About this Event
Join us for the November Melbourne CCT Seminar Series, featuring two presentations on rest and burnout, and the creation of live music experiences. The presentations will be followed by an interactive workshop connecting Consumer Culture Theory and service research and end with social drinks at the Oxford Scholar!
1 PM
On Our Way to Burnout: How Consumers Pursue Rest in a Culture of Achievement
Presented by Professor Daiane Scaraboto (University of Melbourne) and Professor Bernardo Figueiredo (RMIT), on work done with The CCT Scrutinizers research group.
Why is it so difficult to rest, even when we are exhausted? In an achievement culture that celebrates productivity and self-optimization, rest is increasingly treated as something to be planned and optimised. As such, consumers have relied extensively on therapeutic consumption to manage the tension between performing at their best and achieving the biological need for rest. Nonetheless, therapeutic consumption often fails to support self-regulation and well-being. Our study examines the paradox of consumers’ growing and persistent use of therapeutic consumption despite its apparent inability to address exhaustion and burnout. We draw on collaborative autoethnography, combining introspections and in-depth interviews with knowledge workers, as well as online ethnographic data to analyse consumers’ pursuit of rest through therapeutic consumption. Our findings explain how, through the ideology of productive rest, therapeutic consumption comes to reproduce the very dysregulation it seeks to resolve.
2 PM
Bringing the Past Live on Stage: How Legendary Artists Create Successful Live Music Events
Presented by Professor Emeritus of Business and Services Marketing at Freie Universität Berlin Michael Kleinaltenkamp.
How can legendary artists bring their past into the present while creating meaningful experiences for contemporary audiences? Drawing on the case of ABBA Voyage, this presentation explores how nostalgia, immersive technologies, and service design come together to reinvent live music experiences. The research examines how artists can reactivate their cultural legacy, maintain authenticity, and connect with audiences across generations. It introduces the concept of retrovation by revisitation, exploring how the creative reimagining of the past can become a powerful source of contemporary value creation.
3 PM
Interactive Workshop: Connecting Consumer Culture Theory and Service Research
Led by Professor Michael Kleinaltenkamp, coordinated by Dr. Kieran Tierney (RMIT).
Building on the presentation, Michael will facilitate a discussion about opportunities to bring Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) and service research into closer conversation. How might CCT perspectives enrich our understanding of service experiences, value creation, and consumption?
Event venue & nearby stays
RMIT University, College of Business, Building 80, 435-457 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Australia
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.