Abstract
Academic conferences have become predictable and largely transactional, organised around paper presentations, proceeding publications, and performance metrics. This viewpoint argues for a rethinking of this value proposition. Drawing on Service-Dominant Logic and Value Co-Creation Theory, we reframe the academic conference not as a service that delegates consume but as a co-creative ecosystem they collectively produce. We propose that the value of a conference lies in the dialogue, relationships, and shared meaning-making that unfold across and beyond it, and that conference participants, including early career researchers, postgraduate students, academics, practitioners, and organisers alike, are active co-creators of that value rather than passive recipients of it. To illustrate what co-creative design looks like in practice, we use the International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality (ICRTH) as a case vignette, reflecting on it through the four mechanisms that underlie co-creation: dialogue, positioning, voice, and agency. We conclude this viewpoint by considering what this reframing means for participants, organisers, and institutions, with particular attention to its relevance in Asian business and higher education contexts.