Western Hemispheric Trade Conference

• Keynote Presentations
• Concurrent Academic Sessions
• English and Spanish Sessions
• Live Broadcasting of In-Person Sessions
• Electronic Proceedings
• Special Sessions for Students (Doctoral, Master's, and Undergraduate)
• Student Paper Competition
• Reduced Registration Fee for Students

• A select number of qualified papers will be considered for publication in a special issue of The International Trade Journal (ITJ), a leading peer-reviewed academic journal now entering its 41st year.
• A select number of papers will be invited to submit to the Center’s Working Paper Series.
• Opportunity to interact with peers from various countries and gain insight into emerging topics related to economics, finance, management, marketing, information technology, and international business, among others.

• Day 1 (Wednesday) | In-person evening keynote address; virtual concurrent academic sessions will be added, if needed.

• Day 2 (Thursday) | In-person full-day Conference with concurrent academic sessions, a luncheon keynote address, and dinner. Virtual concurrent academic sessions will be scheduled throughout the day.

• Day 3 (Friday) | In-person half-day Conference with concurrent academic sessions, a luncheon keynote address, and presentation of student awards. Continuation of virtual concurrent academic sessions.

*Subject to change. 

Submissions can be full-length manuscripts, short summary notes, or abstracts. Only full-length manuscripts and summary notes may be considered for inclusion in the special issue of the ITJ and the electronic proceedings.

• Full-length manuscripts should not exceed 8,000 words and should be no longer than 30 double-spaced pages using standard margins, a 12-point font, and including the cover page, all references, tables, and graphs.
• Summary notes should not exceed 3,000 words and should be no longer than 12 double-spaced pages using standard margins, a 12-point font, and including the cover page, all references, and tables. Please refrain from including figures in the summary notes.
• Abstracts should be between 100 and 500 words. 

Submissions are invited on any topic related to global business issues including, but not limited to, accounting, economics, finance, foreign direct investment, globalization, information technology, investment, logistics, management, marketing, sustainability, trade, and development.

All participants must submit their work electronically to cswht@tamiu.edu.

Submissions imply that at least one author will register for the Conference and be present at the time designated in the Conference program, either in-person or virtually. Research-in-progress will be accepted. Graduate and undergraduate students as well as non-academic affiliates are also welcome.

Please send an MS Word file of your submission by February 5, 2027, for inclusion in the Conference. Each submission must include a cover page containing only the title of the research with the author(s) name, affiliation, and contact information.

All abstract submissions must include the following statement:

• “By submitting this abstract, I acknowledge that I am the author/co-author of the abstract and that I have the permission of all co-authors to include this submission in the 31st Annual Western Hemispheric Trade Conference. In addition, I understand that abstracts will not be considered for inclusion in the electronic proceedings of the Conference."

All paper and summary note submissions to be considered for possible inclusion in the special issue of the ITJ and/or electronic proceedings should include the following statement: 

• “By submitting this paper/summary note, I acknowledge that I am the author/co-author of the paper/summary note and that I have the permission of all co-authors to include this submission in the 31st Annual Western Hemispheric Trade Conference Proceedings. I also acknowledge that I have the rights to include any third-party materials in the submission."

Upon submission, please indicate:

• if you would like your submission to be considered for inclusion in the electronic conference proceedings,
• if you would like your submission to be considered for publication in a special issue of The International Trade Journal,
• if you would like your submission to be considered for the Center’s Working Paper Series,
• if you prefer to make your presentation in English or Spanish, and
• if you plan to participate in person or virtually.

Registration opens November 2, 2026.

Submissions imply that at least one author will register for the Conference and be present at the time designated in the Conference program, either in-person or virtually. 

Note: All expenses, including registration for the Conference, travel, accommodation, etc., are the responsibility of the authors/presenters. No financial support can be provided by TAMIU.

Virtual participants are not eligible to receive meals, promotional items (conference bag, notebook, etc.), printed materials, or certificates of participation.

The Best Student Paper Award will include:

• Plaque for each eligible author
• Honorarium of $400 to be shared among eligible author(s)
• Free registration for the 2028 Conference
• Automatic consideration for publication in The International Trade Journal

Authors of high-quality papers that are not chosen for the award are eligible to receive an Honorable Mention Award which will include:

• Honorarium of $100 to be shared among eligible author(s)
• Free registration for the 2028 Conference

An author is considered eligible for prizes if he/she registers for the Conference and actively participates by presenting his/her work during the time designated in the Conference program.

• Papers must be authored by the student(s) submitting the paper and may only be co-authored with other students.

• Papers must be original work developed as a Conference research paper, not a project report for funded work.

• Papers must follow general Conference paper submission guidelines.

• Student(s) must present the paper during the time designated in the Conference program to qualify for prizes.

• Only submissions written and presented in English will be eligible.

• Evaluation will be based on the quality of both the paper and presentation.

• Students must be enrolled at the time of the Conference. We ask that students have their faculty advisor confirm their student status and level of study at the time the paper is submitted via email to cswht@tamiu.edu.

Award decisions will be made by an Awards Committee formed among members of the Conference Program Committee and announced during the closing activities as designated in the Conference program.

Map of the TAMIU Campus

Parking permits are not required on campus, unless you are in a reserved parking space. 

Registered participants can check-in at the Student Center (STC), 2nd Floor Rotunda beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 15, 2027. 

On-site registration will not be available, and we do not accept payment at the door.

The Conference agenda will be shared with registered participants closer to the event dates.

Each paper will be allotted 15 minutes for presentation with an additional 5 minutes set aside for set-up and questions and answers. The use of presentation slides is highly recommended. 

In-Person Presentations

Please arrive at your meeting room 5 to 10 minutes before the start of your session and bring your slide deck with you on a flash drive. We will have staff available to assist.

We will be broadcasting all on-site presentations live via Microsoft Teams for our virtual participants.

Virtual Presentations

Virtual presentations will delivered via Microsoft Teams, and you will have the ability to share your slide deck.

Please join your session at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. This will give you the opportunity to check your connectivity and, if time allows, to practice sharing your presentations.

A practice session may be offered for those that would like to check their connectivity and practice sharing their applications. 

Certificates of Participation will only be issued to in-person participants who have completed the registration process and present their research at the time designated in the Conference program. In addition, registration is per person, not per submission.

Only full papers and summary notes will be considered for inclusion in the electronic proceedings.

In addition, authors are responsible for ensuring that their papers are prepared and formatted to meet applicable accessibility requirements. 

For assistance, please contact the Center at cswht@tamiu.edu.