European Academics Shun U.S. Business Conference

The Academy of Management meeting in Philadelphia on July 31 is expected to draw about half the usual number of participants, with many European academics opting out because it is being held in the U.S. Concerns include data privacy, opposition to travel bans, and the political climate under the Trump administration. After growing backlash, the Academy of Management moved next year’s meeting from Seattle to Vienna and scheduled later conferences outside the U.S., including Toronto in 2028, Frankfurt in 2029, and London in 2030. A German professor described an adversarial atmosphere, citing detention or deportation threats for foreign-born scholars, social media scanning of visiting scholars, and hostility toward sustainability and climate-related research. A British-Iranian academic said travel restrictions and uncertainty made attendance untenable and expressed solidarity with those blocked by U.S. travel bans.

"The U.S.-based Academy of Management meeting is set to take place on July 31 in Philadelphia. The AOM gathering typically draws up to 14,000 participants from around the world, but early registration figures suggest that this year's event will be attended by only about half the usual figure, according to the Financial Times."

"Following the growing backlash, the AOM announced its decision to move next year's meeting from Seattle to Vienna. Subsequent conferences are also set to be held outside the U.S.: Toronto in 2028, Frankfurt in 2029 and London in 2030-the latest of several conferences to bypass the U.S."

"But this year, the "adversarial" atmosphere in the U.S. deterred him. "Foreign-born scholars in the U.S. have been detained or deported (or threatened with deportation), visiting scholars are scanned for their social media activities, and the attitude towards any scientific endeavor connected to fields I care about (mostly sustainability, climate, energy transformation) can only be described as hostile," he said."

""I don't feel welcome in the U.S., and I cannot imagine how it must feel for colleagues from the Middle East or Africa." A British-Iranian academic who wished to remain anonymous said the travel restrictions and political uncertainty made the trip untenable for him. He wanted to express solidarity with those prevented from attending because they were from a country subjected to U.S. travel bans."

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