UQ hosts first international services marketing conference
The University of Queensland will host Australia's first international services marketing conference from April 5 to 7 featuring some of Australia's and the world's leading academics in the area.
Conference chair Associate Professor Janet McColl-Kennedy of the University's Graduate School of Management, said the conference aimed to expose industry managers and academics to the latest research in the rapidly growing service marketing industry and establish vital business networks between industry and universities.
"The services industry is one of the fastest growing industries in Australia and this conference is both a timely and unique opportunity for Queensland business in particular to hear from some of the leading international and Australian service marketing researchers and practitioners," Dr McColl-Kennedy said.
"Universities today are very aware of the critical need to build partnerships with industries and this conference is a great foundation to build on. We've had an excellent response already from industry wanting to participate and speak at the conference."
Dr McColl-Kennedy said the conference would focus on "the secrets to service success".
For example, the conference would examine developments such as innovative information technology and customer relationship management.
Former Harvard Business School academic and a pioneer of services marketing theory, Professor Christopher Lovelock, will give a keynote address: Running on all cylinders: Why technological progress in services involves more than just electronics. Professor Lovelock is currently a visiting professor at the University's Graduate School of Management. He is the author or co-author of more than 20 books on services, public and non-profit management and marketing, including the recently published Services Marketing - Australia and New Zealand.
In addition, Professor Roland Rust will give a keynote address live by satellite from the United States where he is a professor of management at the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The founding editor of the Journal of Service Research, Professor Rust's address will examine the impact of technology on service.
Dr McColl-Kennedy said the conference would expose delegates to some of the latest thinking on issues ranging from service applications of Internet technology to improving service responsiveness in the public sector. Other subjects included strategies for relationship management and customer loyalty programs; success factors in service recovery efforts; new thinking in the tourism and hospitality industries; innovations in financial service; challenges in professional service; and theoretical developments in services marketing.
Further information about the conference is available by contacting the Graduate School of Management, telephone 07 3365 6475 or visiting the World Wide Web site: http://www.gsm.uq.edu.au/janet
Media queries: Associate Professor McColl-Kennedy, telephone 07 3365 6673/mobile 0419 722 171 or email janet@gsm.uq.edu.au
