Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Chadley Richard Hollas is an independent researcher and consultant currently based in Texas, USA. He obtained his Master of Science degree in Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences from Texas A&M University. His professional consultations and research concern sustainable tourism, rural community development, and agritourism.

Sydney Bergerowski is a PhD student in Industrial Organizational (I-O) Psychology at Clemson University. Sydney has studies teams and multi-team systems, and she has a particular interest in teams in extreme contexts such as in space, healthcare, and the military.

Lori Dickes, PhD is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Political Science. Dr. Dickes has taught economics and policy for over 20 years and is committed to improving students, and our communities, understanding of policy and economics and the role policy plays in our lives.

Marissa Shuffler, PhD is an Associate Professor of Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Clemson University and Director of Clemson’s DIGITAL Research Lab. Her research focuses on the study of scientifically derived, innovative interventions needed to develop, sustain, and maximize inter- and intra-team functioning and wellbeing.

Claire Whitehouse is a Research Specialist at the Center for Rural Studies (CRS) at the University of Vermont. Claire works on a wide range of projects, covering agritourism, market development for small and midsized farms, food system resilience, and more.

Lisa Chase, Ph.D is the Natural Resources Specialist for University of Vermont Extension and the Director of the Vermont Tourism Research Center. Her research and outreach focus on the intersection of food systems, community vitality, tourism, and working landscapes.

Abstract (150 Words)

As the number of agritourism operations and support professionals grows around the world, and the diversity of research into the subject expands, international collaborations have become more prominent among both academics and practitioners. However, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed a weakness in international collaboration: the reliance on in-person academic conferences as a primary opportunity for scientists to network and collaborate. A transdisciplinary, conference was hosted for the agritourism sector in 2022. In order to better understand how this emerging network might become more productive, or not, researchers surveyed attendees on their intended productivity. Results indicate that attendees were productive as a result of the conference and that there are differences across professional roles in the resulting productivity.

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Can cross-disciplinary conferences improve perceived productivity?

As the number of agritourism operations and support professionals grows around the world, and the diversity of research into the subject expands, international collaborations have become more prominent among both academics and practitioners. However, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed a weakness in international collaboration: the reliance on in-person academic conferences as a primary opportunity for scientists to network and collaborate. A transdisciplinary, conference was hosted for the agritourism sector in 2022. In order to better understand how this emerging network might become more productive, or not, researchers surveyed attendees on their intended productivity. Results indicate that attendees were productive as a result of the conference and that there are differences across professional roles in the resulting productivity.