Pre-Conference Events
Doctoral Symposium
Thursday, September 24
8.30am – 5.00pm
Peggy J. Liu, University of Pittsburgh
Irene Scopelliti, Bayes Business School
Regardless of their core interests and methodological orientation, doctoral students face challenges that include identifying promising research ideas, conducting research with rigor and relevance, positioning and publishing their research ideas, navigating the job market, and much more. Attendees will leave the Symposium with an improved understanding of how to address the challenges they are currently facing, new tools to begin a successful career, and a support network of new friends and mentors.
Early Career Workshop
Thursday, September 24
1.00pm – 4.00pm
David Faro, London Business School
Aimee Huff, Oregon State University
Andrea Luangrath, University of Iowa
The early career faculty workshop is designed for assistant professors who have not yet submitted their materials for tenure. Junior and advanced assistant professors are welcome. This workshop provides space for a facilitated, open discussion among participants and invited mentors. In doing so, we will explore diverse pathways to building a strong tenure case and cultivating a fulfilling academic career. Topics include managing time and competing priorities; balancing research, teaching, and service; understanding differences in tenure expectations across institutions; building a research pipeline; preparing a tenure dossier; developing a robust network of mentors and peers; and prioritizing well-being. Participants will leave with actionable strategies, new professional connections, and increased confidence in navigating the tenure process.
Mid-Career Workshop
Thursday, September 24
2.00pm – 4.30pm
Michelle Barnhart, Oregon State University
Rima Toure-Tillery, Northwestern University
The mid-career faculty workshop is designed for individuals who are post-tenure, particularly those recently tenured. Attaining tenure is a significant milestone in an academic’s career. Along with a mix of emotions—joy, pride, relief—tenure brings a new set of challenges, responsibilities, opportunities, and freedoms. This workshop’s goal is to engage workshop participants and invited mentors in open discussion about all of these. In doing so, we will explore different paths available to post-tenure academics, specifically, the various goals post-tenure academics may choose in pursuit of a fulfilling career and different approaches to achieving these goals.
AI in the Consumer Marketplace Idea Development Workshop
Thursday, September 24
2.30pm – 5.00pm
Location: Salon 7 (located on the 3rd floor)
Tonya Williams Bradford, University of California, Irvine
Bernd Schmitt, Columbia University
Ana Valenzuela, ESADE Business School and Baruch College, CUNY
Reto Hofstetter, University of St. Gallen
Luca Cian, University of Virginia, Darden School of Business
Call for Papers: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/pb-assets/docs/journals/jacr-13.3-cfp-letter-1767372487453.pdf
We are holding an Idea Development Workshop, followed by a one-hour working consultation period, at the 2026 ACR Conference.
The purpose is to increase the number and quality of submissions to the special issue by giving prospective authors developmental feedback from the editorial team about six months before the April 1, 2027, submission deadline, and to raise the visibility of the call for papers among the journal’s core audience.
The workshop (2:30 to 4:00 p.m.) will open with a brief presentation of the issue’s scope, its research domains, and our expectations for submissions. Participants will then move to roundtables, where they will present projects in progress and receive feedback from the editors and from peers working on related questions. During the consultation hour that follows (4:00 to 5:00 p.m.), the editors will remain at designated tables for individual feedback, cross-table discussion, and collaborator matching. Light refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be offered during this hour of consultation.
Registration is not necessary. Bring a 2-slide deck to discuss during workshop and lots of questions.
More than Just a Game: Exploring the Consumer Dynamics of Sports Idea Development Workshop
Thursday, September 24
1.30pm – 4.30pm
Location: Palmer House Hilton (exact location to follow)
Tonya Williams Bradford (University of California, Irvine)
Diogo Hildebrand (Baruch College, City University of New York)
Beth Vallen (Villanova University)
Call for Papers: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/jacr/forthcoming-13.4
We warmly welcome consumer behavior scholars to join a pre-conference workshop at the 2026 ACR Conference at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. Designed to foster collaboration and idea development for the special issue, the workshop brings together researchers who are studying, or interested in studying, sport consumption and its broader implications. Through discussion and exchange, participants will explore how sport can serve as a powerful context for generating insights that inform consumer research, industry practice, public policy, and adjacent fields.
The workshop will offer a venue to hear from industry experts and to engage with other scholars to generate insights for topics that fit this issue. The event will conclude with a light reception to offer opportunities for brainstorming ideas with potential co-authors, and the special issue editors.
Attendees can sign up through the conference registration portal or by emailing beth.vallen@villanova.edu.
