As the UK recovers from an unprecedented recession, the importance of concern touristry to the UK economic system should non be understated. In 2008, concern touristry, which includes meetings, inducements, conferences and exhibitions ( MICE ) , generated ?9.1bn ( ?4.6bn international reachings / ?4.5bn domestic ) for the domestic economic system ( EnjoyEngland, 2008 ; Office for National Statistics, 2009 ) . Bing economically important, extant research has preponderantly focuses on the supply-side impact of the MICE sphere, chiefly in finish and locale fight in the conference and exhibition sectors ( Whitfield, 2005 ; Mair & A ; Thompson, 2010 ) . Minimal attending is being drawn to demand-side properties, such as understanding the motives for exhibition attending ( Berne and Garcia-Uceda, 2008 ) .
The cardinal premiss of any exhibition ( besides referred to as trade shows, trade carnivals or expoundings ) is to convey together the purveyor of a message with its receivers. Thereby doing face-to-face contact between the exhibitioners and their mark audience, making positive emotions for participants. However, uniting the economic downswing and the proliferation of exhibitions ( both nationally and internationally, beyond geographic restraints ) has meant that pulling sufficient attendants is more demanding than of all time, and has besides led to a greater complexness in attendants ‘ exhibition choice determinations ( Breiter and Milman, 2006 ; Yoo and Zhoa, 2010 ) . It is indispensable that exhibitioners improve their apprehension of the ex ante complexness and the motives that underpin determinations to go to exhibitions. In making so they are able to value exhibition attendants, constructing a loyal attendee-base, which is viewed as indispensable in winning market portion. Through these activities, exhibitioners can guarantee they pull sufficient measures of attendants for economic viability, whilst carry throughing attendants ‘ aims of guaranting exhibitor-attendee contact. Economic viability and exhibitor-attendee contact are both principle factors in finding exhibition success ( Godor and O’Connor, 2001 ; Ling-Yee, 2006 ) . Additionally, exhibitioners can foster a long-run relationship that engenders post-event behavior that generates repeat trial that may set up a sustainable competitory advantage ( Lu & A ; Cai, 2010 ) .
This documents ‘ cardinal driver is hence to spread out demand-side literature through the apprehension of exhibition attendants ‘ motives. In making so, we offer exhibitioners and exhibition organisers an penetration into the exhibition attending determination doing procedure. Knowledge of this procedure enables exhibitioners and exhibition organisers to airt resources in order to maximise the likeliness of delegate attending and subsequent repetition trial. This is true for the case-study we use, the MICROSCIENCE 2008 exhibition hosted in the UK. Therefore, this paper besides has practical usage in the readying for MICROSCIENCE 2012.
This paper has the undermentioned construction. The following subdivision presents a critical reappraisal of the literature. Section 3 outlines the informations and methods employed in the analysis. Section 4 describes the consequences and Section 5 summarizes the decisions made.
Literature reappraisal
A five phase exhibition decision-making procedure
There is a myriad of research within the touristry sphere that theoretical accounts the cognitive decision-making procedure as a funnelling class of action that increasingly eliminates alternate picks until the ultimate choice is arrived at ( Moutino, 1987 ; Rittichainuwat, Beck, & A ; LaLopa, 2001 ; Sirakaya & A ; Woodside, 2005 ; Um & A ; Crompton, 1990 ) . Although fluctuations exist between theoretical accounts, commonalty within these conceptualizations can be identified. In peculiar a broad-brush five phase procedure exists through which consumers pass in order to do their eventual choice, these phases can be termed ; motive ; information hunt ; alternate rating ; pick / purchase determination and ; post-purchase rating ( Mair & A ; Thompson, 2009 ; Yoo & A ; Chon, 2010 ) . Where a purchase of a good or service is deemed of import to the buyers demands, or where fiscal, societal and psychological hazard is high, so this five phase cognitive decision-making procedure is employed ( Assael, 1998 ; Bazerman, 2001 ) . Exhibitions, necessitating high investing costs ( both fiscal and clip ) to go to, and the sensed hazards involved with engagement, means that the five stated phases are applicable to attendants ‘ complex cognitive decision-making procedure.
