Abstract

The recent situation with the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in the business event industry and forced event planners to organize virtual events. However, virtual events are lacking social interactions with the physical environment and people, and are characterized by lower levels of engagement, while the majority of event planners design virtual events by using the same practices and tools they applied during the previous face-to-face meetings. There is also a gap in the previous literature related to the influence of virtual events on attendees' outcomes. This study aims at investigating the relationships between event types and attendees' behavioral intentions, as well as analyzing the influence of event price and attendees' risk perceptions on attendees' outcomes. The online experimental design was applied to explore the proposed relationships by assigning study participants to one of the hypothetical event website scenarios. The two-step approach was used to analyze the influence of different types of events and event prices on attitudes toward an event, attendees' risk perceptions, and visiting intentions. The measurement model fit and validity of the constructs were assessed by using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, while the study hypotheses were tested with the help of the Structural Equation Modelling. The results demonstrated that event type has significant effects on attendees' risk perceptions, while risk perceptions significantly affected attendees' visit intentions. The study also revealed significant moderating effects of attendees' age on the relationship between event type and visit intentions. The study provides important theoretical, managerial, and methodological implications by introducing new factors affecting attendees' perceptions and behavioral intentions, describing the relationship between risk perceptions and attendees' behavioral intentions, and providing practical recommendations for event planners.

Graduation Date

2022

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Fyall, Alan

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Degree Program

Hospitality Management

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0008983; DP0026316

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0026316

Language

English

Release Date

May 2027

Length of Campus-only Access

5 years

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Campus-only Access)

Location

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

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Restricted to the UCF community until May 2027; it will then be open access.

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