Chair of the 2024 Local Organising Committee
Thank you to all of you who attended the 2024 conference in Ōtautahi Christchurch. It was a long way for many but we hope you agree it was worth it. The sun shone for the tree planting at the start and our dedicated volunteers held an umbrella over you when you dashed between buildings on the days it rained. We’re proud to have brought decolonising and indigenous perspectives and creative communication to the fore through the keynote and plenaries. We also introduced a few new practices, including the Small Talks (Pitopito Kōrero), a detailed accessibility plan and partnership with the Māori whose land we met on.
A few statistics to entertain you: 1319 participants from 66 different countries, presented 1278 papers. Two thirds of the participants were women. The post-conference survey gave good feedback for the 2025 Singapore organisers to build on, but also confirmed that the manaaki (care) from our team set a good tone for the conference. There was a high level of satisfaction (4.7/5) with the venue and with the personal experience (8.9/10 for feeling welcome, 8.5/10 for feeling included, 9.1 on feeling comfortable throughout the conference). Survey respondents were also pleased with the opportunities for networking and exchange, rating them 4.3 out of 5, its value to their own professional development and learning (4.2/5), and its overall academic and professional value (4.3/5). Asked how likely it was that would recommend future IAMCR conferences to colleagues, the average response was 4.5 out of 5 – so if you had any doubts, you can now start preparing for IAMCR Singapore 2025!
The conference has strengthened IAMCR’s presence in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider Asia-Pacific region. The Singapore conference will achieve even more there. It feels good to be part of an organisation that brings together a truly global community of scholars.
Donald Matheson
on behalf of the 2024 Local Organising Committee