Conference Season Starts

Its that time of year when all of our beloved students piss off, and once we have completed our marking (you laughed at my jokes in class 2:1 BAM! You never ever had a pen or paper 3rd BAM! This has a lot of long words and detailed references and Hollyoaks is about to start 2:1 BAM!) then it is time to look forward to CONFERENCES. :D
Image result for conference icon

Conferences are to academics what spa breaks are to the diamond studded whores of the oligarchs. They're a chance to size yourself up to the competition, get your name out there, passive aggressively (or just aggressively if you have made it to professor or above) tear into your competition, and fall asleep in homogenised hotel suite surroundings.

I don't think any of us particularly wants to be there. But it does bring the perk of an all expenses Ryanair flight to an international-adjacent airport. And if you're lucky you might get felt up by a randy editor at the gala dinner and a 3* publication ought to be in the bag.
Image result for budget flight

This year I have three booked into my calendar (departmental funding permitting - the entry fee makes a Glastonbury pass look reasonable). Leuven, Kingston Upon Thames and Portsmouth. You're perhaps not going to see those three names above the door of a high end handbag shop frequented by those oli-whores, but trust me, if you are into sustainable small island tourism culture niches, then they will be the place to be.
Image result for portsmouth uk

I'll keep you posted how I prepare and how I get on.

Comments

Publishing Pipeline

Drug companies have what they call pipelines. This refers to the future drugs they are developing and which they hope will eventually come to market and make them lots of money (and cure sick people blah blah). There are lots of points in the pipeline that a drug can fail - clinical trials etc. It is an expensive, time consuming, and uncertain journey. So drug companies try to always have some things in the pipeline at any one time, at various stages of development. This way there is always some hope of success. I think academics can apply the same principle. Getting an article published is expensive, time consuming and uncertain. It is better to have a few options on the go so that if one hits a snag - an unresponsive collaborator, reviewers taking ages, a rejection - you still have other things to be working on. So consider your own pipeline. How does it look? Ideally a few mature projects close to completion. Some others which are still at a draft phase but well on the way in term...

Charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent: what marketing can learn from RuPaul’s Drag Race

A niche and frequently persecuted sub-culture turned into a global pop-cultural phenomenon, if you are not already watching RuPaul’s Drag Race (season 11 currently airing on VH1) then you should be. Not only are you in for a feast of the uniqueness, charisma, nerve and talent which the show expects of its competitors, but you are receiving a marketing masterclass. A reality television programme first aired in 2009, Drag Race has moved from a cult to an increasingly mainstream following. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 RuPaul won the Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding host of a variety, nonfiction or reality programme’. Spin-off shows are available through traditional and new media channels. Associated live shows and conventions tour the globe. The premise of Drag Race is to be crowned ‘America’s next drag superstar’ by the eponymous RuPaul. Each week this seasoned drag artiste and a panel of critics, judge contestants’ skills at particular challenges, celebrity impersonation for examp...

The Experience Economy in 2021

Last year I wrote a piece published in the Conversation (link to it here ) about the possible decline of the experience economy. Six months later and it seems like prospects have, if anything, got even worse. The experience economy involves events and activities that are intense, memorable and sociable. For example, live music gigs are a chance to share intense emotions triggered by listening together to a favourite band. However, Covid-19 restrictions have hammered such experience economy offerings. Theatres, nightclubs, galleries, theme parks... such places have frequently had to close. The question is whether they will reopen to the same extent as before the pandemic? This might seem overly pessimistic, but consumption patterns can change rapidly. Will lingering concerns for health and safety put people off returning to shared spaces? Music festivals have celebrated their unsanitary aspects as part of the authentic party vibe. Now they might just s...

Consumer Culture Vulture

Search This Blog