About SMS Conferences

SMS offers several conferences throughout the year that bring together top scholars, executives, and consultants from around the world to explore a unique theme that addresses the current business landscape and the strategic challenges facing business leaders today. Each conference provides scholars of all career stages the opportunity to present their research and receive feedback to develop their work, as well as their careers.

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Types of Conferences:

The SMS Annual Conference is the annual general meeting of the Strategic Management Society. It brings together around 1,000 attendees alternating between locations in Europe and North America. As the largest SMS event, the Annual Conference is host to the SMS Awards ceremony, in addition to workshops, panels, research presentation sessions, and networking opportunities.

SMS Special Conferences are smaller in size, usually 150-300 attendees, and are held in partnership with institutions or organizations that also serve the field of strategic management. These events aim to provide access to scholarship from a broader variety of geographic areas, facilitate robust scholar-practitioner engagement, or delve more deeply into topically focused issues in the field.

Key Features of SMS Conferences

Research Presentations

All SMS Conferences offer authors the opportunity to submit their research to a competitive program which features a double-blind review of proposals based on original, unpublished work. Selected proposals are presented at the conference in thematically-cohesive sessions for audience discussion and scholarly feedback.

Keynotes and Panel Discussions

Topically organized around the conference theme, panel sessions bring together the worlds of reflective practice and thoughtful scholarship to tackle global issues, while keynote presentations feature a renowned academic or thought-leading business executive.

Workshops

Most SMS Conferences offer a variety of developmental workshops. The topics and format of these workshops vary, but all are highly interactive and feature hands-on or roundtable discussion activities. The Annual Conference program features more than 12 workshops, including several designed to provide doctoral students and junior faculty the opportunity to work with senior scholars, meet with editors, and develop their research.

Networking Opportunities

Registration for SMS Conferences includes daily meal functions, such as communal lunches and coffee breaks, that give attendees a dedicated space and time to meet and mingle. Evening receptions, such as the Monday night off-site event at the Annual Conference, are also included with conference registration and offer a way for attendees to build their networks and discuss research interests in a more casual setting.

Get Involved with SMS Conferences

There are many ways to participate in an SMS Conference! If you’d like to organize a panel or submit your research for review in a conference competitive program, read the Submission Guidelines to learn about the conference submission process. Students are encouraged to apply for an Annual Conference registration fee waiver through our Annual Doctoral Workshop or Student Volunteer Support Staff programs. Simply want to attend? Visit our event calendar to discover and register for an upcoming SMS Conference.

Organize an SMS Special Conference

SMS invites proposals from SMS members and their institutions interested in hosting a Special Conference with the Society! Learn more about the strategic aims of Special Conferences, what is expected of the partner institution, and how to submit a proposal.

Sponsor and Exhibitor Opportunities

Being a sponsor or exhibitor at an SMS Conference builds visibility for your company or university and connects you with educators and thought leaders from academe, business, and consultancy from around the world. For more information, contact sms@strategicmanagement.net.

Upcoming Conferences and Events

Visit our events calendar to find upcoming events, conferences, and program deadlines.