Weather and Event Visitor Expenditures at a Professional Golf Tournament in the Netherlands

Abstract

Most event organizers depend on visitor expenditures to generate revenue, yet the full economic potential of many events is not fully exploited. This, unprecedented, research examines if weather conditions contribute to greater visitor expenditures. Data was collected from 2935 in-person administered surveys at a major golf tournament in the Netherlands over a period of three years and examined socio-demographic characteristics, behavior and motive variables, and weather conditions to determine their relationship with visitor expenditures. The results show that the amount of rain was related to visitor expenditures and not air temperature. To maximize the visitor expenditures for events like outdoor golf tournaments it is recommended to choose a dry over a warmer period.