Event Title
Parallel Session 6, MICE Track: How Do Planners and Attendees Experience a Convention in Real Time?
Location
Classroom 209
Start Date
13-12-2017 2:30 PM
End Date
13-12-2017 2:55 PM
Description
Purpose
Events are temporary ecosystems reflecting the world. A large segment of this industry is meetings (e.g. conventions, conferences, tradeshows, exhibitions, congresses). Meetings contributed over $115 billion to US GDP in 2014 (CIC, 2014), and are economic drivers and contributors to the host community's multiplier effect. Conventions are a meeting type that are multi-faceted (e.g. educational sessions, social functions), potentially large-scale, and is this study's context. The anticipated issues for meetings are being able to engage individuals in a multidimensional space and designing targeted experiences (MPI, 2016). Getz (2008, 2016) declared that events literature has matured as a result of various disciplines (i.e. anthropology, sociology, economics), but there is a fundamental lack of theoretical development specifically within the field. Researchers seek to holistically understand the event experience.
Getz challenged the use of conceptualizing events because of the multiplicity of experiences possible at a specific event (Lunt, 2012). He endorsed the phenomenological approach for understanding this range. This allows for a holistic perspective of a phenomenon from the individual experiencing it, and is underutilized in events research. Ziakas and Boukas (2014) stated there is limited research on an event's experiential dimensions and meanings, and believe phenomenology is a sound philosophical framework for this. Understanding live, on-site experiences using phenomenology will provide insight. Previous research assessed individuals in post-experience phases, which may have been impacted by participant memory. This study's purpose is to understand a convention participant's on-site convention experience by employing a phenomenological approach.
Literature Review
Events transform a static environment into a meaningful experience (Page & Connell, 2014). Ryan (1997) sought to understand the meaning of experiences and apply it to a tourism context that was inclusive of special events. A few experience-centered theories have emerged. In psychology, Csikszentmihalyi (1990) touched on experience as an achievement of 'flow'. People seek intrinsically rewarding experiences leading to optimal arousal and flow that can lead to engagement, accomplishment, or transformation (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Pine and Gilmore (1998) introduced the 'experience economy', which involves four dimensions: absorption, immersion, and active/passive participation.
An event creates a liminoid zone separating itself from normal life (Ziakas & Boukas, 2014). Common factors of a liminoid zone include involvement, engagement, and reversion to normal life, sense of change, accomplishment, renewal, transformation, and relief/loss in order for an event to be special and memorable (Getz, 2012; Ziakas & Boukas, 2014). This complements Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow.
People execute complementary processes to make sense of their world (Gergen, 1985). This sense-making process is called social constructionism, and has roots in symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism is one of three primary approaches in sociology, and evaluates the multiple construction dimensions of social reality through an individual's autonomous activities (Rossman, 2003). Essentially, each individual at an event will leave with a different understanding based on how they socially constructed the experience. This study applies these two theories to defend the study's approach.
Proposed research questions:
- How do convention participants interpret their on-site experience?
- What roles do convention components (e.g. sessions, social functions) play in the overall experience?
Methodology
Phenomenology looks at participants' direct experiences and interpretations of the phenomenon, which in this case is a convention experience. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and Experience Sampling Method (ESM) will be used. IPA is an in-depth analysis that connects personal accounts and subjective experience with symbolic interactionism (Smith & Eatough, 2007). ESM specializes in measuring experiences in real time via scheduled prompts. Using ESM addresses concerns regarding memory (Hektner, Schmidt, & Csikszentmihalyi, 2007).
Participants/Convention
A criterion purposive sampling method will be employed. The sample will consist of convention-specific planners/attendees. IRB protocol will be followed, and participants will be recruited via the convention's website.
Criteria for identifying convention:
- Multi-day
- Multi –faceted (e.g. concerts, educational breakouts, tradeshows, banquets)
- Attendees from >50-miles away
- Hosts >10,000 attendees
- Social media component (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, or app).
Examples of conventions: SxSW, IMEX, and Comic-Con.
Data Collection
Data will be collected via observation, semi-structured interviews, and diaries (via ESM pre-determined scheduled prompts). The researcher will collect observational notes to correlate. These prompts will be pilot tested by the researcher's peer to identify any issues like technical failure of the prompts, difficulty understanding prompts, or if the prompts are too frequent/infrequent.
Data Analysis
Data will be transcribed using NVivo and analyzed by:
- Reading overall content
- Developing codes/themes
- Identifying similarities/differences
- Construct narrative
Researcher's Lens
The researcher has reflexivity due to employment and experience as attendee and planner.
Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness will be verified by: triangulation (multiple sources/data types), credibility (member checks), transferability (findings in rich, thick detail), dependability (audit trail of research design/analysis), and confirmability (external research auditor to assess practices) (DeCrop, 2004).
Discussion/ Limitations/Implications
Data will be collected at a convention in the fall and shaped into a narrative. The dimensions discussed by Getz (2012) and Ziakas and Boukas (2014) including socializing, sense of change, accomplishment engagement, involvement, transformation, and memorability are some anticipated themes as found in the literature. The limitations include selective nonresponse to ESM signals, dependence on research subjectivity, participant deceit, and the study results are unlikely to be replicated given the context.
