The 2025 SIOP Conference

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From April 2-5, 2025, I-O psychologists convened for SIOP’s 40^th annual conference. The conference has grown significantly since the first one in 1986, which was designed as a midyear meeting that would allow SIOP members to gather in a smaller setting (as opposed to the much larger American Psychological Association [APA] convention). In 1986, there were only 34 sessions and 776 attendees. The conference was definitely a smaller, more intimate meeting than APA’s convention. The sessions covered topics such as I-O psychology in the courtroom, selection, meta-analysis, job analysis, absenteeism, organizational injustice, and observing leadership. A copy of the first SIOP program grid is shown in Figure 1. The 2025 SIOP conference had 431 sessions (including 28 invited sessions), 668 posters, and 4,241 attendees. This year’s conference was not nearly as small as 1986, but hopefully still the right size to ensure that members gather, interact, build their networks and collaborations, and explore new opportunities. Topics such as leadership, selection, and meta-analysis were still well-represented in 2025; however, new topics such as artificial intelligence in the workplace have emerged. The 2025 program grid was much larger, spanning 3 days with nearly two dozen concurrent sessions in each time slot. The top 10 most popular sessions (measured by the number of registrants that added the session to their Whova agenda) are listed in Table 1.

Figure 1

The Program Grid From the First SIOP Conference in 1986 (reprinted from Issue 2 of Volume 23 of the Industrial-Organizational Psychologist [TIP]).

Table 1

The 10 Most Popular 2025 SIOP Sessions, as Measured by Attendee’s Whova Agenda Additions.

The 2025 SIOP Conference took place in Denver and was SIOP’s first conference in the mountain time zone. Because it was early April in Denver, there was some snow (fortunately without appreciable accumulation). Despite the chilly weather, attendees were very pleased with the conference. In fact, SIOP Conference Chair Jack Kennedy stated, “The 40^th SIOP Annual Conference in Denver may well go down as one of the best ever.” In addition to a jammed-packed agenda of peer-reviewed presentations during the day, the Conference Committee organized a number of evening activities. At Wednesday night’s opening plenary, SIOP President Alexis Fink’s presidential address described how rapid technological advances, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and robotics, are changing how work is being, and will be, done. She explained that these changes will present I-O psychology with significant challenges but also with exciting opportunities. New Fellows and distinguished award winners were recognized followed by an opening reception and top poster display on the top floor of the convention center, which had an amazing view of the city of Denver. Other evening events included the SIOP’s Got Talent Show and the closing reception, along with numerous smaller events sponsored by members and their many organizations/universities. Selected official photographs from the conference can be found in Figure 2.

The 2025 SIOP Conference took place in Denver and was SIOP’s first conference in the mountain time zone. Because it was early April in Denver, there was some snow (fortunately without appreciable accumulation). Despite the chilly weather, attendees were very pleased with the conference. In fact, SIOP Conference Chair, Jack Kennedy, stated that “The 40^th SIOP Annual Conference in Denver may well go down as one of the best ever.” In addition to a jammed-packed agenda of peer-reviewed presentations during the day, the Conference Committee organized a number of evening activities. At Wednesday night’s opening plenary, SIOP President Alexis Fink’s Presidential Address described how rapid technological advances, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality and robotics, are changing how work is being, and will be, done. She explained that these changes will present I-O psychology with significant challenges, but also with exciting opportunities. New Fellows and distinguished award winners were recognized followed by an opening reception and top poster display on the top floor of the convention center, which had an amazing view of the city of Denver. Other evening events included the SIOP’s Got Talent Show and the closing reception, along with numerous smaller events sponsored by members and their many organizations/universities. Selected official photographs from the conference can be found in Figure 2.

Figure 2

Photographs from the 2025 SIOP Conference (Courtesy of SIOP Staff).

Entrance to the 2025 SIOP Conference exhibit hall

The Denver conference featured over 1000 presentations (431 sessions & 668 posters).

Conferences and Programs Portfolio Officer Emily Solberg and SIOP Fellow Jeffrey Facteau enjoy lunch and conversation.

Anthony Roberson, Kelsey Ciagala, and Sam Pawaskar attend one of the many receptions held in Denver.

New Fellows Enrica Ruggs and Katina Sawyer share the red carpet!

The next SIOP conference will take place in New Orleans from April 30 to May 2, 2026. The Conference Committee, led by Conference Chair Jack Kennedy, is already making plans for the 2026 conference. This committee coordinates the various committees and subcommittees that are responsible for the things that make up SIOP conferences, including Workshops, Friday Seminars, Consortia, the Ambassador Program, as well as conference receptions and social events. In addition to taking advantage of the cultural, culinary, and historical offerings of New Orleans, the results of the Denver conference survey will be used to enhance the conference experience for all attendees.

Meanwhile, the Program Committee’s leadership team began planning the 2026 SIOP Program while on site in Denver. This committee is in charge of developing and populating the program grid, which contains all of the peer reviewed sessions as well as a small number of invited and special sessions (e.g., communities of interest, competitions, awards). For the 2025 SIOP Program, Chair Joseph Allen shepherded the launch of a new proposal submission, review, and scheduling system. Additionally, due to diminishing interest from membership as well as ballooning costs associated with audiovisual tools onsite, the 2025 SIOP conference did not include virtual sessions. These changes will be refined and improved for the 2026 Conference. The 2026 SIOP Program Chair, Jeffrey Cucina, is planning to make additional refinements to the new system as well as a number of incremental changes (e.g., updating and refining the list of content areas, holding office hours for submitters). The call for proposals is scheduled for release in August with a submission deadline in October. All submitters will automatically be included as reviewers. However, the Program Committee will continue to need volunteers to sign up to be peer reviewers for the submissions, particularly those who do not submit sessions themselves (i.e., literally hit the submit button in the system). Additionally, SIOP members are strongly encouraged to consider volunteering to serve as peer reviewers, even if they are not planning to submit a proposal or attend the conference. Reviewing proposals is an excellent way to learn more about the recent developments in I-O psychology and to help build an excellent program for SIOP attendees.