid business events are a key characteristic of the New Normal. And business tourism destinations, venues and meeting planners are now obliged, more than ever, to demonstrate the value of the face-to-face experience in business events. Sustainability and the social legacy of business events have assumed greater significance. And the distinction between business tourism and leisure travel is fading as witnessed by the rise of ‘Bleisure’ worldwide.
Who should participate in the conference?
- Anyone teaching Meetings and Business Events (conferences, exhibitions, incentive travel)
- Anyone involved in research connected to these subjects
- Anyone studying these subjects
- Anyone working in the Meetings and Business Events industry who wishes to learn more about current education and research activities for this sector
- Anyone working in the Meetings and Business Events industry who wishes to communicate their views to educators and researchers specialising in this field.
Conference Themes
For this year’s ATLAS Business Tourism conference, we welcome papers focusing on any of these topics:
- Business tourism destination marketing
- The planning and design of business events
- The distribution networks for business events
- The design and operations of conference and exhibition venues
- Business tourism trends
- Co-operation between companies operating in the meetings and business events industry and educational institutions
- The role of business events in the marketing mix
- Service quality in the Business Tourism industry
- Sustainability in Business Tourism
- Technology for Business Tourism
- Business Tourism ethics
- Bleisure
- Examples of original initiatives in the field of teaching or researching meetings and business events or examples of co-operation between employers and educational institutions.
Abstract Submission
All abstracts will be subject to double-blind review by members of the scientific committee. Acceptance of a submission will be based on: theoretical and empirical significance; methodological soundness; relevance to the theme of the conference and logical clarity. The official language of the conference is English. The date for submitting abstracts is October 8th, 2023. Abstracts should have between max. 350 words. The title should be no more than 12 words.
Abstracts should be submitted to ATLAS by using this form.
Keynote Speakers
Amber Herrewijn
Amber Herrewijn teaches Event Management in the Master’s program International Leisure, Tourism & Events Management at NHLStenden University. Following the design-based philosophy of her university, Amber cooperates with local festivals to work on innovative prototype developments. Her interest in circularity & sustainability leads to collaborative research on nudging visitors towards sustainable behaviour. She is a capacity builder and researcher of the newly launched EU project BEFuture which aims to connect change makers in the MICE industry who can lift the industry towards a sustainable and digital future.
Dušan Borovcanin
Dr. Dušan Borovcanin is the CEO of the Serbia Convention Bureau (Tourism Organisation of Serbia) and the Vice dean at the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Singidunum University in Belgrade. In 2022 he was elected as the visiting professor at the University of Strasbourg, EM Business School in France. He served as a project manager in the bid dossier preparation of the successful EXPO 2027 Belgradecandidacy. Dusan received “The meeting star” award as the most influential destination representative by Kongress Magazine in 2021 and most influential individual in 2022. As a professor, he is currently serving as a member of the editorial board for the SCOPUS-indexed journal “Academica Turistica – Tourism and Innovation journal” and “International Journal of Business Events and Legacies”. His professional background includes working for some of the largest hotel chains and a regional hotel management company. He speaks fluently French, English, and Italian. Dusan is passionate about education and research, tourism and business events industry and sports. He is a proud marathon finisher and a recreational tennis player.
Adem Braco Suljić
Based in Zagreb, Croatia, Adem Braco Suljic has spent his entire life immersed in the world of Business Events. Starting as a helping hand at his father’s company during his studies in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he has been actively involved in every aspect of the international MICE industry. His roles quickly developed from basic to executive ones. He has organised and managed meetings with over 20,000 participants, taken part in the development of different meeting infrastructure projects on three continents, and has been deeply involved in technology for the meetings industry.
Since 2016 Braco’s main focus has been with MICE Destination Marketing as well as on the development of a specific implementation method of sustainability processes in MICE destinations and special venues. He is eager to learn and adopt new knowledge and practices and to share his experience with colleagues and the business events community. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and enthusiastic about improvement and progress in the MICE sector. Barco is fluent in English and Spanish and is the proud father of two. In his free time, he is passionate about sailing and gastronomy.
Scientific Committee
Organizing Committee
- Bart Antonissen – Amsterdam Convention Bureau by amsterdam&partners, Netherlands
- Rob Davidson – MICE Knowledge, UK
- Jolijn Ursem – ROC van Amsterdam, Netherlands
International Scientific Committee
- Monica Birkle – HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences, Finland
- Rob Davidson – MICE Knowledge, UK
- Amber Herrewijn – NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands
- Vanja Pavlukovic – University of Novi Sad, Serbia
Student Event
Business Events Leaders of Tomorrow
Within the program of the ATLAS SIG Business Tourism Conference, on Thursday November 16th, there will be a special student event, Business Events Leaders of Tomorrow, which is open to bachelor or masters students at any university. Students may participate in this event either as a member of a class group as part of their curriculum, or as an individual.
The program of the Business Events Leaders of Tomorrow event has been specially designed for students who are interested in a future career in business events, such as conference planning or working in a meetings venue. It will include:
- An inspiring keynote presentation from one of Europe’s most successful young professionals in business events.
- A student competition: a group challenge based on creating a strategy to win a major conference.
- Lunch
- Student workshops led by experienced business events professionals offering insights and advice on how to succeed in a career in this industry.
- A guided visit to Beurs van Berlage (NOT CONFIRMED), one of Amsterdam’s most exciting meeting places, right in the heart of the city.
- The opportunity to network with business events leaders of today.