In relation to ‘motivation ‘ , the initial stimulation to go to an exhibition may come from a assortment of beginnings. Beginnings include exhibition direct mail shootings, industry associations, trade publications, chamber of commercialism, exhibition web sites or by viva-voce ( Golfetto, 1988 ) . Previous attendants more often utilise information supplied direct by the organizer, whilst first-time attendants rely much-more on word-of-mouth ( Trade Show Bureau, 1991 ) . The information enclosed in these communications is indispensable to attendants. Accepting that attendants have primary concern motives ( concern aims ) , such correspondence will find whether or non the exhibition will fulfill these. If it is perceived that the exhibition will non fulfill the motives set, persons may non go to ( Robbe, 2000 ) . However, if the initial stimulation suggests that aims may be met, the information hunt phase is initiated.
The information hunt facet within the decision-making procedure from an exhibition position is multi-faceted, and depends upon the agencies by which the prospective attendant was ab initio informed about the exhibition. At one extreme, where the stimulation was an exhibition web site or mail shooting it is extremely likely that all the information required to do an initial determination on attending based on primary concern motives, such as exhibition sphere, day of the months, times, location, cost and a drumhead list of exhibitioners is included, therefore really small subsequent information seeking takes topographic point in order to set up whether primary concern aim may be met. At the other extreme, word-of-mouth, will necessitate extra information hunts. However, this is likely to affect, and perchance be limited to, the exhibition web site as it provides the needed information for the possible attendant to do the initial attending determination.
The subsequent phase is the rating of options, whereby options are evaluated based on their salient characteristics ( Yoo & A ; Chon, 2010 ) . In an exhibition context this rating may take two distinguishable signifiers. The first facet involves analyzing the finer inside informations the selected exhibition, its handiness, overall budgetary restraints, diary clangs and clip off from regular modus operandi. These facets possibly ‘push ‘ or ‘pull ‘ motives ( Dann, 1977 ; 1981 ) Those facets that are either internal or emotional are deemed ‘push ‘ motives, while pull motives, are associated with external, situational, or cognitive facets ( Lu & A ; Chai, 2010 ) . The 2nd facet involves the designation of options based on a figure of standards. Is there an option that better fits the attendants ‘ concern aims? An option that involves less travel ( and therefore lower cost ) ? Lower cost enrollment? A wider scope of exhibitioners? Having established that the exhibition satisfies the attendants ‘ primary concern motives i.e. an exhibition in the relevant sphere, during this phase, possible attendant purposes to place whether an exhibition satisfies secondary concern motives ( budget, handiness, handiness ) and if there are suited options that satisfy both primary and secondary concern motives.
Within an exhibition context, the pick / purchase determination phase is comparatively speedy, and based on the motive, information gathered and options examined, a comparatively easy determination to go to or non to go to can be made. Whilst the post-purchase rating phase really occurs post-attendance, it is here that the degrees of satisfaction are gauged based on concern motives, the utility of information gathered, and possible repetition trial are all considered. This “ hypothesised behavioral theoretical account ” , based on Mair & A ; Thompson ‘s ( 2008 ; p401 ) scrutiny and comparing of conference and leisure tourers through this cognitive decision-making procedure, has concern motives cardinal to each of the five phases. Irrespective of whether the possible attendant is in reception of their initial motive literature, seeking for more in-depth information, seeking options, doing the purchase determination or station attending rating, concern motives are cardinal to their decision-making. This paper continues by analyzing motives for exhibition attending.
