From May 19-21, 2021, about 120 registered attendees followed the virtual Conf-IRM 2021 conference. The International Conference on Information Resources Management (Conf-IRM) is an affiliated conference of the Association for Information Systems (AIS). This year, a host was found in Johannes Kepler University Linz, which, with its historical background in German-speaking business informatics, has a special connection to its sister discipline Information Systems (IS). Participants gathered information in the context of digitalization around the guiding theme of "Digital Transformation in a (Post-)Pandemic World." Under this year's motto, scientific contributions were submitted in 11 conference tracks divided by focus.
To kick off the event, Co-Chairs Barbara Krumay (Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria) and Gerald Grant (Carleton University Ottawa, Canada) welcomed the virtual audience in the lobby. Due to the different time zones of the presenters, the sessions were additionally divided regionally. The intelligently organized segmentation created ideal conditions for presenters and interested parties to exchange ideas without having to be physically present. Researchers from all over the world shared their experiences and gained insights with the audience. The interaction between the actors worked perfectly, resulting in lively discussions following the presentations. The recorded presentations are available on the Youtube channel, opens an external URL in a new window of the Institute of Information Systems - Information Engineering.
With expert knowledge and full of enthusiasm on the topic, keynote speaker Carol Saunders explained how pre-coronavirus IS research can be applied to a variety of topics such as online learning, virtual teams, work-family conflict, gender inequality, and the digital divide in the pandemic and in a post-pandemic world. In the keynote held the following day, Roland Karlsböck presented in a remarkable way how Information & Communication Technology (ICT) influences organizational resilience during the pandemic and how ICT enables the path to recovery and renewal for the future.
Interaction is fundamentally necessary for a conference, which is why an extensive entertainment program was organized in addition to the technical agenda items. The social events included a variety of activities, through the special design of which the local culture was brought closer. There was a free choice of Power Point Karaoke - battle decks, 360° JKU campus tour and a cooking show. Especially the cooking show aroused a great interest of the participants. Traditional Austrian dishes were prepared under the live guidance of a chef. On Thursday, a delicious Wiener Schnitzel was prepared, while on Friday, participants were initiated into the secrets of making a Kaiserschmarren, the famous Austrian dessert once favored by Kaiser Franz Joseph the First.
The event's successful digital implementation has brought together scientists from around the world. Still, the virtual format is not a long-term replacement for the conference, but it is a profitable addition. With this in mind, the organizers hope that the next Conf-IRM will be held on-site again. The organizing team would like to sincerely thank all contributors for the smooth running of the conference and the exciting inputs.
We are already looking forward to the next time.
