Immersive event experience and attendee motivation: a quantitative analysis using sensory, localisation, and participatory factors

ABSTRACT

‘Immersive events' is a growing category within the range of event typologies that includes participatory theatre, interactive launch parties, ‘escape rooms’ and dress-up cinema. A conceptual model reflects three core elements of the immersive events: Interaction, Sensory experience, and Localisation. A targeted online survey obtained a sample of n = 201 participants who had attended an immersive event within the past year. The results reveal that novelty and entertainment are highly important to attendee motivation. Gender, marital status, age, and education affected attendance patterns. Attendees were drawn to the uniqueness and participatory aspects of the immersive event. Deterrents to attendance were cost and perceived value. Rapid developments in digital technology suggest even greater degrees of immersivity on the horizon. These findings offer a timely contribution to the better understanding of the immersiveness concept, and its influence on attendee motivation and experience.

KEYWORDS:

• Immersive events
• participatory theatre
• experience economy
• attendee motivation
• audience experience

Disclosure statement

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