Event Attendee Research Articles

Sport event leveraging aimed at destination brand benefits: The case Cameroon

The study sets out to determine event attendee perceptions on sport event leveraging which is aimed at destination brand benefits for Cameroon. The study employed a quantitative inquiry whereby data were collected from sport event attendees at various stadiums in Cameroon during the 2021 African Cup of Nations. The findings reveal that there are clear means for event leveraging for Cameroon which primarily link to economic development and is reflected in the lengthening of visitor stays. Further, the results expose the clear brand messages of Cameroon through event hosting, which are effectively felt in promotional activities but are not affected in practice by key event brand stakeholders and the government. This shows that leveraging, especially through event media is haphazardly implemented, which therefore presents critical implications for practice. Beyond the contribution to the extant event leveraging knowledge which is reflected in the extension of the scope in event leveraging theories, this research contributes to event stakeholders involved in leveraging regarding policy development and decision-makers in strategic planning for event hosting.

The Transformative Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Event Management Industry

This opinion paper explores the burgeoning influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the event management industry. AI has emerged as a powerful tool, offering innovative solutions for event planning, execution, and attendee engagement. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of AI's role in event management, discussing its applications, benefits, and potential drawbacks based on contemporary researches and publications. By analysing six (6) current trends and four (4) critical reception of AI in the event industry, we aim to shed light on its transformative potential and its implications for the future of event management. At the end of the paper, the researchers provide recommendations on how to navigate the obstacles in implementing AI technology in event management. This paper is critical in its role to ignite discussions regarding AI implementation in event industry as there are currently very few academic writings on this topic.

The Effectiveness of Virtual Events During Covid-19 Pandemics

Events suffer from severe impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on mass gatherings. The industry shifts to digital environment to sustain. However, virtual events’ limitation is multi-dimensional interaction resulting in consumer experience and satisfaction. Therefore, the effectiveness of virtual events is questioned. Key themes of COVID-19 impacts on the event industry and virtual event environment are review. Then, a conceptual model on event experience is applied as the theoretical framework of this research. This research is guided by the constructivism approach. Using qualitative methods and a semi-structured questionnaire, six interviews were conducted to exploit narratives on virtual event interaction and attendee experience. Data are analyzed according to three key themes of pre-, during-, and post-event experience. The incompletion of five senses in virtual event design restrains interpersonal interaction which negatively affect attendee experience. Some practices are recommended to increase virtual event’s effectiveness, including virtual avatars, three-dimensional projection, and hybrid events. Experience on virtual events is negative due to low degree of interpersonal interaction. Various application of virtual reality technology is suggested to improve effectiveness. Despite some limitations, this research has expanded the literature of virtual events.

Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide Is Associated with Improved Clinical Outcomes in HLA-Mismatched Unrelated Donor Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide Is Associated with Improved Clinical Outcomes in HLA-Mismatched Unrelated Donor Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Multicenter, Open-Label, Phase 3 Study of Tabelecleucel for Solid Organ or Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients with Epstein-Barr Virus-Driven Post Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disease after Failure of Rituximab or Rituximab and Chemotherapy (ALLELE)

Multicenter, Open-Label, Phase 3 Study of Tabelecleucel for Solid Organ or Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients with Epstein-Barr Virus-Driven Post Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disease after Failure of Rituximab or Rituximab and Chemotherapy (ALLELE)

Brexucabtagene Autoleucel for Relapsed/Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Real World Experience from the US Lymphoma CAR T Consortium

Brexucabtagene Autoleucel for Relapsed/Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Real World Experience from the US Lymphoma CAR T Consortium

Evaluation of Katara Cultural Village Events And Services: a Visitors' Perspective

Perceived value is understood to be a precursor of visitor satisfaction and loyalty and it is impacted by product quality. The relations between quality, value, and satisfaction have been gaining increasing attention in the marketing and tourism fields. Accordingly, this study examines visitors' evaluations of Katara Cultural Village events and services and their satisfaction. To achieve this aim, a questionnaire was conducted and distributed to 532 visitors in Katara. Results showed that Katara was a successful tourism destination in Doha, which attracts large numbers of visitors with different demographic characteristics. According to respondents, Katara has several social, economic, and environmental impacts, which are mainly positive. The social impacts of Katara seemed to be most noticeable because cultural events and activities represent the core of Katara's model. As mentioned, results showed a high level of visitors' satisfaction with Katara's events and services, with an overall assessment score of 78.6% and 71.3%, respectively. Additionally, the results from one-way ANOVA and t tests revealed that there are no significant differences in visitors' assessment of Katara's events and services between demographic groups in terms of gender, nationality, and age. However, these results contribute to the understanding of event attendee behavior, providing researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in Katara with insights into how to effectively design and manage events.

