The NENA CHRIE Federation held its spring regional conference this year at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, ME from 4-6 April 2024. The conference was a remarkable success, not even a winter storm could stop our NENA colleagues from getting together for a weekend of learning and networking!
We were thrilled to have a robust schedule of research papers and poster presentations along with keynote speakers and panelists of industry professionals and students, as well as interactive workshops all focused on the conference theme of “Attract, Engage, and Retain.” Attendance was much higher than anticipated and we continue to have a growing cohort of graduate students attend and present their work at this regional conference. It is wonderful to see their excitement and passion for higher education and our industry early in their career.
A couple conference highlights!
We opened the conference Thursday evening with a special welcome from the Wabanaki people and a presentation from the THOR Institute, one of our gold sponsors for the conference. The conference started on Friday morning with a presentation from one of our silver sponsors, the Maine Office of Tourism and led to a General Session with featured speaker, Philip Mondor, President of Tourism HR Canda. He discussed the challenges in HR for the Tourism Industry and importance of attracting, engaging, and retaining employees by offer strategies that can be used universally.
Thank you to our sponsors!
We are indeed fortunate to have generous support from sponsors. Thank you to...
- THOR Institute
- Maine Office of Tourism
- Penn State University
- Visit NH
- Lark Hotels
- Hospitality Internships
- Portland Jetport
- Inn by the Sea
- Olympia CO. Maine Day Adventures
- Omni Parker House
- Yokr Harbor Inn
- Widener University
- Virginia Tech
- LIGHT Institute at Stockton University
- Slippery Rock University
- University of New Hampshire
- Journey Magazine.
Without our sponsors, this conference would not be possible!
Research & Awards
NENA would like to congratulate Hui-Wen Shih, Chun-Yin Cho, Shu-Yu Cheng from Southern Taiwan University of Science & Technology, Forest Ma from the University of Southern Maine, and ChihChien Chen from the University for Nevada for receiving the Best Paper Award for their work on The Impact of Consumer Perceptions on the Intent to Purchase Celebrity-Endorsed Products in Convenience Stores.
NENA would also like to congratulate Maria Matthews from Mount Saint Vincent University for receiving the Best Paper Award for her work on Airbnb’s Disruptive Trajectory: Interpreting its Rise Through Christensen’s Model. Additionally, NENA would like to congratulate Gianna A. DiLauro and Fredrick Meitner from East Stroudsbourg University for the Best Poster Award for their work on The Impact of Attachment and Psychological ownership on Private Club Member Loyalty: A Dimensional Examination.
We also want to congratulate Forest Ma from the University of Southern Maine for being honored as the Best Reviewer. We appreciate all the hard work she dedicated as a reviewer this year.
Legacy Lecture
We hosted our 6th Legacy Lecture with Dr. Joy Dickerson, Assistant Dean of Business, Computing, and Social Science at Delaware Community College who served on the ICHRIE Board and devoted her career to hospitality education where many students, faculty and industry associations and partners benefitted along the way. Joy shared her inspiration and memorable moments in her career, along with some words of wisdom for our attendees. Thank you to Donna Albano for moderating this special presentation.
Dr. Joy Dickerson
That's a wrap... thank you!
Thank you to all the attendees and volunteers at NENA who made everything happen. We are fortunate to have great people who have boundless energy and enthusiasm. Thank you to the NENA Board Members, the Conference Committee Members, our research judges, and the presenters who made this a wonderful experience for all. Most importantly, we want to thank our conference host, Dr. Tracy Michaud at the University of Southern Maine, and a special thanks to Forest Ma, Kelli Park, and Maddie, and the rest of the amazing team of students!
Please visit our website at nenachrie.com for more information about the Annual Regional Conference and other NENA Information.
Thank you all!