Motivation for exhibition attending
With the proliferation of exhibitions has come market atomization. Increasingly more domain specific exhibitions are viing for niche market attendants. Attendants ‘ are going progressively dependent upon both information on and their perceptual experiences of cardinal exhibition properties in order to do their attending determinations ( Berne and Garcia-Uced, 2008 ) . Numerous research documents identify a scope of exhibition attendant motives, both within a UK context and international ( Berne and Garcia-Uceda, 2008 ; Blythe, 2002 ; Bitner, 1992 ; Breiter and Milman, 2006 ; Godar and O’Connor, 2001 ; Gramman, 1994 ; Hansen, 1996 ; Jin et Al, 2010 ; Kozak and Kayar, 2009 ; Munuera and Ruiz, 1999 ) . Commonality and disparity are both identified in their decisions, these are summarised in table 1. From Table 1 it can be seen that, irrespective of national context, the cited research can be categorised into four groups ; information assemblage, networking, repute and merchandises ( Whitfield & A ; Webber, in imperativeness ) . There are a figure of properties that do non derive support across multiple findings, and as such are non considered.
[ INSERT TABLE 1 ABOUT HERE ]
One of the rule properties of exhibition attendants ‘ motive is that of garnering information. Indeed seven of the nine documents identified in table 1 identified this property within the top five attendee motives. Rosson & A ; Seringhaus ( 1995 ) , mentioning research on US information engineering trade shows, identified that ‘gathering industry-specific information ‘ as a rule incentive, foregrounding that exhibition “ attending is progressively seen as a vehicle for visitants aˆ¦ . to get cognition and fix for the hereafter ” . Similarly, research focused on a US-based fabric capital equipment exhibition identified that attendants ‘ rule purpose was to garner procurance or proficient information ( Bello, 1992 ) . In a farther comparative survey between US trade show attendants and their Nipponese counter parts, Smith et Al ( 2003 ) place new merchandise information as the rule incentive for the former and the property ranked 2nd for the latter. These international-based empirical surveies corroborate the findings of UK-based research. For case, Gramman ( 1994 ) identified that the three chief grounds for attendants ‘ sing The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents ( RoSPA ) Health and Safety Exhibition were ‘To see new products/developments ‘ ( 53 % ) , ‘To obtain proficient or merchandise information ‘ ( 23 % ) and ‘To acquire up-to-date information on statute law ‘ ( 21 % ) .
Information is non limited to exhibitioners ‘ merchandises but besides to other attendants, in the signifier of rivals. The presence of, and deriving cognition about, rivals is a cardinal consideration for both exhibitioners and attendants ‘ ( Berne and Garcia-Uceda, 2008 ) . For attendants, the presence of a rival at an exhibition, peculiarly if they are exhibiting, provides an chance to derive an penetration into the rival ‘s actions whilst deriving information sing their merchandises or services ( Hansen, 1996 ) . Overall, it would therefore look that irrespective of the host state, an exhibition offers attendants an cheap and speedy agencies to garner information, whether refering merchandises, companies, industry and/or engineering, refering what may ultimate hike their employers ‘ competitory advantage ( Sharland & A ; Balgoh, 1996 ; Blythe, 2002 ) .
A farther motivational property widely conformed through empirical research is that of networking. The desire for persons to interact with others holding sphere specific cognition, maintain currency sing sphere developments and get accomplishments all mean that networking is important incentive in exhibition attending. Indeed, Breiter and Milman ( 2006 ) and Bauer et Al ( 2008 ) , both identify networking as the rule incentive for exhibition attending. An exhibition should be seen as a market microcosm, where stakeholders convene for a limited clip period. During this period, the market microcosm becomes “ webs of affiliated exchange relationships between companies ” ( Johnson and Hallen, 1989, p. eighteen ) after which stakeholders return to their ain sphere universes. However, during the microcosm period, attendants ‘ are sing booths, take parting in workshops and societal events to set up and/or maintain webs ( Bello and Lothi, 1993 ; Rosson and Seringhaus, 1995 ; Godor and O’Connor, 2001 ) . These webs may place replies to merchandise specific concerns or attendants ‘ wider concerns, such as what impact a alteration in provider would hold on bing concern models or the impact of technological inventions on the industry sphere or on industry consolidation ( Rosson and Seringhaus, 1995 ) .
