Consumer satisfaction is the core element of the marketing concept. Consumer satisfaction itself is not only major outcome of marketing activities but also an important process to link purchase and consumption with post-purchase behaviors. Thus there ...
Consumer satisfaction is the core element of the marketing concept. Consumer satisfaction itself is not only major outcome of marketing activities but also an important process to link purchase and consumption with post-purchase behaviors. Thus there is no doubt that the maximization of consumer satisfaction is considered to be ultimate goal of modern business management. The concept of consumer satisfaction has become an important issue in a variety of areas, and its significance in the convention industry is getting more and more obvious.
In addition, the convention industry creates employment and
stimulates the local industry. In addition, this service industry is a highly value-added industry that contributes to earning foreign currency and tax revenue. Moreover, by hosting international conventions, the convention sites become known to the world, and thus improve their images which contributes to the development of the region where the sites are located. This is why many countries began
to recognize the positive aspects of the convention industry and desire to attract large scale international conferences in their own countries. Therefore, Western Europe, having enjoyed history of hosting sites for major international conventions had to partake in intense competition with other countries. including the U.S, to attract large scale international conferences. Recognize its massive potential for the convention industry, Korea join the competition to attract more international conferences. The Convention Bureau was set up within Korea National Tourism
Organization(KNTO) to assume the role of attracting international conventions and event operations. In addition, the COEX, a comprehensive convention and exhibition center, was built in Seoul, Korea. Many other comprehensive convention and exhibition centers, such as Bexco, Exco-Daegu, was built, too. And a lot more is being
built and will be. All these indicate that Korea had joined the
competition to attract more international conventions in full swing. Under this circumstances, convention hotels needs more aggressive marketing strategies to survive in the market. This study explores the factors that the organizers of conventions consider when they select convention sites and how satisfied they are with the sites they choose in comparison to the factors. To this end, this study surveyed the hosts of international conventions who selected 5 hotels that were able to accomodate international conferences. The survey asked to identify the satisfaction level after
the conventions take place. By analyzing the results of the survey, this study presents the direction and measures to develop the competitive convention hotels in the future.
The detailed tasks of this study are as follows; First, study the documents pertaining to the selection of convention
sites and draw out the important factors are for deciding on the sites. Based on the results, understand the hosts' satisfaction level. Second, select 5 convention hotels, based on the documents released by the KNTO, and find out how much convention hotels satisfies each factor of site selection criteria of convention hosts. Third, identify if the convention hosts are willing to use the convention sites again or recommend the sites to others. Fourth, compare and analyze the satisfaction level, as well as the convention hosts' willingness to use the site again and recommend the site to others, which will ultimately reveal where the convention hotel industry in Korea currently stands at. Fifth, identify the issues of convention sites and come up with improvement measures so that Korea's convention hotels can acquire stronger competitiveness.
Most of the studies until now have dealt with the issues of how much of the participants of conferences are satisfied with the services of the site. However, this study is more significant as it surveyed international convention hosts who are able to wield practical power in selecting the site and discovered the level of their satisfaction.