Events researchers must explore experiences further, and phenomenology can help. An approach exploring real-time planner/attendee perspectives provides insight into the experience, and highlights meanings and issues that occur on-site that may not be remembered. This narrative may lead into managerial implications like identifying gaps in attendee needs. This may lead towards enhancing attendee's satisfaction impacting future behaviors like return intention or word-of-mouth.
References
Convention Industry Council. (2014). Fact sheet. The Economic Significance of Meetings to the U.S. Economy. Retrieved from http://www.conventionindustry.org/Files/2012%20ESS/140210%20Fact%20Sheet%20FINAL.pdf
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience (1st ed.). New York, NY: Harper & Row.
DeCrop, A. (2004). Trustworthiness in qualitative tourism research. In J. Phillimore & L. Goodson (Eds.), Qualitative research in tourism: Ontologies, epistemologies, and methodologies, 156-169. New York, NY: Routledge.
Gergen, K. J. (1985). The social constructionist movement in modern psychology. American Psychologist, 40(3), 266. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.40.3.266
Getz, D. (2008). Event tourism: Definition, evolution, and research. Tourism Management, 29(3), 403-428. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2007.07.017
Getz, D., & Page, S. J. (2016). Event studies: Theory, research and policy for planned events. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hektner, J.M., Schmidt, J.A., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2007). Experience sampling method: Measuring the quality of everyday life. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Lunt, T. (2012). Typologies and event studies. In S.J Page & J Connell (Eds.), The routledge handbook of events, 47-56. New York, NY: Routledge.
Meeting Professionals International. (2016). Future of meetings final report. Retrieved from http://www.mpiweb.org/store/product/6736
Page, S., & Connell, J. (Eds.). (2014). The routledge handbook of events. New York, NY: Routledge.
Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1998). Welcome to the experience economy. Harvard Business Review, 76(4), 97-105.
Rossman, J.R. (2003). Recreation programming: Designing leisure experiences. Sagamore Publishing.
Ryan, C. (1997). The tourist experience: A new introduction. 2nd ed. Cassel.
Smith, J.A & Eatough, V. (2007). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In E. Lyons & A. Coyle (Eds.), Analysing qualitative data in psychology, 51-64. London, UK: SAGE Publications.
Ziakas, V., & Boukas, N. (2014). Contextualizing phenomenology in event management research: Deciphering the meaning of event experiences. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 5(1), 56-73. doi:10.1108/IJEFM-08-2012-00230(2).pdf
Parallel Session 6, MICE Track: How Do Planners and Attendees Experience a Convention in Real Time?
Classroom 209
Purpose
Events are temporary ecosystems reflecting the world. A large segment of this industry is meetings (e.g. conventions, conferences, tradeshows, exhibitions, congresses). Meetings contributed over $115 billion to US GDP in 2014 (CIC, 2014), and are economic drivers and contributors to the host community's multiplier effect. Conventions are a meeting type that are multi-faceted (e.g. educational sessions, social functions), potentially large-scale, and is this study's context. The anticipated issues for meetings are being able to engage individuals in a multidimensional space and designing targeted experiences (MPI, 2016). Getz (2008, 2016) declared that events literature has matured as a result of various disciplines (i.e. anthropology, sociology, economics), but there is a fundamental lack of theoretical development specifically within the field. Researchers seek to holistically understand the event experience.
Getz challenged the use of conceptualizing events because of the multiplicity of experiences possible at a specific event (Lunt, 2012). He endorsed the phenomenological approach for understanding this range. This allows for a holistic perspective of a phenomenon from the individual experiencing it, and is underutilized in events research. Ziakas and Boukas (2014) stated there is limited research on an event's experiential dimensions and meanings, and believe phenomenology is a sound philosophical framework for this. Understanding live, on-site experiences using phenomenology will provide insight. Previous research assessed individuals in post-experience phases, which may have been impacted by participant memory. This study's purpose is to understand a convention participant's on-site convention experience by employing a phenomenological approach.
Literature Review
Events transform a static environment into a meaningful experience (Page & Connell, 2014). Ryan (1997) sought to understand the meaning of experiences and apply it to a tourism context that was inclusive of special events. A few experience-centered theories have emerged. In psychology, Csikszentmihalyi (1990) touched on experience as an achievement of 'flow'. People seek intrinsically rewarding experiences leading to optimal arousal and flow that can lead to engagement, accomplishment, or transformation (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Pine and Gilmore (1998) introduced the 'experience economy', which involves four dimensions: absorption, immersion, and active/passive participation.
An event creates a liminoid zone separating itself from normal life (Ziakas & Boukas, 2014). Common factors of a liminoid zone include involvement, engagement, and reversion to normal life, sense of change, accomplishment, renewal, transformation, and relief/loss in order for an event to be special and memorable (Getz, 2012; Ziakas & Boukas, 2014). This complements Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow.