Exhibition webs should non be considered homogenous, as stakeholders places within such webs can be either ‘macro ‘ or ‘micro ‘ ( Mattsson, 1989 ) . A ‘micro ‘ place would happen when a stakeholder establishes a nexus with another stakeholder, whereas a ‘macro ‘ place occurs when a stakeholder establishes a nexus with many other stakeholders. Such places are the merchandise of historical activity between stakeholders, which over clip have been reinforced by their behavior, and therefore the relationships that together signifier webs are frequently stable and hard to modify ( Rosson and Seringhaus, 1995 ) .
A 3rd motivational fact is that of repute, in footings of quality and measure of exhibitioners. Repute is perceived otherwise for both first-time and repetition attendants. For attendants, where no personal attending at an exhibition has occurred, it is a combination of positive testimony and the figure of attendants ‘ at that old exhibition which influences the persons ‘ attending at future cases of an exhibition ( Swandby et al. , 1990 ) . Whereas repetition trial will breed an persons ‘ perceptual experience of an exhibition ‘s repute, which in bend straight affects their determination in footings of repetition trial. This positive repute for attendants ‘ can be created through guaranting the quality and measure of both exhibitioners and attendants ‘ to exhibitions. For case, an empirical survey of 566 attendants ‘ across five exhibitions held at the Orange County Convention Centre, in Orlando, Florida, USA, found that the 3rd most cited ground for go toing the current exhibition was to “ see the quality of the exhibits ( 40.2 % ) ” ( Breiter and Milman, 2006, p. 1366 ) .
The quality and measure of exhibition booths is cardinal, as this floor infinite is the polar location for exhibitor-attendee contact. Exhibition booth design can be viewed from two facets: I ) the spatial/ergonomic layout of booths and two ) booth contents. Bitner ( 1992 ) argues that the spatial/ergonomic functional layout is indispensable and that there needs to be sufficient infinite to allow attendants ‘ to travel freely about the booth. There besides needs to be sufficient room for exhibitioners to show merchandises, possibly with separate meeting countries off from merchandise presentation countries to allow farther treatment. Exhibitors should concentrate their booth content ( such as signage, merchandise show, gross revenues literature and skill-sets of booth forces ) to reflect both attendants ‘ purposes and features in order to function attendants ‘ better ( Bello and Lothia, 1993 ) ; this interaction between exhibitioner and attendants ‘ facilitates a more informed concern spouse determination devising procedure and can, in bend, take legal and contractual complexnesss and costs ( Chonko et al. , 1994 ) .
A concluding dimension of attendants ‘ motive is that of merchandises. Although exhibitions in general attract a important figure of possible purchasers, and such audiences are frequently hard to do contact with, extant research identifies that exhibitions are non the most of import location for buying ( Konopacki, 1995 ) . Rosson and Seringhaus ( 1995 ) depict the typical buying procedure as holding a “ multi-person buying engagement ” ( p81 ) . Buying involves several persons each with their ain specific function to play in the over-arching procedure. Purchasing is hence complex and non disposed to simple selling attacks as utilized at exhibitions ( Ronchetto et al, 1989 ) . Rather than finalizing buying determinations, go toing an exhibition, and therefore sing the exhibitor-attendee interaction, is identified as cardinal in the demands acknowledgment and seller analysis phases of the purchasing rhythm ( Bello, 1990 ; Moriarty and Spekmen, 1984 ) . Indeed, Munuera and Ruiz ( 1999 ) , Smith et Al. ( 2003 ) and Kozak and Kayar ( 2009 ) supply empirical grounds which indicates that the exhibition property having the least support in relation to finding attending was ‘Buying exhibited merchandises ‘ , ‘Place orders for merchandises ‘ and ‘Shopping ‘ severally.
