22-05-2025
Canadians Won't Come to Your Conference? Try Hosting Two
Canadians balked at attending the NASSS's conference in Seattle. The fix: add one in Vancouver as well as a virtual option.
The North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS) was all set for its 2025 annual conference this November at the Westin Seattle. The problem: Some 40% of its members are Canadian, and many don't want to attend due to Trump administration policies.
The solution? A three-part format. NASSS will host a smaller Seattle event, a parallel in-person gathering at UBC Robson Square in Vancouver, and a virtual option.
'U.S. policies are creating an inhospitable environment for conferences,' said Travers, the group's president-elect and a trans professor of sociology at Simon Fraser University. 'People who are trans, racialized, on student visas, or not citizens of the United States, said they're not attending a conference in Seattle. They don't want to deal with the border. Not only is there the issue of safety, but Trump's rhetoric, talking about annexing Canada, making it the 51st state, plus the tariffs.'
NASSS will use the event app Whova to coordinate programming. 'This is going to be complicated to figure out. But we feel we can do it successfully,' Travers said.
Calgary is set to host its 2026 conference, followed by Atlanta in 2027. NASSS is now negotiating to scale back the Atlanta event and add a Canadian program as well.
'It's more work, but the member support is overwhelming," said Travers.
Plus, canceling Seattle would have cost the group $71,000 in penalties, Travers said.
Geopolitical Tensions Shift Events
NASSS isn't alone. Other academic groups are rethinking U.S. travel amid rising political risk. Many are experimenting with flexible conference formats.
In addition, the Canadian Association of University Teachers is recommending that its members avoid non-essential travel to the U.S.
'The CAUT strongly recommends that members considering travel to the U.S. review options for remote attendance and travel only if necessary,' it states in its advisory.
