Keynote Speakers
Confirmed Keynote speakers for the 6th International Conference on Tourism and Business include: Dr Eleni (Elina) Michopoulou, Dr Allan Jepson, and Dr Melanie Kay Smith.
Dr Allan Jepson
Dr Allan Jepson, PhD, has a practitioner and research background in festivals and events. Allan is an interdisciplinary researcher at the University of Hertfordshire, UK, he employs mixed methods and analysis through longitudinal studies to better understand wellbeing interventions and outcomes. His research has investigated power and hegemony within festival planning processes, social inclusion, inclusivity and neurodiversity, memory creation, stress and mental health, wellbeing, and quality of life (Young families and the over 70s). Allan’s research is deeply connected to local communities, and he is dedicated to engaging in research which is impactful and creates positive change for all stakeholders. Some notable examples include: a three year study with AGE UK using creative arts events to reduce isolation and loneliness in rural areas of Hertfordshire; A two year study with councils in Hertfordshire on the significance of festival and event memories for family bonding with families with young children; and more recently a five year project to understand the emotion/ cognitive/ and physical work of parents of autistic children across the life course. As well as leading research projects Allan has been Co-I for several projects such as the food festivals, place, and wellbeing research project, which took place in the UK and Italy. His work has been published within world leading journals such as The Annals of Tourism Research and Tourism Management with eight publications ranking in the top 25% of global citations. Allan is an active citizen in the social sciences research community and currently serves as a reviewer for UKRI ESRC and EU COST Network projects funding applications.
Dr Eleni Michopoulou
Dr Eleni (Elina) Michopoulou is an Associate Professor in Business Management at University of Derby, UK. She holds a PhD in Accessible Tourism Information Systems from University of Surrey, UK. Her research interests include technological applications and information systems in tourism, online consumer behaviour and technology acceptance. She is particularly interested in the fields of accessible, wellness and e-tourism, which she has actively been researching for over fifteen years. Eleni has been involved in various research projects on these topics and worked with funding bodies such as the Wellness Tourism Initiative, Tanzania Tourism Board, Africa Oracle and European Commission. She is the co-director of the International Research Association of Tourism, Hospitality and Events Networks in Academia (ATHENA); Eleni has published over 100 academic journal articles, book chapters and conference papers and is the co-founder of THEINC International Conference. She often acts as guest editor for special issues in service sector journals and sits on the editorial board of over 10 high impact academic journals. Eleni is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Spa and Wellness published by Routledge/Taylor & Francis.
Dr Melanie Kay Smith 
Dr Melanie Kay Smith (PhD) is an Associate Professor, Researcher and Consultant whose work focuses on urban planning, cultural tourism, wellness tourism experiences and the relationship between tourism and wellbeing. She has researched and written about many themes including transformational wellness, spa experience creation, spiritual tourism, yoga tourism and the wellbeing benefits of nature. She is currently based in Budapest University of Economics and Business in Hungary and has also lectured in the UK, Estonia, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. She was Chair of the international organisation ATLAS (Association for Tourism and Leisure Education and Research) for 7 years and is now Chair of the ATLAS Advisory Board as well as being on the Advisory Board of Trinet. She has been an invited Keynote speaker at conferences in many countries worldwide and has undertaken consultancy work for ETC/UNWTO. She is the author or editor of almost 200 publications.
Scientific Panel
- Dr Boontip Boonbumroongsuk, Mahidol University
- Dr Rangson Chirakranont, Mahidol University
- Assistant Professor Dr Sompong Amnuay-Ngerntra, Mahidol University
- Assistant Professor Dr Walanchalee Wattanacharoensil, Mahidol University
- Dr Eerang Park, Edith Cowan University, Australia
- Dr Eunice Tan, Singapore Institute of Management, Singapore
- Professor Dr Julianna Priskin, Lucerne School of Business – Institute of Tourism and Mobility (ITM)
- Dr Anna Para, Lucerne School of Business – Institute of Tourism and Mobility (ITM)
- Professor Dr Jürg Stettler, Lucerne School of Business – Institute of Tourism and Mobility (ITM)
- Dr Florian Eggli, Lucerne School of Business – Institute of Tourism and Mobility (ITM)
- Professor Dr Timo Ohnmacht, Lucerne School of Business – Institute of Tourism and Mobility (ITM)
- Professor Dr Gordon Millar, Lucerne School of Business – Institute of Tourism and Mobility (ITM)
- Dr Pavlos Arvanitis, Edinburgh Napier University, The Business School
- Professor Jane Ani-Knight, Edinburgh Napier University, The Business School
- Dr Martin Robertson, Edinburgh Napier University, The Business School
- Professor Paul Barron, Edinburgh Napier University, The Business School
- Dr Mania Moysidou, Edinburgh Napier University, The Business School
- Professor Sukanlaya Sawang, Edinburgh Napier University, The Business School