Institut Paul Bocuse hosts the 8th edition of the annual AFMAT conference

From 26 to 28 May, our school was the virtual host of the 8th annual AFMAT conference – Association Francophone de Management du Tourisme (French-speaking Association of Tourism Management) – which was attended by 60 researchers who discussed issues related to the management of the tourism and leisure sectors. The programme for these three days of reflection and debate included the collaborative economy, new behaviours and new experiences, the management of tourist destinations, adaptation and innovation in times of crisis, and performance strategy.

What are the key challenges for the management of tourism in the future?

After a doctoral workshop during which doctoral students were able to present the progress of their theses, the conference opened with a speech by Dominique Giraudier – CEO of Institut Paul Bocuse, on the latest tourism figures after more than a year of the pandemic and the challenges it poses to the sector.

Parallel sessions for the presentation of articles were held over two days, accompanied by a round table discussion with industry professionals on the theme of flexibility and tourism third places. The professionals exchanged views with the researchers present on new practices or strategies used by tourism operators for receiving tourists.

This conference was also the occasion to present the 5th edition of the AFMAT – CCMP Prize for the best case in tourism management. Three excellent cases competed for the prize and it was “Les Criques de Porteils 5-star campsite: from market structuring to the health crisis, how to cope?” that won the AFMAT 2021 Best Case Award.

During this conference, the prize for the best thesis in Tourism Management was also awarded. AFMAT has been supporting young researchers for several years by offering a prize worth 500 euros.

Finally, and despite the fact that the conference participants were attending at a distance, they were able to watch and take part in a culinary workshop led by the Chef and trainer Florent Boivin – MOF 2011 from Institut Paul Bocuse, who is also the programme director of our Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts Management. This workshop allowed them to try their hand at turning an artichoke through a recipe for a parmesan, basil pesto, artichoke and cured ham tart in a friendly atmosphere that was much appreciated.

The 8th edition of the annual AFMAT conference, held in partnership with Institut Paul Bocuse, was organised by Agnès Giboreau, Director of our Research Centre, Johanna Edelbloude, Academic and Management Research Director, and Marielle Salvador, professor and researcher scientist.

Research informs teaching

This event is a perfect illustration of the close link that our school maintains between the world of teaching and that of research, in this case research in management sciences applied to the tourism sector. It is in this perspective that for a number of years now our school has been strengthening its faculty and research teams with academic experts from a wide variety of disciplines, while at the same time closely associating the academic teams and researchers of Institut Paul Bocuse in the creation of new courses and teaching programmes.

Through the organisation of this conference for academics specialising in tourism, Institut Paul Bocuse was able to confirm its standing among the universities and Grandes Ecoles that regularly host this type of event. The Institute is positioning itself as an institution that develops management research, which is essential to ensure a high quality and high-level learning experience for students. As experts in their respective fields, the vocation of our faculty members is to make research findings accessible through the courses they teach. This allows students not only to acquire operational knowledge, which can easily become obsolete with time, but also to master concepts that invite reflection, critical analysis and the consideration of other development models. Institut Paul Bocuse is therefore a school with high academic standards that trains the future generation of professionals for the hospitality and food service industries.
Marielle Salvador, Research Scientist and Professor at Institut Paul Bocuse, as well as Secretary General of AFMAT