Immersive event experience and attendee motivation: a quantitative analysis using sensory, localisation, and participatory factors

ABSTRACT ‘Immersive events' is a growing category within the range of event typologies that includes participatory theatre, interactive launch parties, ‘escape rooms’ and dress-up cinema. A conceptual model reflects three core elements of the immersive events: Interaction, Sensory experience, and Localisation. A targeted online survey obtained a sample of n = 201 participants who had attended an immersive event within the past year. The results reveal that novelty and entertainment are highly important to attendee motivation. Gender, marital status, age, and education affected attendance patterns. Attendees were drawn to the uniqueness and participatory aspects of the immersive event. Deterrents to attendance were cost and perceived value. Rapid developments in digital technology suggest even greater degrees of immersivity on the horizon. These findings offer a timely contribution to the better understanding of the immersiveness concept, and its influence on attendee motivation and experience.

Transformative potential of events – the case of gay ski week in Queenstown, New Zealand

Purpose Previous research has explored a relatively narrow representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and queer (LGBTQ) community. Yet modern event attendees are part of a diverse niche group within the broader LGBTQ community. This group comprises a wide range of event attendees in search of more than sex, clubs and feather boas. This paper aims to report on empirical research conducted in Queenstown, New Zealand, during the 2016 Gay Ski Week (GSW) and explores the transformative, inclusive potential of event places, social atmospheres and experiences. Design/methodology/approach Ethnographic and autoethnographic research methods were used in this study for the exploration of transformative tourism experiences. Qualitative data were collected via in-depth interviews, observations and one of the author’s immersive experiences of the event. This author was able to bridge the divide between research and participant, contributing to a contextualised understanding of various participants’ subjective realities. Findings The paper reports on and discusses empirical findings, which are organised under the meta-themes of place and social atmosphere, attendee experiences, acceptance and inclusivity. Research limitations/implications From these themes emerge a broader understanding of how LGBTQ tourism events can contribute to transformative, inclusive experiences. Originality/value This paper explores the need for event managers to revisit and adapt to the demographic, motivational and behavioural characteristics of the modern gay event attendee. In particular, this paper discovers the motivations of Asian gay attendees as a marginalised community within a traditional LGBTQ event in a traditional heterosexual destination.

Exploring industry priorities regarding customer satisfaction and implications for event evaluation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the priorities of event organisers (EOs) and venue managers (VM) in terms of evaluation criteria and avenues for advancing the development and implementation of banks of questions regarding customer satisfaction evaluation.Design/methodology/approachThe results presented are based on a questionnaire distributed to a sample of EOs and VM which sought to identify their priorities with regard to customer satisfaction feedback.FindingsThe findings show that a significant proportion of respondents had never undertaken formal evaluation, citing time and resources as the key barriers. In addition, a wide range of satisfaction-related criteria were rated as important, with the most valued criteria often related to generalised areas, but failing to consider the motivations of individuals for event attendance, which also appears as a gap within evaluation literature. The research findings indicate that developing banks of evaluation questions is a complex task, due to the number of potential variables in terms of events and audiences.Originality/valueIn linking the priority areas identified by the respondents with evaluation literature and event attendee motivations, this paper proposes alternative ways of structuring and utilising banks of evaluation questions linked to attendee profiles and motivations. Its central premise is that evaluation of consumer satisfaction should be led by consumer motivations and expectations if it is to be viable, meaningful and aid future event development and enhancement. This raises many questions and avenues for future research, to progress the area of logistically feasible evaluation, which generates rich and meaningful data.

Primary Economic Impact of Small-scale Sports Events

The assumption that events can have positive economic impacts has increased interest in their hosting by many destinations worldwide. Although attendees are a constitutive part of events, scarce research has empirically analyzed their behavior from an economic standpoint. In particular, further exploratory research is required on (1) how much money event attendees spend at events, and (2) the extent to which event attendee expenditures positively affect the host region. A better understanding of these two aspects is crucial for any kind of economic impact assessment. This study examines three World Cup ski-jumping events in Norway during the winter of 2012–2013. Altogether, 870 spectators were interviewed at the venues in Vikersund, Trondheim, and Oslo. Prior research has estimated that the proportion of spectators contributing to a positive economic impact is between 10% and 60%. The current study shows that the share of this spectator group at the World Cup ski-jumping events in Norway lies in the lower part of the range. Furthermore, the study shows that though the total number of spectators was significant (137,000), the primary economic impact on the host region was modest, amounting to less than NOK 9 million.

