Authors: McMorland, Leigh-Ann; Mactaggart, Deirdre

Source: Event Management, Volume 11, Numbers 1-2, 2008 , pp. 57-69(13)

Publisher: Cognizant Communication Corporation

Abstract:

Events form a key element of any destination's tourism product. There is a growing recognition of this sector's value and economic role, resulting in it becoming an industry in its own right. Investigating attendee motivations therefore becomes an increasing priority for event organizers and tourism organizations generally. Event organizers can improve the various components of their events through the understanding of attendee's motivations. The last decade has witnessed an increase in literature focusing on visitor motivations when attending events. However, there have been very few studies into visitor motivations when attending cultural events, particularly within the context of Scotland. Traditional Scottish music events are a fundamental part of Scotland's culture. This, coupled with the identification of cultural tourism as having "very good prospects" as a niche market for Scotland (www.scotexchange.net), further highlights the need for such a study. Thus, the aim of this study is to examine visitor motivations when attending traditional Scottish music events. Initially, a focus group was held to probe and discuss attendance motivations and to investigate views on the linkages between such events and the Scottish tourism industry. A questionnaire, comprising 15 motivational items represented on a 7-point Likert scale, was then distributed to members of two traditional Scottish music associations. The resulting data (based on a total sample of 110 respondents) were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. A hierarchical cluster analysis was carried out to identify groups of respondents with similar motivations when attending traditional Scottish music events. Key findings include a ranked list of visitor motivations and four discrete groups resulting from the cluster analysis. These groups were identified and labeled according to their dominant characteristics: "Modernists," "Family and Inspiration Seekers," "Social Pleasure Seekers," and "Thrill Seekers." The article expands on these key results, focusing on a discussion of the dominant characteristics within each of the four cluster groups. The article also discusses respondents' views on the linkages between traditional Scottish music events and their role within the Scottish tourism product and cultural tourism. The majority of respondents do believe there is an association between traditional Scottish music events and Scottish tourism; however, debate emerges regarding the quality and range of events available to visitors to Scotland. This exploratory study provides cultural music event organizers with a greater understanding of visitor motivations and characteristics within the context of Scotland by breaking the visitors down into distinct motivational groups. This research adds to the body of literature in the area of visitor motivations when attending events, specifically cultural and music events. This work also contributes to the body of research that has utilized cluster analysis as a segmentation tool. Further research will be recommended in relation to the cluster groups and the portfolio of events currently available as part of the Scottish tourism product.

Keywords: TOURISM; EVENTS; ATTENDANCE MOTIVATIONS; CULTURAL TOURISM; COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT; CLUSTER ANALYSIS

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3727/152599508783943246

Publication date: 2008-03-01

More about this publication?

• Event Management, an International Journal, intends to meet the research and analytic needs of a rapidly growing profession focused on events. This field has developed in size and impact globally to become a major business with numerous dedicated facilities, and a large-scale generator of tourism. The field encompasses meetings, conventions, festivals, expositions, sport and other special events. Event management is also of considerable importance to government agencies and not-for-profit organizations in a pursuit of a variety of goals, including fund-raising, the fostering of causes, and community development.

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