The 2024 Symposium will take place on Orlando, FL on November 22, 2024, on the last day of the IAAPA Expo. Hosting this symposium during IAAPA Expo enables participating academics to enhance their research, knowledge transfer, and 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 schedule will also permit interested industry members to attend the TEAAS academic symposium program. Our symposium is organized by the TEAAS with the support of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). The symposium will include oral presentations of selected research papers (conventional 15-minute academic presentations), structured networking sessions, and an extended lunchtime research poster session.
Join Us!
TEAAS 2024 Student Ticket – $50.00
TEAAS 2024 Early Bird Ticket – $60.00
Keynote Speaker:
Bob Rogers
Bob Rogers is the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of BRC Imagination Arts, a global, strategic design and production company that translates brand and cultural stories into transformative, human experiences. BRC’s clients include some of the most iconic brands and destinations in the world. Master storyteller, filmmaker, writer, director, and more, Rogers mentors a young and talented creative team as they serve clients both large and small
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
(Due Friday, September 6, 2024)
It is our pleasure to invite you to submit proposals for the 7th Annual Themed Experience and Attractions Academic Society (TEAAS) scholarly Symposium focused on themed experience and attractions.
The Themed Experience and Attractions Academic Symposium is organized by the TEAAS with the generous support of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), Purdue University, Farmingdale State College, and the University of Central Florida.
The Symposium will take place in Orlando, Florida on Friday, November 22, 2024, 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 and over 30,000 attendees.
The Symposium will include oral presentations of selected research papers (conventional 15-minute oral academic presentations), a dedicated time for graduate student presentations, networking sessions, and a lunchtime research poster session. Additional activities may be planned. Sessions 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.
Guide for Authors
Themed experiences and attractions create profound and transcendent environments, and theme park myth and lore often speaks in terms of dreams, wishes, and magic. The reality of creating transcendent experiences, however, is filled with issues that are practical, technical, and mundane. If theming takes us to other worlds, the process involves first engineering our way through the earthly bonds of gravity. This reflects our academic approaches to themed experience. Theming requires technicians and it needs dreamers. These creates space for multiple academic disciplines, and we can learn from each others’ points of view, whether we are grounded in the practical, the dream, or both. This broad theme for TEAAS 2024 is Working Together on the Dream: The Synergy of Theming.
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.
For example:
- Tourism, business, economic, and strategic planning research
- Themed entertainment design and engineering
- Science and technology of themed experiences, rides, and attractions
- Analysis of guests and 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 2024 Submission Process
Proposals are due by 10 pm (Eastern Daylight Time), Friday, September 6, 2024. Acceptance notices will be sent on a rolling basis, with all notices sent out by Saturday, September 28, 2024.
Submissions can be made to: New Submission for TEAAS 2024 (easychair.org)
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.
- Alternative presentation and poster formats can be considered, noting that: a) purpose is to share scholarship and research rather than exhibit creative work; b) the technology setup available to the Symposium through IAAPA’s generosity is standard (screens, projectors, audio for PowerPoint presentations, wallboards for displaying posters), so new or non-standard tech will be the responsibility of the presenter. Those submitting alternative formats should please email the Symposium Chair to discuss: martin.lewison@farmingdale.edu
Each submission should include:
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:
- 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
Submission Template
The main document should include title, abstract, main body of the proposal, and figures, tables, and references. The main body must be a minimum of 1000 words for 15-minute stand-up presentation, or a minimum 500 words for a poster presentation. Describe your work using 12-point, Times New Roman font, and single-spaced. Margins should be 1-inch on the sides, 1-inch on top and bottom.
TITLE OF THE PROPOSAL: (LEFT-ALIGNED)
BRIEF ABSTRACT (LEFT-ALIGNED)
Brief abstract up to 100 words that describe your proposal. Indent the first sentence of each paragraph. If multiple paragraphs are used, single space between and within each paragraph. Do not number the pages.
INTRODUCTION (left-aligned, no indentation)
Although particular sub-headers are not required, please include information pertaining to each of these typical sections of academic work in the main body (extended abstract).
- Background
- Prior knowledge/Literature
- Methodology/Theoretical frame
- Results/Observations
- Implications for Scholars/Industry
TABLES AND FIGURES (if appropriate/not required)
Tables and figures should appear at the end of the text. They are not included in the word count, but along with references are part of the 4-page total. Tables and figures should be numbered sequentially (e.g. Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, etc.), and should bear titles that explain their content.
REFERENCES
References must be listed immediately following the main text of the proposal. Use APA 7th Edition style, alphabetizing by first author’s last name. See examples below:
American Psychological Association (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.
Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal publication. American Psychological Association.
Davis, F. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340.
Fu, X., Baker, C., & Zhang, R. (2023, April). Theme park storytelling: Deconstructing immersion in Chinese theme parks. Journal of Travel Research, 62(4), 893–906. https://doi.org/10.1177/004728752210989
Henry, W. A., III. (1990, April 9). Making the grade in today’s schools. Time, 135, 28-31
Milman, A., & Tasci, A.D.A. (2023, July). The influence of dynamic pricing on consumer trust, value, and loyalty relationships in theme parks. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 29(3), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/135676672210955
Proposal Questions
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