Event as Spiritual Pilgrimage: A Case Study of the ‘Cherish’ Christian Women’s Conference

In examining an aspect of the eventization of faith (Pfadenhauer, 2010), this article considers an annual women’s conference, ‘Cherish’, a church-led event. Due to the pressures on the space available in its former home in the organising church’s campus, the growth in the event’s popularity has resulted in the church organisers moving the event venue to a commercial arena. The research questions the extent to which this popular conference meets the criteria of the academic characteristics of pilgrimage, and aims to clarify to what extent the thousands of women who attend the Cherish conference experience the event - and their journeys - as a spiritual pilgrimage, to which many return, year after year. Primary research was undertaken using an online questionnaire, with additional rich data sourced from the event’s Twitter feed, going back to 2009, as well as the researcher’s personal experience as an event attendee. The research concludes that whilst these women make a physical and geographical journey, travelling across the UK and from around the world to this spiritual event, they also make a spiritual journey of inner transformation, and community-building. Many leave behind their everyday lives and their families for a temporary escape, to which they return, reinvigorated. Having moved the event location from a church campus into a commercial arena, the new site appears to be as acceptable as a holy space as the former venue, where the presence of the divine is still recognised, and the attendees grow together, confident in their new home, and bringing their community with them into a new city.

Photokeratitis Linked to Metal Halide Bulbs in Two Gymnasiums - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2011 and 2013.

In December 2011 and December 2013, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) received separate reports of clusters of photokeratitis linked to gymnasium events. Photokeratitis, a painful eye condition resulting from unprotected exposure to ultraviolet radiation, has previously been linked to metal halide lamps with broken outer envelopes (1,2). To investigate the cause of these clusters and further characterize patients with photokeratitis, PDPH administered questionnaires to potentially exposed persons, established a case definition, and conducted environmental assessments of both gymnasiums. Because event attendee registration information was available, a cohort study was conducted to evaluate the 2011 cluster of 242 persons who met the photokeratitis case definition. A case-series investigation was conducted to evaluate the 2013 cluster of 20 persons who met the photokeratitis case definition for that event. These investigations indicated that Type R metal halide bulbs with broken outer envelopes found in both gymnasiums were the probable cause of the photokeratitis. The Food and Drug Administration has made a number of recommendations regarding the use of metal halide bulbs in facilities where bulbs are at elevated risk for breaking, such as schools and indoor sports facilities (3). Because Type R metal halide lamps do not self-extinguish once the outer envelope is broken, these bulbs should be removed from settings with a high risk for outer envelope rupture, such as gymnasiums, or should be placed within enclosed fixtures. In instances where these bulbs cannot be exchanged for self-extinguishing lamps, Type R lamps with a broken outer envelope should be replaced immediately to limit exposure to ultraviolet radiation. A broken outer envelope can be detected by the presence of glass on the floor, or visual examination of the bulb when the power is turned off. A broken outer envelope is difficult to detect when the lamp is emitting light.

Pro-environmental behavior in sport event tourism: roles of event attendees and destinations

Sport event tourism destinations hope that their green event operations will encourage event attendees to adopt pro-environmental behaviors. Yet little research has examined whether event attendees have greater awareness of destination environmental responsibility and whether, if so, it improves their environmental behavior. This study aims to examine whether sport event attendees' pro-environmental behavior at home differs from their behavior at sport event tourism destination; and assess whether the difference of pro-environmental behavior between two settings is affected differently depending on sport event attendee' characteristics. Study participants are sport event attendees who were tailgaters in a university campus in the Midwest region of the USA. Onsite systematic sampling was conducted in 2013. After distributing follow-up surveys, a total of 514 surveys were collected. Results of the paired-sample t-tests indicated that study participants' self-reported recycling behavior scores decreased from home to the sport event setting. Furthermore, results of mixed between-within subjects ANOVAs revealed that the degree of decrease in sport event attendees' pro-environmental behavior from home to sport event tourism destination is different depending on event attendees' perception of destination environmental responsibility and event attendee sub-types (i.e., tourist vs. non-tourist). Theoretical discussions and managerial implications are presented.

Changing audience behaviour: festival goers and throwaway tents

Purpose – To translate theory into a practical tool, the purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework for the development of social marketing strategies to modify event attendee behaviour in a sustainable direction. Design/methodology/approach – Consumer value is synthesised with social marketing and consumer behaviour theory to develop the framework. A major problem for festivals (throwaway tents) and current pro-environmental practices are used to determine the framework's applicability. Findings – The conceptual framework suggests that achieving desired behaviour(s) within an audience requires consideration of the added value at the downstream level, strategies that recognise offsite/onsite behaviour settings, engagement of upstream advocacy and more attention to the evaluation of success. Research limitations/implications – A single low-involvement behaviour example is used to validate the conceptual framework suggesting further work is needed to widen tests of its applicability. Originality/value – This paper synthesises theory into a framework that has significant potential as a tool to develop behavioural change strategies at events.

