Call for Papers – Alexandria 2025 Boutique Conference

Conference Chairs:
Broderick Turner, Virginia Tech
Shane Wang, Virginia Tech
David Wooten, University of Michigan

Location:
Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, Alexandria, VA

Important Dates and Deadlines:
Submission Deadline: January 31, 2025
Notification Date: February 28, 2025
Conference Dates: June 17-18, 2025

The Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Alexandria, VA, which opens in January 2025, will serve as the conference venue. The campus is a state-of-the-art facility designed to drive interdisciplinary research and innovation, making it an ideal location for this event. Situated near Washington, D.C., it offers excellent access and an inspiring setting for meaningful conversations on technology, equity, and responsible enterprise. Attendees will have the option to stay at the Marriott at Tyson Corner, which offers a corporate discount of approximately $150 per night. This hotel is conveniently located near the conference venue and provides comfortable accommodation for all participants. This conference is strategically scheduled just before the AMA Marketing and Public Policy Conference, allowing participants to easily combine both events into a single trip. The proximity to Washington, D.C., also provides a rich contextual backdrop, given the city’s importance in public policy, technology governance, and social equity discussions.

Submission format:
For the presentation tracks: Please submit a 500-750 word abstract that summarizes the motivation, conceptualization, methodology, and major findings. References are not included in the word limit. Please include and answer to the following questions, “What makes this project hard, tough, or messy?” and “What resources do you think you need to complete this project?”

For the 3-minute lightning talk: Please submit a 100-250 word abstract that summarizes your research question, method, and motivations. References are not included in the word limit. In addition, include a single slide (.pptx, .pdf) that highlights your work.

Submissions should include:

• The title of the paper
• The name and affiliation of the author(s)
• The contact information (email addresses) of all the authors.
• For multi-author papers, please underline the presenter.

Please submit papers to vt2025@myscp.org. Please write “SCP Boutique conference submission” in the subject of your email.

Conference Theme and Objective:
In an increasingly digital world, technology is rapidly changing how we interact, communicate, and make decisions, shaping both consumer behavior and the global marketplace.

However, the acceleration of technological advancements also raises critical concerns regarding equity, bias, and social responsibility. At this intersection lies the theme of our SCP Boutique Conference: how technology intersects with race, prejudice, and the responsible enterprise.

This conference seeks to bring together scholars and practitioners to explore pressing questions such as:

1. How do consumers understand and navigate new technologies?
   How does consumer psychology shift in response to AI development?
2. How can enterprises leverage technological innovation while mitigating the risk of reinforcing systemic biases?
3. What are the ethical considerations involved in the design and deployment of AI and automated systems in diverse consumer markets?
4. How can organizations ensure that their technological advancements are inclusive and equitable, especially for marginalized consumers?

By focusing on the intersection of technology, race, and responsible enterprise, this conference addresses some of the most urgent and complex challenges faced by consumers and the organizations that serve them today. Attendees will discuss how businesses can serve as better stewards of technological progress, ensuring their products, services, and practices contribute positively to consumers and society.

Conference Format:
The conference will begin with an evening networking reception and ideation session lead by members of the TRAP lab, followed by a full day of dual-track presentations and discussions. The event’s highlight will be a keynote address delivered by Bennie Johnson, the CEO of the American Marketing Association (AMA), who will share insights on leadership at the intersection of technology, race, and responsible enterprise. A “one slide” lightening talk session will also be included, featuring research from early-career scholars and doctoral students. In this session researchers will have 3 minutes and one slide, to go through a research problem they are having and request the help they need to solve this problem.

The conference will be limited to 100 participants, including 20 doctoral students, whose registration fees will be waived, with travel scholarships available. The participant pool will primarily consist of researchers, industry experts, and practitioners deeply engaged in consumer psychology, technology ethics, and socially responsible enterprise. Presentations will be selected through a mix of formal submissions and targeted invitations, ensuring high-quality content. Roundtable discussions and breakout sessions will also be included to deepen interaction on critical topics.

Unique Aspects of This Conference:

Commitment to the hardest and messiest research: We have a strong preference for presentations on projects that are the messiest and the toughest. At the Unconference we aim to see the half-baked ideas, the stalled projects, that project that keeps getting rejected, the weird thing that does not seem to fit in any journal, the thing that might a need a new co-author, a different dataset or a change of method, and the projects that keep researchers up at night. At the Unconference, we do not want researchers to bring the perfectly polished project that is right around the corner from being published. Instead, the mission of the Unconference is to provide a safe space for researchers to be share their most vulnerable projects. We aim for a simple vibe – everybody is smart, everybody is helpful, and everybody really loves this work and wants to see it flourish.
We are here to help. Love is a verb, and we’re here to love your work like it is our own.

Diverse and Interdisciplinary Focus: While rooted in consumer psychology, this conference brings together insights from technology ethics, social justice, and responsible management practices. By convening experts from varied disciplines, this event fosters a holistic view of how technology, race, and enterprise intersect, creating space for new research frontiers and interdisciplinary collaborations.
Focus on Responsible Technology and Ethical Enterprise: The conference specifically emphasizes the role of enterprises in developing and deploying technology responsibly. Discussions will center around how organizations can navigate ethical dilemmas, address biases in AI, and implement business strategies that prioritize inclusivity and social good. This emphasis on the responsible enterprise sets this event apart from other technology-focused conferences, highlighting its relevance for both academic and industry audiences.

Commitment to Inclusivity and Early-Career Scholars: True to the Unconference ethos, the SCP Boutique Conference is committed to fostering inclusivity and supporting emerging scholars. The event includes 20 fully funded spots for doctoral students, who will have their registration fees waived and may receive travel scholarships. Additionally, the format encourages participation from diverse voices, ensuring that early-career researchers and those from underrepresented groups have opportunities to present and contribute.
Available Resources: The Virginia Tech Innovation Campus will provide world-class facilities and support services for the conference. In addition, institutional sponsorship and logistical backing from Virginia Tech, HBS, and The PhD Project will help ensure a seamless event experience. Travel scholarships and registration waivers for doctoral students will be provided to enhance participation from emerging scholars.

The Mission of the Unconference
The Unconference is a different type of conference. Our goal is to provide the safest, least pretentious ,most helpful, least stuffy, most joyous, conference experience possible. Toward that goal the Unconference has established four agreements. First, we ask that researchers bring their messiest ideas. We want to see the papers that keep getting rejected. We want to see the great projects that are collecting dust in that folder where you save ideas. We have committed that every unconference will always be at least 75% tough, messy ideas (and the other 25% will pay the bills and grow the pie). Second, we aim to center a community of researchers, policy makers, and industry professionals who have committed to giving their best insights and thoughts to the researchers that are willing to be vulnerable sharing hard research – when in doubt, we give. Third, at the unconference all people, regardless of background are treated equally – this includes senior faculty and doctoral students, academics and practitioners, psychologists and computer scientists. At the unconference, there is no hierarchy. A great idea can come from anywhere. The best ideas can come from anyone. No masters above, no servants below. Finally, the unconfernce is aiming to build an environment that will not wait for anyone else to help. Maybe the calvary is not coming. Maybe it’s just us. And we save us.