AN ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS (AHP) MODEL FOR UNDERSTANDING CONVENTION PLANNERS’ PRIOR FACTORS OF CONVENTION HOTEL SELECTION

Abstract

<p>In the process of organizing a convention, owners of conventions forward their requests to convention planners and leave the full organization of the event to convention planners. Therefore, convention planners perform all the purchases for the organization of a convention. Selecting the suitable convention hotel is a critical step for a successful convention, and for that reason, convention hotels should understand convention planners’ preferences in order to have success in convention tourism. The aim of this study is therefore to determine the primary convention hotel selection criteria of convention planners operating in Ankara. The Delphi technique was used for the development of a data collection form. Data were gathered by conducting face to face interviews with managers from 13 travel agents in April, 2014. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed in the analysis of data. Findings indicate that facilities of the convention hotel, price, accessibility, site environment, and local support were clarified as the primary factors, respectively. Managerial implications for convention hotel managements are also discussed. </p>