Speakers at student event
Jade Krul
- EVENT SPECIALIST
- BUSINESS RELATIONS
- STRATEGY AND CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
Enthusiasm abounds within Jade, she always has an eye on the bigger picture and her main goal is making sure our clients expectations are surpassed. Her 20 years’ experience in the hospitality and event industry embodies the innovative beating heart of EVE-events. She is still every bit as involved in the running of this company today as she was in running her own restaurant; pouring her creativity and attention to detail into every event she produces.
EVE-events
We are specialized in organizing tailormade Corporate Events. We offer an inclusive service with one contact person at your disposal every step of the way from the planning to the realization of your event. In our experience this ensures no details will be lost in the process of delegation and guarantees our production of an unforgettable experience for our clients. Because the difference is often hidden in the details!
Willy Cortus
After having worked as a Data Researcher for an association in the meetings industry (International Congress and Convention Association -ICCA-) for many years, Willy moved to ‘the other side’ and started in 2021 as an Account Manager at the Amsterdam Convention Bureau, supporting associations and their events. Now, as Data Analyst Congresses, she is back to her beloved research and is currently mapping the main ecosystems in the city. Other tasks are proactively connecting with associations and meeting planners who organize conferences that could strengthen these ecosystems, finding the right method for event evaluations and for measuring event impact.
Adem Braco Suljić
Based in Zagreb, Croatia, Adem Braco Suljic has spent his entire life immersed in the world of Business Events. Starting as a helping hand at his father’s company during his studies in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he has been actively involved in every aspect of the international MICE industry. His roles quickly developed from basic to executive ones. He has organised and managed meetings with over 20,000 participants, taken part in the development of different meeting infrastructure projects on three continents, and has been deeply involved in technology for the meetings industry.
Since 2016 Braco’s main focus has been with MICE Destination Marketing as well as on the development of a specific implementation method of sustainability processes in MICE destinations and special venues. He is eager to learn and adopt new knowledge and practices and to share his experience with colleagues and the business events community. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and enthusiastic about improvement and progress in the MICE sector. Barco is fluent in English and Spanish and is the proud father of two. In his free time, he is passionate about sailing and gastronomy.
Details
The costs for participating in the Business Events Leaders of Tomorrow event is EURO 25 per person.Lunch is not included
You will need to hand over prove that you are a bachelor or master student.
Please contact the ATLAS office if you need more information on this student event at admin@atlas-euro.org.
You can register for the event by making use of this form.
Scholarship
The Amsterdam Convention Bureau considers education in the field of business tourism to be very important and sees the importance of investing in new talent in this industry. That is why they are happy to offer 5 students from European universities scholarships the opportunity to participate in this conference for free.
The maximum amount of the scholarship is EURO 500, which should be used towards the cost of the participation fee (EURO 160 or 210), travel to Amsterdam and accommodation during the event.
Any student currently following a relevant Bachelor, Masters or PhD programme of study with a specific interest in business tourism / business events / MICE can apply for the scholarship. This interest is best demonstrated by the student’s choice of a business tourism / business events / MICE topic for their dissertation/thesis.
Interested applicants should submit a 500-word abstract on the topic of their dissertation/thesis to ATLAS by using this form, together with a signed letter from his/her supervisor confirming the topic and a copy of their student card to prove their identity. Please send the documents to admin@atlas-euro.org. All of these documents must be sent before 8 September 2023.
Successful applicants will be asked to present their research in one of the workshops during the event in Amsterdam.
All applications for these scholarships will be reviewed by the ATLAS Scientific Committee and the successful candidates will be informed in early September of this year.
Conference Organisers
MBO College, ROC van Amsterdam, Centered in Amsterdam
Leader in the way of Hospitality Education
MBO College Centrum is renown and leading the way in educating students in the fields of Hospitality, Business Events, HORECA, Bakery, Tourism & Recreation, providing professional education, and often working in close cooperation with Business Partners within these different fields.
Be welcomed
Wonderful to know is that all of the characteristic school buildings are located close together in the heart of Amsterdam. Come discover the dynamic world of Tourism & Recreation aswel as the artisanal craftsmanship of the Bread & Banquet studies. Our talented students provide professional service and delicious food in our restaurants named the Elements, Warmoes and Brasserie Rocks. You are welcome to come and enjoy the ambience and variety of food products prepared there. An interesting fact is, that many Top Chefs started their careers here! The Horeca and Hotelschool of MBO College Centrum, are also renown for the quality they provide.
https://www.rocva.nl/Over-het-ROCvA/Over-rocva
Sponsor / Partner
Amsterdam Convention Bureau by amsterdam&partners
Amsterdam
Amsterdam, the capital city of The Netherlands, is a compact city where this event is complemented with a world-class cultural scene and 750 years of history to discover. The city is packed with top restaurants, internationally renowned museums, cultural attractions, and countless things to see and do.
Excellent transport connections by road, rail, air and sea make the city easy to reach, with the city centre just a 15-minutes ride away from the airport by public transport. Plus, Amsterdam’s compactness makes for short travel times between venues, hotels and nearby restaurants.
https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/conventions/entertainment-for-delegates/incentive-ideas
Conference packages
| ATLAS members | Non-members | |
Participants
| € 235 | € 285 |
Doctoral students
| € 160 | € 210 |
Students Thursday November 16th 2023 ONLY
| € 25 | € 25 |
Optional Conference dinner
| € 75 | € 75 |
Cancellation policy
If written cancellation is received before November 1st 2023 a refund of all meeting fees will be made, minus an administration fee of € 50. No refund will be possible after November 1st 2023, but substitute delegates can be nominated.
Contact
- Contact
- Please contact: e-mail admin@atlas-euro.org.
- Registration
- Submit this form to register for the conference.
- Abstract submission form
- Submit this form to submit an abstract for the conference.