Criteria involved in evaluation of trade shows to visit

An organizer of trade shows (TSs) need to know the framework of criteria used by potential visitors in their ex-ante evaluation of trade shows. This paper comes to fill a gap in the published research, aiming to answer two research questions: which criteria are important for visitors in evaluating TSs to visit? And which is the underlying structure of criteria? A sample of retailers was interviewed and, after using a Confirmatory Factor Analysis, a measurement model was identified. The results confirm the underlying structure suggested by the integration of separate criteria or elements previously identified in other studies. Also, that the changes in the marketing orientation of companies have affected the evaluation criteria used by visitors. Additionally, the results show differences between visitants and exhibitors. The main disparity is the non-relevance of the marketing research criteria: TSs are a good marketing research tool for exhibitors but much more limited for visitors.     

A method for analyzing the daily variation in the spatial pattern of market area

Market area analysis has long been an important research topic in retailing, marketing, and geography. Numerous studies have been conducted in the literature to describe and understand the market area and consumers' behavior. The daily pattern of the market area, however, has not yet been fully analyzed. The market area of department stores and shopping malls is larger on weekends than on weekdays. Many shops and restaurants are closed on Christmas days, which shrinks the market area of shopping malls. To describe and grasp these patterns, this paper proposes a new procedure for analyzing the daily pattern of the market area. Three measures evaluate the difference in the market area between different days and the variation within a day group. A loglikelihood based statistical measure visualizes the spatial difference in the market area between different days. A method for detecting anomalous days on which the market areas are quite different from those of other days. The proposed procedure is applied to the analysis of the visitors of five towns in Tokyo. The results indicate the effectiveness of the procedure as well as provide useful findings for understanding the daily pattern of visitors to the towns.     

Ideal animals and animal traits for zoos: General public perspectives

This paper examines the ideal traits of zoo animals from the perspective of the general public and the types of animals they would most like to see. It is based on the recognition of the importance of this population to the continued health of zoos and the relative dearth of studies of their desires and behaviour. The paper is based on the results of a survey distributed to a convenience sample of the general public on the island of Jersey, UK in 2013. The results demonstrate that there are a variety of desirable traits including whether animals are endangered, active, and display intelligence. Regarding the animals the general public most wish to see, large mammals tend to dominate. The results have the potential to influence the future make-up of the animal population of a zoo but also have implications for the conservation and educational programmes zoos provide for visitors.     

Learning urban capabilities from behaviours. A focus on visitors values for urban planning

Evaluating environmental resources such as urban and territorial opportunities means understanding their value. Monetary values are not always suitable to synthesize the opportunity that such resources give to the development of individuals in urban space. We propose a spatial multi-criteria analysis method oriented to analyse values that individuals give to different urban and territorial opportunities within a capability approach framework. We analyse visitors’ behaviour in space and we learn their urban capabilities considering the values they give to environmental resources and assets. In order to learn such values we use a multi-attribute value measurement method. Furthermore, we define groups of people with similar values of urban opportunities and with similar relevant urban capabilities. This consents to design more legitimated policies aimed to expand the set of relevant capabilities for a given population target. The method is experimented and illustrated with a case study of urban planning for the city of Alghero.     

Destination marketing,accommodation taxes,and mandated tourism promotional expenditures: may be time to reconsider

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) play an important role in the destination marketing matrix. As a rule, most of the funds that support the marketing efforts of these organisations come from a pool of state legislated accommodation tax funds that have been collected from visitors to the destination. This paper questions the mandated use of these tax revenues for destination marketing, noting that for many communities such expenditures may fail to represent their best usage.