People execute complementary processes to make sense of their world (Gergen, 1985). This sense-making process is called social constructionism, and has roots in symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism is one of three primary approaches in sociology, and evaluates the multiple construction dimensions of social reality through an individual's autonomous activities (Rossman, 2003). Essentially, each individual at an event will leave with a different understanding based on how they socially constructed the experience. This study applies these two theories to defend the study's approach.
Proposed research questions:
- How do convention participants interpret their on-site experience?
- What roles do convention components (e.g. sessions, social functions) play in the overall experience?
Methodology
Phenomenology looks at participants' direct experiences and interpretations of the phenomenon, which in this case is a convention experience. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and Experience Sampling Method (ESM) will be used. IPA is an in-depth analysis that connects personal accounts and subjective experience with symbolic interactionism (Smith & Eatough, 2007). ESM specializes in measuring experiences in real time via scheduled prompts. Using ESM addresses concerns regarding memory (Hektner, Schmidt, & Csikszentmihalyi, 2007).
Participants/Convention
A criterion purposive sampling method will be employed. The sample will consist of convention-specific planners/attendees. IRB protocol will be followed, and participants will be recruited via the convention's website.
Criteria for identifying convention:
- Multi-day
- Multi –faceted (e.g. concerts, educational breakouts, tradeshows, banquets)
- Attendees from >50-miles away
- Hosts >10,000 attendees
- Social media component (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, or app).
Examples of conventions: SxSW, IMEX, and Comic-Con.
Data Collection
Data will be collected via observation, semi-structured interviews, and diaries (via ESM pre-determined scheduled prompts). The researcher will collect observational notes to correlate. These prompts will be pilot tested by the researcher's peer to identify any issues like technical failure of the prompts, difficulty understanding prompts, or if the prompts are too frequent/infrequent.
Data Analysis
Data will be transcribed using NVivo and analyzed by:
- Reading overall content
- Developing codes/themes
- Identifying similarities/differences
- Construct narrative
Researcher's Lens
The researcher has reflexivity due to employment and experience as attendee and planner.
Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness will be verified by: triangulation (multiple sources/data types), credibility (member checks), transferability (findings in rich, thick detail), dependability (audit trail of research design/analysis), and confirmability (external research auditor to assess practices) (DeCrop, 2004).
Discussion/ Limitations/Implications
Data will be collected at a convention in the fall and shaped into a narrative. The dimensions discussed by Getz (2012) and Ziakas and Boukas (2014) including socializing, sense of change, accomplishment engagement, involvement, transformation, and memorability are some anticipated themes as found in the literature. The limitations include selective nonresponse to ESM signals, dependence on research subjectivity, participant deceit, and the study results are unlikely to be replicated given the context.
Events researchers must explore experiences further, and phenomenology can help. An approach exploring real-time planner/attendee perspectives provides insight into the experience, and highlights meanings and issues that occur on-site that may not be remembered. This narrative may lead into managerial implications like identifying gaps in attendee needs. This may lead towards enhancing attendee's satisfaction impacting future behaviors like return intention or word-of-mouth.
References
Convention Industry Council. (2014). Fact sheet. The Economic Significance of Meetings to the U.S. Economy. Retrieved from http://www.conventionindustry.org/Files/2012%20ESS/140210%20Fact%20Sheet%20FINAL.pdf
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience (1st ed.). New York, NY: Harper & Row.
DeCrop, A. (2004). Trustworthiness in qualitative tourism research. In J. Phillimore & L. Goodson (Eds.), Qualitative research in tourism: Ontologies, epistemologies, and methodologies, 156-169. New York, NY: Routledge.
Gergen, K. J. (1985). The social constructionist movement in modern psychology. American Psychologist, 40(3), 266. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.40.3.266
Getz, D. (2008). Event tourism: Definition, evolution, and research. Tourism Management, 29(3), 403-428. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2007.07.017
Getz, D., & Page, S. J. (2016). Event studies: Theory, research and policy for planned events. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hektner, J.M., Schmidt, J.A., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2007). Experience sampling method: Measuring the quality of everyday life. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Lunt, T. (2012). Typologies and event studies. In S.J Page & J Connell (Eds.), The routledge handbook of events, 47-56. New York, NY: Routledge.
Meeting Professionals International. (2016). Future of meetings final report. Retrieved from http://www.mpiweb.org/store/product/6736
Page, S., & Connell, J. (Eds.). (2014). The routledge handbook of events. New York, NY: Routledge.
Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1998). Welcome to the experience economy. Harvard Business Review, 76(4), 97-105.
Rossman, J.R. (2003). Recreation programming: Designing leisure experiences. Sagamore Publishing.
Ryan, C. (1997). The tourist experience: A new introduction. 2nd ed. Cassel.
Smith, J.A & Eatough, V. (2007). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In E. Lyons & A. Coyle (Eds.), Analysing qualitative data in psychology, 51-64. London, UK: SAGE Publications.
Ziakas, V., & Boukas, N. (2014). Contextualizing phenomenology in event management research: Deciphering the meaning of event experiences. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 5(1), 56-73. doi:10.1108/IJEFM-08-2012-00230(2).pdf
