Dear SECSA-CHRIE Members,
It was my pleasure to welcome all of you on behalf of SECSA-CHRIE board at this year 8th Annual SECSA-CHRIE conference hosted by Rosen College of Hospitality Management at University of Central Florida. This conference was the first in three years that we saw each other in person. I also would like to express our thanks to Dean Wang for his support and hospitality.
This year's theme, 'The Universal Magic of Hospitality,' was timely and current, reflecting the changes happening in our industry and academia. Over the course of two days, the conference offered an opportunity for all of us to get together where ideas exchange and collaborations started and hopefully will continue. We had the opportunity to witnessed 79 presentations (new record high), representing faculty from 29 institutions from the United States and Central and South America.
This year, we were fortunate to have some spectacular industry experts, keynote speakers, and panelists, sharing their knowledge and expertise with all of us. We were able to listen to Lee Cockerell, Executive VP (retired & inspired) at Walt Disney World Resort and Sarah King, Senior VP and Chief People and Diversity Officer at Darden Restaurants. We also had the pleasure of hearing from Duane Vinson, VP and Assistant Director for CoStar SHARE Center. This year, our fantastic industry panel discussed ‘Transforming the Post-Covid Hospitality Industry: What’s Next’ and one-of-a-kind research panel talked on the topic of ‘Trailblazing the Research Landscape Amid Global Societal Challenges’. We listen to an incredible Castell@College panel, inspiring women in hospitality.
I also want to congratulate to all winners of best paper awards. Best student-led award was sponsored by Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research (JHTR) and the winning paper was titled ‘Understanding Mindfulness: Is Covid-19 a social tipping point?’. Best work-in-progress paper was titled ‘Does “Personhood” of animals arouse empathy or reactance among restaurant consumers?’ and was awarded by Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Cases (JHTC). Lastly, best faculty-led paper was awarded to a study titled ‘LGBT-Friendly Hotels Motives and Customer Skepticism’, sponsored by the International Hospitality Review (IHR).
As a SECSA-CHRIE President, I want to also express my sincere gratitude to our generous sponsors (CoStar Group, University of South Carolina, University of South Florida, Auburn University, and The University of Memphis), whose support has been invaluable in making this year conference possible. Moreover, I would like to recognize SECSA-CHRIE Board. Without their hard work, dedication, and service, this conference would not have come to realization.
Finally, we would like to invite all of you to our 9th Annual SECSA-CHRIE conference which will be hosted by the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at University of South Carolina. We are looking forward seeing you all at USC!
Until next year!
Marketa Kubickova, Ph.D.
SECSA-CHRIE President