Methodology
A sum-up of empirical research refering exhibition choice property for attendants ‘ is shown in Table 1. From this Table it can be seen that there are commonalties between surveies, whether European, Asiatic or American. In order to reply the stated research aims eight key exhibition attributes that may move as attending incentives have been extracted from the literature reappraisal. These are summarised in Table 2. Using these properties, a ego administer cyberspace based questionnaire was devised, discussed below, in order to corroborate those properties deemed important ( and insignificant ) in attendee decision-making procedure for attendants to the MICROSCIENCE exhibition.
[ INSERT TABLE 2 ABOUT HERE ]
3.1 Questionnaire and sample features
The questionnaire asked respondents how of import each of the eight properties were within there decision-making procedure. All responses were ranked against a 5-pont Likert-style categorization, for this inquiries responses ranged from ‘Extremely of import ‘ to ‘Not of import ‘ . Subsequent inquiries asked respondents how satisfied they were with the exhibition ” . Responses ranged from ‘Very Satisfied ‘ to ‘Very Dissatisfied ‘ . The concluding inquiry drawn from the questionnaire for this research, asked of respondents whether or non they would go to the same exhibition in subsequent old ages? Responses runing from ‘Definitely ‘ to ‘Definitely Not ‘ , with ‘Probably ‘ , ‘Maybe ‘ and ‘Probably Not ‘ besides included.
Following on from a pilot study, the empirical informations utilized within this survey were collected via on-line questionnaires sent to 1008 attendants, four yearss after the completion of the MICROSCIENCE 2008 exhibition. The enrollment procedure provided a agency of roll uping email references, therefore supplying a high degree of assurance that the right person was targeted by the study. Each attendant received an electronic mail with a covering missive ( embodied in the electronic mail ) which contained a hyperlink to the study web site. Web-based studies log respondents answers, and therefore can cut down the chance of treating mistakes ( Bryman and Bell, 2007 ) . The informations aggregation period lasted about two months during which three reminder electronic mails were sent out a hebdomad apart from each other. A sum of 248 questionnaires were returned and deemed functional, giving a response rate of 24.6 % . The huge bulk of attendants, attended through pick, ( 71.4 % no employer interaction + 24.8 % asked by employer ) . Merely 3.8 % of attendants were instructed to go to by their employer.
3.2 Analysis
Findingss
Decision
Recognitions
The writers would wish to admit the work of Kirsty Grimwade in mention to data aggregation, upon which this paper is based.
Table 1 – Summary of empirical research ( 1994 – 2009 ) refering exhibition choice attributes for attendants ‘
Writers
Ranked 1
Ranked 2
Ranked 3
Ranked 4
Ranked 5
Jin et Al, 2010 ( China )
Organiser properties
Venue services
Safety and security
Interacting chances
Venue environment
Kozak & A ; Kayar, 2009 ( Turkey )
Actual merchandises
New merchandises
Info on the market
Specific merchandises
Make occupation connexions
Bauer et Al, 2008 ( Hong Kong )
Networking
Business content
Organiser properties
Location
Safety and security
Berne & A ; Garcia-Uceda, 2008 ( Spain )
Interact with experts
Actual merchandises
Seek distributers
Get a distribution
Evaluate clients
Breiter & A ; Milman, 2006 ( US )
Networking
New merchandises
Quality of exhibitioners
Destination image
Repute of exhibition
Smith, Hama & A ; Smith, 2003 ( Japan )
New merchandises
Info on the market
Actual merchandises
Information for purchasing
New providers
Smith, Hama & A ; Smith, 2003 ( US )
Info on the market
New merchandises
Actual merchandises
Information for purchasing
New providers
Munuera & A ; Ruiz, 1999 ( Spain )
New merchandises
New providers
Info on the market
Info on rivals
Info on market monetary values
Rosson & A ; Seringhaus, 1995 ( US )
Specific/ New merchandises
Industry specific info
Information for purchasing
Specific vendors/products
Attend seminars
Gramann, 1994 ( UK )
Info on new merchandises
Technical info
Info on statute law
Try new merchandises
New companies