A conjoint analysis of attributes influencing attendance of academic conferences

Cavusoglu M., Doğan S., Yozcu O. K., Hsu M., Cobanoglu C.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT, cilt.35, sa.9, ss.3263-3284, 2023 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 35 Sayı: 9
  • Basım Tarihi: 2023
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1108/ijchm-10-2020-1184
  • Dergi Adı: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, ABI/INFORM, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, CAB Abstracts, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, Index Islamicus, Psycinfo, Veterinary Science Database
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.3263-3284
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Conference location, Number of times the conference was held, Organizer, Publication opportunity, Size of the conference, Total cost of conference, DECISION-MAKING, ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE, BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS, CONVENTION, SATISFACTION, TOURISM, IMPACT, MOTIVATION, LOYALTY, REFLECTIONS
  • Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to explore the relative importance of various attributes (i.e. the total cost of attending, conference organizer, publishing opportunities for an academic career and personal development, reputation as measured by the number of conferences held, location and size) in terms of their ability to impact the decision of attendees in their selection of which academic conference to attend. Design/methodology/approachConjoint analysis was used to examine the relative importance of various attributes to impact an attendee's decision to select an academic conference (i.e. the total cost of attending, conference organizer, publishing opportunities for an academic career and personal development, reputation as measured by the number of conferences held, location and size). FindingsThe choice-based conjoint analysis revealed that the most crucial attributes for attending an academic conference were the total cost of attending the conference (28% of relative importance) and the conference organizer (28%). Practical implicationsSince the total cost of attending a conference is one of the top two attributes, conference organizers should reduce the costs as much as possible. Recommendations include choosing a university venue instead of a hotel or conference center and offering multiple options for registration passes (i.e. one-day pass). However, organizers should be careful about meals provided during the conference program, as meals have a positive effect on attendees' decisions. Originality/valueThis study introduces to the literature a new indicator for selecting an academic conference - the reputation of the conference as measured by the number of times it had been held. In previous studies, this variable was not considered in the context of selecting an academic conference.