It is our pleasure to invite you to submit proposals for the 6th Annual Themed Experience and Attractions Academic Society (TEAAS) scholarly Symposium focused on themed experience and attractions.
The Symposium will take place in Orlando, Florida on Friday, November 17, 2023, 9:00AM-5:00PM, on the final day of IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC). Hosting the Symposium during IAAPA Expo enables participating academics to enhance their research, knowledge transfer, and intellectual exchange through access to over 1,000 exhibitors of products and services representing the state of the art of the attractions industry and opportunities for networking with some of the 30,000 industry operators, manufacturers, and suppliers who attend IAAPA Expo. The scheduling also permits interested industry members to attend the TEAAS academic symposium program.
The Symposium will include oral presentations of selected research papers (conventional 15-minute oral academic presentations), networking sessions, and a lunchtime research poster session. Additional activities may be planned.
The Symposium invites proposal submissions for 15-minute oral presentations (1000-word min. extended abstract) or posters (500-word min. extended abstract) for consideration for inclusion in the Symposium program.
Given the one-day schedule, only a limited number of oral presentation slots are available. These will be allocated to proposals representing a diversity of scholarship. Proposals from academic faculty and/or students will be considered; author’s academic standing should be indicated. Co-authorships are welcome. Presented abstracts should be conventional scholarly research presentations, not instructional seminars. Standard audio-visual support for presentations will be available. Slide decks will be due in the days before the Symposium.
Proposals submitted by graduate and undergraduate students (oral presentation or posters) should be based on a thesis or a major research project completed within the past 2 years and ideally should be faculty-supervised or co-authored. Faculty are also invited to submit poster proposals. Presentation proposals that cannot be scheduled on the program will be invited for poster presentation, with scheduled time for interaction between poster presenters and audience. Accepted abstracts for both oral and poster presentations will be printed and distributed to registered participants of the Symposium and archived on the Society’s website.
Those who submit and those who present are also strongly encouraged to submit full papers to the Journal of Themed Experience and Attractions Studies, a peer-reviewed open-access journal. Work which has been submitted to the Journal may also be submitted and presented to the Symposium.
Our understanding of the themed experience and attraction space extends across a multitude of intersections. Inspiration for theming arises from across time and space, by way of both reality and fiction. It can be inspired by any sphere, e.g., nature, technology, culture, history, geography, intellectual property, or pure imagination. Themed attractions are offered to experiencers of both public and private spaces, and can be organized for profit or as philanthropy. The broad theme for TEAAS 2023 is The Multiverse of Theming: Understanding Themed Attractions Across Dimensions. Recent scholarly work relevant to the themed experience and attractions industry is invited, including fixed-site theme parks and attractions, mobile amusement and attraction operations, and other attractions and themed experiences.
Guide for authors
For example:
- Tourism, business, economic, and strategic planning research
- Themed entertainment design and transmedia applications
- Science and technology of themed experiences, rides, and attractions
- Methodology for evaluating the guest experience
- Hospitality and operational research
- Themed experience history, evolution, and philosophy
- Pedagogical research in the area of themed experiences, rides, and attractions
- Interdisciplinary analysis of themed experience and attractions
Symposium 2023 Submission Process
Proposals are due by 10 pm (Eastern Daylight Time), Friday, September 22, 2023. Acceptance notices will be sent on a rolling basis, with all notices sent out by Saturday, September 30, 2023.
Submissions can be made to: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=teaas2023
All proposals will be double-blind reviewed. The Symposium uses https://easychair.org to manage submissions.
There are two categories of submissions. Please specify the type of submission when submitting to Easy Chair:
- 15-minute stand-up oral presentation – Standard academic conference presentation featuring completed empirical research.
- Poster presentation – Posters should feature research in progress or just completed. For display, posters should be 48 inches X 36 inches.
One Document – Including Title and Extended Abstract but no Author Names, Affiliation, or Academic Standing (those are submitted separately in Easy Chair). The document must be submitted in a .doc or .docx format and meet these criteria:
Each submission should include:
- Include title, brief abstract (up to 100 words), main body, figures, tables, and references
- The main body must be at least 1000 words for consideration as an oral presentation, or at least 500 words for consideration as a posters. The word count does not include the brief abstract, figures, tables, and references.
- Use 12-point, Times New Roman font, single-spaced
- Margins should be 1-inch on all sides
Please use the provided information to prepare your submission.
For any inquiries regarding the Symposium, please contact: Dr. Martin Lewison, martin.lewison@farmingdale.edu
For all general inquiries about the Themed Experience and Attractions Academic Society, please contact: teaasmail@gmail.com
