Fairness Perceptions, Happiness, and Behavioral Intentions in Trade Fairs: An Investigation from the Relational Model of Justice

ABSTRACT

Purpose

This research aims to examine how an exhibitor manages its relationship with visitors in trade fairs to achieve desired outcomes. Drawing on the relational (group-value) model of justice, this research argues that visitors’ procedural and distributive fairness perceptions impact their happiness, relationship commitment, and behavioral intentions with exhibitors.

Methodology

Data comprising 350 business visitors from eight trade fairs related to the electronics, telecommunications, automobiles, apparel, and renewable energy industries were analyzed.

Findings

The findings show that while procedural fairness perceptions significantly impact visitors’ happiness, distributive fairness perceptions do not have a significant relationship. Happiness leads to a positive relationship between visitors’ commitment and behavioral outcomes.

Originality/Value/Contribution

This research is one of the earliest attempts to evaluate the role of fairness perceptions and happiness in the context of trade fairs. The results also indicate that small-scale visitors show less concern for procedural fairness than large-scale visitors, but they show a higher tendency for relationship commitment and behavioral intentions than large-scale visitors.

KEYWORDS:

• Trade fair
• procedural fairness
• distributive fairness
• happiness, relationship commitment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2024.2349090