Re-Centering the Human in Organizational Frontlines Research
Join the Annual Organizational Frontlines Research (OFR) Symposium and explore the latest scholarly research and industry trends related to organizational frontlines. This event will take place on February 12, 2027, in New Orleans, LA, before and in conjunction with the 2027 AMA Winter Academic Conference.
Organizational frontlines are changing rapidly. New technologies and empirical methods are giving researchers new ways to observe, measure, and understand frontline interactions. Yet at their core, these interactions remain human experiences, shaped by employees and customers and by the organizations and contexts that bring them together. These developments invite us to reconsider the questions we ask, how we develop theory from frontline experiences and emerging empirical patterns, and what constitutes compelling evidence as the field moves forward.
The 2027 symposium will address these questions through academic and industry keynotes and an interactive debate on how OFR should study human experience. Parallel workshops will examine inductive qualitative and empirics-first paths from evidence to theory.
Hosted by the AMA OFR SIG, the symposium brings together scholars interested in the interactions and interfaces that occur at the point of contact between organizations and their customers, where value is created, exchanged, and experienced (Singh, Brady, Arnold, and Brown 2017). Organizational frontlines research draws from a broad range of perspectives, including consumer behavior, organizational behavior, retailing, sales, service, and strategy.
Are you interested in attending the AMA Winter Academic Conference right after this pre-conference? Learn more and register today!
AMA Event Policies
Thursday, February 11
Welcome and introductions
Academic Keynote
Industry Keynote and Moderated Conversation
Coffee Break
Special Session: How Should OFR Study Human Experience?
Parallel Workshops: From Frontline Experience to Theory; From Patterns to Explanation
Thursday Closing and Reception Preview
Welcome Reception
Friday, February 12
Breakfast
Young Scholar Finalists’ Presentations
Coffee Break
Competitive Research Session I
Competitive Research Session II
Concluding remarks and 2028 outlook
Sheraton New Orleans
500 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: (504) 525-2500
Room Rate:
We’ve secured an AMA room block at a special rate of $255.00 single/double occupancy per night (excluding taxes and applicable fees which are currently 16.75% + $3.00 per room per night, but are subject to change).
Or you can call the Hotel at (888) 627-7033 and reference the American Marketing Association Winter Academic Conference.
Please reserve your overnight accommodations early as there are a limited number of AMA special rates available.
A valid credit card is required to confirm and hold a reservation. Cancellations will be accepted without penalty if notice is received at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to arrival and a cancellation number is obtained.
An early departure fee of one night’s room and tax will apply if a guest checks out prior to the confirmed departure date.
The reservation cut-off date is January 12, 2027.
Please know that any hotel room booked outside the AMA negotiated block may not be eligible for the discounted rate. Those reservations may also have a different cancellation policy and will not be eligible for reimbursement in the case of event cancellation.
Internet Service
Complimentary basic internet access will be provided in guest rooms.
Airport
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Distance From Property: 14.8 Miles
Visit Airport Website: https://flymsy.com/
Parking
Garage ceiling max 6′ 5″, Tax not listed in fees
Valet: $55+ tax;
Oversize: $62 + tax
Valet Parking: $62.15 Daily
Area Information
Located on historic Canal Street just steps from the French Quarter, the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel is a short walk from Bourbon Street and steps away from the Mississippi River. The Warehouse Arts District, Harrah’s Casino, the Aquarium of the Americas, IMAX Theater, the Superdome are all nearby, as are major malls including the Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, French Market and The Shops at Canal Place. Please visit New Orleans & Company for additional city information. https://www.neworleans.com/
ADA
The AMA is committed to providing equal access to our meetings for all attendees. If you are an attendee with a disability and require program accommodations, please contact the AMA Support Center at (800) AMA-1150. A member of our staff will ensure that appropriate access arrangements are made. If you have specific disability-related needs for your hotel sleeping room, please be sure to communicate those directly to the hotel when you make your reservation. In an effort to provide the highest quality of service to all attendees, we require that details of all access requests be communicated to our office at least 14 days in advance of the beginning of the meeting.
11th Annual Young Scholar Research (YSR) Competition
This competition recognizes exceptional emerging research focused on organizational frontlines, where firms and customers interact to create value. We welcome submissions from any discipline that addresses organizational frontline issues.
Eligibility:
- The lead author must be a doctoral student or an assistant professor within three years of graduation.
- The paper must not be published or under advanced review.
- The submission must be no more than 15 pages, double-spaced and all-inclusive, plus a separate title and author page.
Awards and recognition: A cash prize will be awarded, with public recognition at the 2027 OFR Symposium. Winners will also receive priority access to the OFR network and future events.
Submission Email: todd.arnold@okstate.edu
Finalists must be able to present in person in New Orleans. For full details, see the official CFP using the link below or contact us with questions.
https://olemiss.box.com/s/mudaax3c27lufrktutsom9anjvmn8htk
Submission Deadline
November 19, 2026
2027 OFR Symposium: Call for Research Lightning Talks
We invite research papers for presentation at the 2027 OFR Symposium. The program will include two competitive research sessions. Presentations should fit this year’s theme, “Re-centering the Human in Organizational Frontlines Research.”
That is, we are particularly interested in research that:
- Examines themes related to the evolving role of humans and human touch in the organizational frontlines,
- Explores organizational frontline phenomena using novel types of human-centered data (e.g., natural language, videos, diary studies, observations), and
- Offers novel insights about organizational frontlines.
Submission Format
If you are interested in participating, we invite you to submit a brief PowerPoint proposal (max. 10 slides) that includes the following:
- Title Slide – clearly identify the title of the presentation and all co-authors and their affiliations
- Problem/Research Questions – identify the problem and why it is important for OFR
- Approach – outline your approach (e.g., framework, research design, data)
- Results – highlight your key results
- Implications for Practice – specify how your results can help practitioners make decisions
Presentation Format
We anticipate that final presentations will be no more than 7 minutes and designed to encourage lively discussion among OFR attendees. All presenters will have the opportunity to revise slides before the event. However, we plan to strictly enforce the 7-minute requirement as it will help bolster confidence that all presenters are committed to the spirit of a “lightning talk.”
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should include the names of all coauthors and their university affiliations. Submission to the conference does not preclude your work from being published by any journal. Submissions can be sent directly to this year’s OFR Symposium co-chairs: Nawar Chaker (nchaker1@tennessee.edu) and Andrew Crecelius (acreceli@iastate.edu).
Submission Deadline
December 1, 2026
Participants will be notified by mid-December, 2026