Virtual conference provides new forum for hospitality grad student research

The 2006 International Hospitality and Tourism Virtual Conference, which will be held May 22-26, provides a place for graduate students to present and discuss research ideas with an intercontinental audience of students and faculty from other hospitality and tourism programs. This is the third annual virtual conference.

This year the conference will include contributions and exchanges from graduate students and faculty from Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland; and Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, as well as Purdue.

"It's a new form of communication in this field of study," said Sheryl Kline, assistant professor of hospitality and tourism management. "It benefits graduate students because they gain professional and presentation experience, and they have an international audience for their research."

Prior to the International Hospitality and Tourism Virtual Conference, graduate students in the field did not have a venue for their research other than to submit it to an academic journal for publication or attend a traditional conference. Quite often the cost of attending a research conference is out of reach of the typical graduate student's budget. The virtual conference has no registration fee and travel is not required, so all graduate students can afford to participate.

Kline and Stephen Taylor, a lecturer in hospitality and hotel management at Strathclyde University, came up with the idea for the conference as a way for graduate students to get real academic-world feedback on research and new ideas in hospitality and tourism.

There are other advantages to a virtual conference. All participants need to attend the conference is computer and Internet access. The conference is free as sessions can be observed in a classroom setting or from the comfort of one's own home. And friends and family can hear and see the presentations, something that isn't generally feasible with the standard, on-location academic conferences.

"As a graduate student, I would not be able to afford going to an international conference on an annual basis," said Carol Kalkstein-Silkes, a doctoral candidate who presented her research paper, "Benchmarking Capstone Food Service Courses in Hospitality Education Programs," last year. "I have participated in the virtual conference every year. The feedback I received helped guide the work in process on my project or gave me an angle for future research opportunities."

Conference attendees do have to make adjustments to different time zones. For example, a noon presentation in Indiana takes place at midnight in Hong Kong, 5 p.m. in Scotland and at 1 a.m. in Australia. However, presentations are available online, and conference attendees can log in and listen and comment at their convenience.

Kline is first targeting university hospitality and tourism programs in countries where English is a common language. As the conference grows each year, Kline hopes to be able to accommodate more languages for conference presenters and attendees.

The Purdue Department of Hospitality and Tourism offers undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree programs. The department also features three state-of-the-art research centers: the Center for Lodging Operations for research related to all types of lodging operations; the Purdue Tourism and Hospitality Research Center that provides hands-on research opportunities; and the Arthur Avery Foodservice Research Laboratory for food-service research, which also supports a full-service restaurant and cafeteria.

The Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education in December 2002 ranked Purdue's hospitality and tourism management undergraduate program No. 1 nationally.

Writers: Kiersti Kjonaas, (765) 494-2081, kkjonaasd@purdue.edu; Mike Lillich, (765) 494-2077, mlillich@purdue.edu

Sources: Sheryl Kline, (765) 5996, klines@purdue.edu

Stephen Taylor, (0141) 548-4271

Carol Kalkstein-Silkes, (765) 494-3449, csilkes@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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