Dimensions and Perceptional Differences of Exhibition Destination Attractiveness

Abstract

The meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry has evolved into a vital sector of business tourism. The vast majority of research to date has focused on the convention/meeting sector (Lee & Back, 2005; Yoo & Weber, 2005), with studies on convention site selection being especially prominent. In contrast, the exhibition sector and particularly, exhibition destination attractiveness, have received relatively little research attention. This study aims to address this research gap by examining, from the exhibitors' perspective, key factors for an attractive and successful exhibition destination. Based on 616 survey responses from exhibitors collected at nine trade fairs in four cities in Mainland China, study findings highlighted the critical importance of two types of cluster effects -'host city leadership in the industry,' and 'host city/region as a source of exhibitors' -to an exhibition destination's attractiveness for exhibitors. Accessibility, venue facilities, and the destination's leisure and economic environment were considered less important. Implications of the study results are discussed and directions for future research provided.

Developing and testing a model of exhibition brand preference: The exhibitors' perspective

“…Utilizing EFA and CFA, they empirically tested dimensions of exhibition destination attractiveness in the Mainland China context from the perspective of exhibitors. Study findings confirmed that destination attractiveness is a higher order construct composed of six factors: (a) cluster effect 1 (host city leadership in the industry), Based on a comprehensive review of the literature on branding and prior studies on relationship quality between exhibitors and organizers (Jin et al, 2012a) and exhibition destination attractiveness (Jin et al, 2012b;2012c), a conceptual model incorporating three constructs is advanced, together with the following hypotheses: Selected exhibitions were of diverse ownerships, staged in venues in both first and second-tier cities, and covering varied industry sectors. A face-to-face survey was deemed appropriate and had advantages over mail, email and online surveys (Baruch, 1999).…”

“…Instrument development followed Churchill's (1979) approach, namely to specify a domain of construct, generate a sample of items, collect data, purify the measure, collect data, assess reliability and validity, and develop norms. Scale development for relationship quality is detailed in Jin et al, (2012a) while that for destination attractiveness is discussed in Jin et al, (2012b;2012c). Measurement items representing exhibition brand preference were adapted from Hellier et al (2003).…”

The Great Halls of China? Meeting Planners’ Perceptions of Beijing as an International Convention Destination

“…In terms of methodologies, empirical analyses using factor analysis with some expert judgment have been the most favored approaches (Li & Ma, 2008). Fortin, Ritchie, and Arsenault (1977) first proposed a series of site selection criteria for convention destinations, and since then many scholars have further explored this topic (ASAE, 1992;Baloglu & Love, 2005;Chacko & Fenich, 2000;Chen, 2006;Crouch & Louviere, 2004;Crouch & Ritchie, 1997;Go & Zhang, 1997;Jin, Weber, & Bauer, 2012;Led & Leivite, 1986;McCleary, 1978;Oppermann, 1996b;Qu, Li, & Chu, 2000;Zelinsky, 1994;Zhang et al, 2007). Crouch and Louviere (2007) found that flight convenience, infrastructure, and accommodation prices were major criteria considered by meeting planners.…”

How Does Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions Industry Attract Exhibitors?

“…The MICE industry is a service provider that adopts the means of resource integration to organize conventions and exhibitions, thus promoting the satellite industries (Jin, Weber, & Bauer, 2013;Kim & Boo, 2010;Kim & Qu, 2012;McCabe, 2008;Yang & Gu, 2012). The hosting of MICE activities involves many aspects, thus the participants in the MICE industry come from various fields.…”

“…The MICE industry covers a wide range, and its supply chain can be divided into exhibition, exhibition organizers, and MICE industry supporting merchants; therefore, it consists of very diverse businesses. The hardware facilities include conference and event venues, while software includes exhibition organizing, media public relations marketing, tourism, and other projects (Jin, Weber, & Bauer, 2012, 2013Kim & Boo, 2010;Kim & Qu, 2012;Kim, Sun, & Ap, 2008;Weber & Ladkin, 2011;Yang & Gu, 2012).…”