Green attendees' evaluation of green attributes at the convention centre: using importance–performance analysis

For convention centre operators, managers, and meeting professionals, the current focus on green meetings is no longer a trend. Cities in the USA are seeing a boom in green attribute development at convention centres; however, little is known regarding attribute perception from an event attendee perspective. This study explored the importance and performance of 20 green attributes relevant to the meetings and events industry. An online questionnaire was administered to 115 event attendees at the Phoenix Convention Center. The survey obtained importance and performance ratings for these green attributes. Findings indicate that the green industry identified attributes that are important from an event attendee perspective. Results should be valuable to convention sales/service managers, green marketing research, and green attribute development for the meetings and events industry.

Event Attributes and the Structure of Satisfaction: A Case Study of Golf Spectators

A tourist or event attendee's satisfaction can be affected by the performance of a single attribute, especially if the experience is negative. In order to structure attributes in a way that is most beneficial to event or destination hosts, it is necessary to focus on those attributes that can be controlled and/or adjusted by the hosts. The purpose of this study was to examine multiple categorizations of attributes to determine which structure most closely represents the psychological representations present in the attendee's minds and which of these categories has the most influence on overall event satisfaction. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine that the categorization of attributes by activity type was a best fit to the data. Activity type attribute categories of tournament specific, food/beverage, destination hospitality, transportation, and staff/information were revealed. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to determine that tournament-specific attributes had the most influence on event satisfaction, followed by hospitality and staff/information attributes (standardized loadings of 0.371, 0.298, and 0.094, respectively). Results indicate that event-specific and hospitality attributes provide the most influence on satisfaction, but are not always in direct control of the event coordinator. Events should closely monitor attributes that are external to the event to ensure the highest level of spectator satisfaction.

An Examination of Festival Motivation and Perceived Benefits Relationship: Eskişehir International Festival

The objectives of this study are threefold. The first objective is to understand the underlying dimensions of motivation for attending a prominent city festival in Turkey and if motivation will vary with respect to the socio-demographic composition of attendees. The second objective is to ascertain how festival attendees perceive the socio-economic benefits of the festival and how these vary across select demographic variables. Finally, the study examines the nature of the relationship that may exist between festival motivation and perceived benefits of the festival. The results indicate that the only significant variation in motivation occurs across gender. Female visitors place significantly more importance on “escape and excitement,” “family togetherness,” and “event novelty.” The findings also reveal that younger attendees seem to place more importance on socialization and event loyalty, and older attendees place more importance on family togetherness. Multiple classification analysis indicates that as age increases, so does the importance placed on event novelty. This finding is also valid for increased educational level. Escape and excitement is a common motivator across all age, income, and occupation groups. The study findings also point out that local attendees see a positive relation between the perceived socioeconomic benefits of events, community cohesion, and motivation for attending such events. The article ends with both practical implications for the festival organizers and city officials and theoretical contributions to the growing research of event attendee behavior.

Security, Perceived Safety, and Event Attendee Enjoyment at the 2003 Rugby World Cup

International sport event organizers around the world have placed considerations of terrorism high on their planning and risk management agendas since September 11, 2001. Increased public awareness about the threat of terrorism and associated safety concerns have led to increased security, especially for large multicountry international events. To date there has been limited empirical research on the relationship between sport event attendance and the impact of terrorism, with the exception of the body of work on the 1972 Olympic Games. In this article the authors outline the extensive antiterrorism security measures taken at the 2003 Rugby World Cup held in Australia. To determine the impact of these measures, event attendees were surveyed to determine the extent to which terrorism influenced event attendees' motivations, perceptions of safety, and level of enjoyment. The results indicate that security measures were perceived as sufficient and attendees were generally not deterred by the threat of terrorism. The heightened security enhanced the event experience for some attendees, with only a small minority reporting a negative impact on satisfaction. Suggestions for further research and practice are discussed.

Impact of Olympic Spectator Safety Perception and Security Concerns on Travel Decisions

Attendance at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games did not reach levels comparable to previous Summer Games. Public speculation on the low attendance blamed high travel expense, media emphasis on construction delays, and time poverty. This study illustrates that at least one of the factors influencing the decision to attend the Olympic Games was safety and security perceptions. This article uses data collected from spectators at the 2004 Olympic Games to address the role of safety and security issues on the event attendee's decision-making process as well as attendee satisfaction with the event security. Sixty-six percent of those surveyed at the Olympic Games said that security was somewhat to very important in their decision to attend the 2004 Summer Games. Only 4% indicated that security was the most important factor in their decision. Additionally, over 28% of respondents indicated that they personally knew of someone who did not attend the 2004 Olympic Games due to security concerns. Security was important to those people who actually chose to attend the 2004 Olympic Games, and future research should be conducted to determine how security concerns may have deterred those who ultimately chose not to attend the 2004 Olympic Games or future events. This article extends previous research on Olympic spectator motivations and perceptions.