Dr. Ying (Tracy) Lu is an associate professor in the Department of Retailing and Tourism Management, University of Kentucky, USA, and the Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Hospitality and Event Management (IJHEM).

Dr. Lu’s main stream of research is in hospitality and event management.  Her research focuses on consumer behaviors in event and service settings, particularly on the topics of social media use, customer engagement, loyalty, and interactive experiences in local communities and travel destinations.  Dr. Lu has been awarded various grants and published more than fifty refereed publications in leading journals and conference proceedings, including high impact journals such as Annals of Tourism Research and Tourism Management.  Her research was selected for the Best Paper Award at the International Convention and Expo Submit in 2012 and WHTER/ICES Conference in 2013.  Dr. Lu’s academic achievement was recognized in media in the U.S. and China.  Her expertise has been sought by institutions and consulting companies in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Mainland China and Macau SAR.  She has served as the Editor-in-Chief for International Journal of Hospitality and Event Management (IJHEM) since 2012 and the Editorial Board member of International Journal of Tourism Anthropology and International Journal of Qualitative Research in Services.  She is listed in Who’s Who in America since 2014.

Before Dr. Lu joined University of Kentucky, she had developed her professional experience in both academic and industry positions. She was a faculty at South China University of Technology for nearly four years. Prior to that, she was an Assistant Director for customer service at one of the largest International Convention & Exhibition Centers in China.

Honors and Awards

• 2014– present - Who’s who in America
• 2012 – present - Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Hospitality and Event Management
• 2013 – present - Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Qualitative Research in Services
• 2012 – present - Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Tourism Anthropology
• 2013 - Best Paper Award, World Convention on Hospitality, Tourism & Events Research (WHTER) & International Convention and Expo Summit (ICES) 2013, May 24nd – 28th, 2013, Bangkok, Thailand.
• 2012 - Best Paper Award, International Convention and Expo Summit 2012, May 22 - 24, 2012, Hong Kong, China.
• 2011 - Media Recognition in Horizon, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China, Fall Issue, 2011
• 2010  - Media Recognition in Boilerplate, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University, Fall Issue, 2010
• 2010 - Norma H. Compton Outstanding Doctoral Student Award Nomination, School of Consumer Sciences, Purdue University, 2010
• 2010 - Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University, 2010