Business Communication around the World:

Strategies and Perspectives on Research, Pedagogy, and Practice

Download convention program

ABC 6th European Convention
20-22 May, 2004
Milan, Italy

Overview

The Association for Business Communication (ABC) European Region will hold its 6th convention in Milan, Italy, May 20-22, 2004. The convention is organized in conjunction with the Catholic University of Milan, Faculty of Linguistics and Foreign Literature. One of the main objectives of the convention is to provide a forum for scholars, educators and practitioners with diverse perspectives and traditions in communication research, pedagogy and practice.

Convention topics

The convention will consist of plenary sessions, individual and joint presentations, special panels, and longer workshops and symposia (normally 2 ½ hours) on the following topics:

• Intercultural and International Aspects of Business Communication
• Business Communication and Ethics
• Interpersonal Communication in Business Settings
• Teaching Business Communication
• Communication in Fashion and Design
• Financial Communication / Investor Relations
• Communication in Tourism, Travel and Hospitality
• New Technologies in Business Communication
• Suggestions for other topics are also welcome.

Ph.D. Colloquium Sponsored by the ABC Research Committee: The Program will include a session conducted in a workshop format for Ph.D. students. Participants will present their doctoral research or, if they have just started their programs, they can briefly present their research area.

Venue

The convention will be held at the Catholic University (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – www.unicatt.it) in Milan, Italy. With over 40,000 students and 2,600 academic staff, it is the largest private university in Italy. Milan, capital of the Lombardy Region, has always been forward-looking. During its history of over 2,000 years, the city has been a driving force for major social, economic, cultural and political events. Milan is also a city of art, with a wealth of monuments, palazzi, churches and museums: the Duomo (cathedral), The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, and La Scala draw visitors from around the world. Outside of Milan lie charming towns, beautiful Lake Como, and the nearby Alps.

Call for papers

Participants are invited to submit a proposal for individual or joint papers (25 minutes, which includes discussion), for one-hour panels or roundtables, or for special sessions (workshops, symposia or panels, 2 ½ to 3 hours) on convention topics. Presentations in the Ph.D. Colloquium will last 10 minutes or less, depending on the stage of the presenter’s research.

Submission: Proposals can be sent to Maria Teresa Zanola or Giovanni Gobber, Convention Chairs, by email attachment to mariateresa.zanola@unicatt.it or giovanni.gobber@unicatt.it. Proposals for special sessions/workshops/symposia and for papers on the topics of Financial Communication and Communication in Tourism, Travel and Hospitality can be sent directly to Gina Poncini (gina.poncini@lu.unisi.ch), member of the Milan 2004 Organizing Committee and ABC Vice President Europe.

Submission Deadline: December 14, 2003. Acceptances will be communicated by the end of January 2004.

Proposals must include the following:

• A one-page abstract for evaluation (at least 300 words). Proposals for workshops/symposia may consist of several pages.
• A 90-word abstract (or shorter) which will persuade those reading the convention program to attend your session. For workshops/symposia, the length of the final program description depends on the kind of session and will be discussed with the organizers.
• The information listed below.

Name:
Affiliation:
Address:
Tel. no. and fax number:
E-mail address:
Visual aid requests: Please specify your audio-visual needs other than overhead projectors. Video/computer projectors will be available.

Ph.D. Colloquium: If your proposal is for the Ph.D. Colloquium, please indicate this. In early March 2004, participants in the Ph.D. Colloquium will send a send a description of their presentation topic and/or their research area to the conference organizers for distribution, so that colloquium participants can read about each other’s work before the conference. Details will be provided with acceptances in January 2004.

Convention-related publications: Details about convention-related publications will be communicated.

Convention Language: The official language of the convention is English. Unless the session description in the program indicates another language will be used, all presentations will be in English.

Convention Organizing Committee

Contact Details

For comments or questions about the Convention program, please contact Gina Poncini, ABC Vice President Europe, or Luisa Sartirana of the Conference Organization Office.

Registration
The registration fee includes participation in the convention program, entrance to all sessions, all convention materials, refreshments during breaks, an informal reception on Wednesday, 19 May 2004, and lunch on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. ABC members qualify for a membership discount on registration. There is also a discount for full-time students (proof of status required on site).

The registration forms include details about making payments. One form is for bank transfers (in Euros, to the organizers' account at Catholic University) and the other is for credit card payments (in U.S. dollars, handled through ABC Headquarters in New York).

