The 2025 AMA Winter Academic Conference in Phoenix was a record-breaking event, bringing together 920 attendees, including 130+ virtual participants, for three days of engaging discussions and cutting-edge research. With 762 submissions across 10 tracks from 57 countries, this was one of the most competitive and globally diverse conferences in AMA history. A record 14 international track chairs further enriched the academic exchange by ensuring a wide range of perspectives.
This year, Dr. Linda Alkire and Dr. Nailya Ordabayeva co-chaired the conference, overseeing everything from theme selection and track organization to submission and review management. They ensured a seamless and high-impact experience for all attendees. The theme, “Marketing in Service of Nature and Humanity,” encouraged thought-provoking discussions on how marketing can drive positive change, enhance sustainability, and improve societal well-being.
The conference also featured a strong SERVSIG presence, underscoring the continued growth and influence of service research within AMA. Notable highlights for the service community included:
- Leadership from Lerzan Aksoy, President of the AMA Academic Council, who played a key role in programming and initiatives.
- The inaugural AMA – Sheth Foundation Early Career Consortium, a milestone made possible by the AMA Academic Council, Jag Sheth, Sheth Foundation board members, and Anders Gustafsson.
- A pre-conference Organizational Frontline Research 10th anniversary celebration, featuring support and representation from the Journal of Service Research. Special thanks to Editor-in-Chief Ming-Hui Huang and the JSR Editorial Review Board members for their valuable contributions.
- The first “Handbook of Marketing and Public Policy” was launched, led by Martin Mende, Maura Scott, and Kelly Martin, and sponsored by ASU.
- A powerhouse ServCollab Special Session on Cultivating Wiser Service Research featuring service research legends Ray Fisk, Mary Jo Bitner, David Bowen, Amy Ostrom, Laurel Anderson, and Lerzan Aksoy. Their insights provided an inspiring reflection on the strong foundation and bright future of service research.
- A SERVSIG Special Session titled “Technologies Shaping Service Marketing” featuring the work of Jan H. Schumann, Johanna Zimmermann, Nour Shaaban, Nicole Königstein, Nancy Wünderlich, Kristina Brahmstädt, Ilias Danatzis, Jens Hogreve, Ming-Hui Huang, Roland T. Rust, Saurabh Mishra, and Charles L. Colby.
- A panel titled “The Role of Marketing for Sustainability and Public Policy: A Transformative Service Research Perspective” featuring Ray Fisk, Andrew Gallan, and Rebekah Russell-Bennett discussed the recent set of commentary articles in the Journal of Services Marketing based on a collaboration with ServCollab, which organized the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into seven ServCollab Service Research Themes: Wellbeing, Opportunity, Resources, Economic, Institutions, Planet, and Collaboration.
- The “Service Research and Consumer Experience” track featured 11 parallel sessions.
- SERVSIG Co-chair Harrison Pugh hosted a lively and engaging SERVSIG reception, which offered an excellent opportunity for networking, reconnecting, and celebrating the service research community.
Beyond these highlights, a heartfelt thank you to the many SERVSIG members who played a vital role in co-chairing tracks, organizing sessions, presenting their research, and supporting the conference. Your dedication helped make Winter AMA 2025 an outstanding event.
Special appreciation goes to Alessia Anzivino, Sabine Benoit, Mike Brady, Julia Fehrer, Andrew Gallan, Amie Gustafsson, Wafa Hammedi, Kris Lindsey Hall, Laura Hesse, Sertan Kabadayi, Sarah Köcher, Riley Krotz, Dominik Mahr, Candice Marti, Shashi Matta, Cristina Mele, Oscar Naranjo, Angelo Ranieri, Rebekah Russell-Bennett, and Mark Steines for their leadership and commitment.
With such an impressive turnout, outstanding scholarly contributions, and a growing emphasis on service research, Winter AMA 2025 reaffirmed the significance of our community and SERVSIG’s expanding role within AMA. We look forward to building on this momentum and continuing to shape the future of service research together!
The 2026 Winter AMA will be held for the first time outside the US in Madrid, Spain, on February 13-15, 2026.
