Site selection determinant factors: An empirical study from meeting and conference organizers’ perspectives

Abstract

This study examines the determinant factors affecting organizers’ decision-making regarding meeting and convention site selection process. A mixed-methods research technique was employed to identify the important factors pertaining to the selection of meeting venues. Exploratory factor analysis was performed on factors with similar characteristics to identify seven new factor groups and 44 attributes. As a practical contribution, this study recommends that destination policy managers increase meeting destination competitiveness in developing countries with expansive tourism infrastructure, such as Thailand.

Keywords:

• Destination determinant factors
• convention site selection
• meeting industry
• destination management organizations (DMOs)
• destination competitiveness

Acknowledgements

This paper could not have been completed without the support from my advisors and co-advisor, and I would like to extend my deepest appreciation for their extensive contributions. I would also like to thank all the respondents for their time, support, and consideration, to help me accomplish data collection, an important part of this work. I anticipate that this study will provide crucial insights for the Convention and Visitor Bureau regarding destinations, local destination stakeholders, accommodations, and meeting facilities, to collaborate and create strategies that are suitable to comply with the site selection attributes for domestic meetings. Considering the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic that limits international business delegates traveling to the country, domestic meetings may very well be the low-hanging fruit to sustain business continuity.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Funding details

No external funding has been received for this article.

Notes

1 Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) are non-profit organizations primarily involved in destination marketing, typically established at the community level for the purposes of fostering meetings and leisure travel through information, resources, and support.

2 https://lodgingmagazine.com/global-mice-industry-expected-reach-1245-billion-2023/, February 2018.

3 Accumulated number of participants from meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions, and major events in Germany from 2007–2015.

4 A Destination Management Company (DMC) is a locally based, for-profit tourism business whose

function is to provide groups - and individuals - with services to meet their travel, meeting, and

entertainment interests and needs at a specific time and place (Frankie Jacobs Gillette and Maxwell C. Gillette, International Society of Meeting Planners)

5 5 A meeting planner is a person who brings together every person involved in producing a meeting, an independent contractor who plans and executes meetings and events for associations, organizations, and businesses (Rob Hard, Jan 9, 2012, from https://businesstraveldestinations.com/what-is-a-meeting-planner/).

6 https://www.eventmanagerblog.com/state-of-the-event-industry-report

7 Ten major cities in Thailand qualified through the MICE city assessment program on the readiness to host all kinds of MICE events, namely corporate meetings (M), incentive travel (I), conventions (C), exhibitions (E), and major events. These cities include Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Phuket, Pattaya, Pitsanulok, Nakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, Songkhla, and Surat Thani.

8 1 USD = 31.34 THB