Download form to register by credit card (USD)

Download form to register by bank transfer (EUR)

Registration fees are as follows:

About joining ABC: Please see membership page of this web site for information on ABC membership benefits and forms, handled through ABC Headquarters in New York. You can take advantage of the reduced conference registration rate for members as soon as you join ABC.

Accommodations, social arrangements, and tours
The hotels listed below are near the conference venue and offer rooms at convention rates. Rooms can be booked directly by participants using the emails provided below. Reservations are on a first come first served basis. To receive the convention rate, you must indicate you are attending the “ABC convention”. Convention participants will settle their hotel bills individually at their hotel. You can also visit the web sites provided at the end of the page for further information about accommodations in Milan.

Hotel Regina **** (4 stars)
via Cesare Correnti, 13
Milan
tel. +39 02 5810.6913
fax. +39 02 5810.7033
Single room with breakfast: Eur 112
Rate valid until 31 March 2004
www.hotelregina.it
email: info@hotelregina.it

Hotel Palazzo delle Stelline *** (3 stars)
Corso Magenta, 61
Milan
tel. +39 02 4818.431
fax: +39 02 4819.4281
Single room with breakfast: Eur 80
Single room “superior” with breakfast: Eur 95
Double room with breakfast: Eur 118
Suite with breakfast: Eur 140
www.hotelpalazzostelline.it
email: hotelpalazzostelline@tin.it

Hotel Sant'Ambroeus *** (3 stars)
Viale Papiniano, 14
Milano
tel. +39 02 4800.8989
fax +39 02 4800.8687
Single room with breakfast: Eur 93
Double room, single occupancy, with breakfast: Eur 116
Double room with breakfast: Eur 145
Rates valid until 31 March 2004
www.hotelsantambroeus.it
email: info@hotelsantambroeus.it

Hotel Mercuri Relais Milano *** (3 stars)
via Conca del Naviglio, 20
Milan
tel. +39 02 5810.4141
fax. +39 02 8940.1012
Single room with breakfast: Eur 93
Rate valid until 31 March 2004
email: mercuremilanocg@metha.com

The Convention Dinner (Eur 60 / USD 75) will be held on Thursday, May 20, 2004, at the Ristorante Orti di Leonardo, connected to the historic garden of the present-day Centro Congressi Stelline, the Palazzo where Leonardo da Vinci is said to have stayed.

The Postconference Tour (Eur 25 / USD 32) will take place on Saturday afternoon, May 22, 2004. After lunch at the conference (included with registration fees), participants will travel by bus to Lake Garda in the province of Brescia for a boat trip on this beautiful lake. After that we'll visit a winery in the Garda wine region.

Travel Information

Milan can be easily reached by air, train and automobile. The city is served by two airports, Linate in Milan itself, and Malpensa, about 50 km northwest of the city. International flights generally land at Malpensa, while mainly domestic and some European flights land at Linate. Information on both Milan airports is available at www.sea-aeroportimilano.it. Train schedules are available at www.trenitalia.com.

How to reach Milan from Linate Airport and Malpensa Airport

From Linate Airport: ordinary city bus or the Airbus, which stops beside the Central Train Station, where you can get the green or yellow line of the subway/underground (Metropolitana).

From Malpensa Airport: The train Malpensa Express connects Malpensa Airport with the center of Milan (Cadorna Station). Travel time is 40 minutes, with trains that leave in both directions every half-hour. Conference participants will receive further details about travel.

How to reach Catholic University / Università Cattolica
Catholic University is located in the center of Milan between the underground station of Cadorna (red and green lines) and the S. Ambrogio underground station (green line). It is a five minute walk from both stations. The university is right behind St. Ambrogio Basilica. A wide network of buses and trams and the subway system (metropolitana) cover the entire city and generally all the main places can be reached within half an hour. Buses 50 and 58 stop very near the university and could comfortably bring you to the city center.

Other websites of interest

Museums: www.rcs.it/mimu/english/index.htm
Teatro alla Scala: http://lascala.milano.it
Guide to Milan with links of interest: www.citylightsnews.com/ztmilink.htm
Subway / Underground (Metropolitana) map:
         www.citylightsnews.com/ztmmmp1.htm
City bus system: www.atm-mi.it/eng
Tourist information: www.milanoinfotourist.com/home.htm