Academy of Management Pulls 13,500-Person Conference Out of the U.S.

16 hours ago

The Academy of Management is relocating its annual conferences from the U.S. to Europe and Canada from 2027 to 2031 due to concerns over U.S. immigration policies and political environment.
Seattle loses the 2027 conference to Vienna, with subsequent meetings in Toronto (2028), Frankfurt (2029), and London (2030), marking a historic shift after nearly 90 years of North America-only events.
Last year's Copenhagen conference, the first outside North America, achieved record global attendance and demonstrated the benefits of reducing participation barriers.
The decision is influenced by AOM's membership, with 63% living outside the U.S., visa wait times, and member concerns about safety and inclusivity in the U.S.
The move reflects a broader trend in the global meetings industry, where destination decisions now consider factors like ease of entry and geopolitics alongside traditional logistics.
Philadelphia's 2026 conference will be the last in the U.S. for at least five years, with anticipated lower attendance due to visa issues and member apprehensions.
Other academic organizations, such as the International Congress of Mathematicians, are also facing pressure to move events from the U.S. over similar immigration and safety concerns.

Hasty Briefsbeta