I applied to become an IRSSM member in 2020 and remember getting a call from Prof. Jay. His enthusiasm and rigour impressed me. Two years of association with IRSSM have given me academic friends throughout India. Thanks to Prof. Jay Kandampully for his initiatives and Dr. Ravi Chatterjee, Dr. Vibha and Yupal for supporting us in all activities of IRSSM!

I attended IRSSM-6 in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia from 11-15 August 2015. Dr. Jochen Wirtz was our keynote speaker and Prof. Jay Kandampully was the lead organizer. It was a real inspiration to attend the symposium which brought me in contact with a lot of industry experts, some of whom I am still in contact with today. I am also grateful to IRSSM management for awarding me with the Young Service Researcher Award during the symposium. I have followed my passion for service management since then and still conducting research whenever I get an opportunity. Currently, I am studying at Monash University Australia and I always remember the days at the conference and feel myself being part of it. Always. Forever. Thank you Prof. Jay Kandampully, Yupal Shukla, Prof. Alison Dean, Prof. David Solnet, and others at the conference that year.

My IRSSM journey commenced in 2010 in Mauritius (inaugural event) and continued every year - Indonesia, China, India, Estonia, Malaysia, Thailand and Korea – until my retirement in 2017. The IRSSM platform is exceptional in two ways. First, its focus on developing nations has enabled many local scholars to gain access to distinguished researchers and to engage in direct service discussion, an otherwise rare or unlikely opportunity for them. Second, the IRSSM symposium is small and totally inclusive. Everyone is part of the group and everyone belongs. Personally, I learned a great deal, met three co-authors (Nur Indrianti, Benjamin Ellway, Walanchalee Wattanacharoensil) and formed enduring friendships. I extend my congratulations to Jay Kandampully for his commitment and wonderful work and I commend others who are continuing to make service research accessible, inclusive and diverse (Yupal Shukla).

Very rarely do we see such selfless academic personalities like Prof. Jay. His vision to create impactful groups of selfless academicians, cutting across all boundaries of the world and his perseverance to nudge like-minded researchers to support and inspire one another, are bearing fruits today. One needs to join IRSSM to experience its long-lasting impact. Thank you, Prof. Jay, for all the mentoring, opportunities, and love.

I have been lucky enough to be associated with IRSSM as a part of the India chapter since 2020. I full-heartedly corroborate what many others have said - Prof. Jay Kandampully has made an enormous effort to bring many researchers together and get them to work as friends, in teams. As part of IRSSM India, we have been able to attend amazing talks by top-notch researchers that have opened up new vistas for many of us. Thanks a ton, Dr. Ravi Chatterjee and Yupal Shukla for introducing me to Prof. Jay Kandampully and IRSSM!

In 2013, I got to know about the 4th IRSSM to be hosted in India. I remember missing the deadline for submission. However, Prof. Jay Kandampully (Founder and Co-Chair of IRSSM) was kind enough to give me a chance to attend it. After attending IRSSM, I got to know what “impactful research” means. The inspirational speech by leading service research professors at IRSSM shook me and brought a burning desire to learn research well. I was constantly guided and motivated by Prof. Jay Kandampully to spend at least a year outside of India to learn research in a structured way. I do not have words to express my deepest gratitude towards IRSSM and towards Prof. Jay Kandampully for his guidance through hours of discussion about my quest for learning how to do research. IRSSM introduced me to the warm and welcoming service research community. Special thanks to Prof. Srikanth Beldona, Prof. Jochen Wirtz, Prof. Alison Dean, Prof. David Solnet, Prof. Sabine Benoit, Prof. Allard Van Riel, Prof. Liliana Bove, Prof. Werner Kunz, Prof. Bo Edvardsson, Prof. Lia Patrício, Prof. Christian Kowalkowski, Dr Katrien Verleye for helping IRSSM India forum. IRSSM helped me to make many life-long friends, especially Dr. Ravi Chatterjee & Dr. Vibha Arora.