Examining the Relationship of Exhibition Attendees' Satisfaction and Expenditure: The Case of Two Major Exhibitions in China

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate attendees' perceived importance and performance of two major exhibitions in China and to understand the impact of the performance dimensions on attendees' overall expenditures. The results of the paired-sample t-test found that there were significant differences between attendees' perceived importance and performance of the two exhibitions. The results of the importance-performance analysis showed that 10 out of 21 attributes were in the area of “keep up the good work,” 2 were in the area of “concentrate here,” 8 were in the area of “low priority,” and 1 was in the area of “possible overkill.” Principal component analysis on the 21 attributes generated 4 factors. A multiple regression was performed to test the relationship between attendees' satisfaction with the four factors and their overall expenditure. The result showed that two out of four factors—F2: Hotel, Food, and Attractions and F4: Facilities—were significant predictors for attendee's overall expenditure.