E-Magazine
An International Perspective on the ISBE Conference
Stephen Burgess
This was my sixth ISBE event having previously attended the Newcastle, Blackpool, Cardiff, Liverpool and London conferences. I remember that I initially attended ISBE back in 2004 as I was keen to participate in a small business conference with an IT track in a region where small business and entrepreneurship research seems to be valued and supported.
In preparation for writing this piece, I read the 2009 and 2010 reports from international delegates and also viewed the video of the 2011 conference, recently circulated by Chris Rolles. The things that stood out for me from each of these was that people attend ISBE for a number of reasons, particularly the academic/ practitioner mix, the networking opportunities and the broad range of streams available. I wholeheartedly concur with the first two reasons, but I do not attend ISBE for the broad range of streams. For me it is a pleasure that I can actually sit in one place and watch the presentations of one stream – ICT, IT and E-business in the Small Firm Sector. Having researched in the small business and IT area for well over a decade now, I often find myself ‘picking the eyes out’ of the conferences I attend to identify any small business papers that are of interest. The annual ICT and small business stream at ISBE always has a number of presentations that cause me to reflect on how I approach my own research. Thanks to Martin Beckinsale (De Montford University) and Paul Jones (University of Glamorgan) for their tireless work as the track chairs over the years.
Another unique aspect about ISBE is the range of locations and venues where the conference has been held. I remember the Swing Bridge on the Tyne in Newcastle, the ‘uniqueness’ of Blackpool, the terrific City Hall in Cardiff and navigating in Liverpool (it took me ages to initially find the venue and then I kept getting lost in the corridors). As for London, most Aussies find it easy to feel at home there.
ISBE comes at a good time of the year for Australian academics— occurring just after the conclusion of our teaching semester. Also, whilst in the UK for ISBE the weather usually holds up pretty well even though winter is imminent. Over the years, I have learned that I should be heading home by mid-November at the latest. As I write this at home the scales have just tipped 34ºC!
I invariably schedule one or more other activities when attending ISBE conferences— such as attending another conference or catching up with colleagues. This year’s location in Sheffield made it convenient for me to also visit colleagues in Birmingham, Leeds (to meet with a former PhD student
and co-author on an upcoming publication) and Scarborough (to work on a research project). This helps to make the long trip worthwhile.
A few other things make the trip worthwhile. Our dollar is significantly better placed than the first time I visited the UK, where I received £30 after handing over A$100— on this recent trip I was able to get at least double that. However, the main reason I travel for 24 hours each way and put up with waking up at 3am for a few days at each end is to attend ISBE.
I look forward to attending many more ISBE conferences, including Dublin in 2012.
Stephen Burgess, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
