6th International Thematic Monograph – Modern Management Tools and Economy of Tourism Sector in Present Era

MICE Tourism in the Pre-COVID-19 Era: Key Determinants of Academic Conference Attendees’ Satisfaction
​​
Vuk Bevanda –    Faculty of Social Sciences, Belgrade, University Business Academy in Novi Sad, Serbia
Nevena Bevanda   –    Association of Economists and Managers of the Balkans, Belgrade, Serbia

DOI:   https://doi.org/10.31410/tmt.2021-2022.407
​​​

Abstract:  One of the new trends in the world tourism economy is the large and rapid growth of congress tourism. Congress tourism includes various types of meetings – congresses, conferences, incentive trips, events and man­ifestations. The congress-tourist offer consists of two components – congress and tourist, so in that sense, it is divided into a working part and part for rest and leisure. This study aims to examine the key determinants of academic conference attendees’ satisfaction. Primary data were collected by the sur­vey method. Descriptive statistics, correlation, simple and multiple regres­sion were used in the study for data analysis. The results of the research highlight a key determinant that has a statistically significant impact on satisfaction: the experience of participants. Identification of key determi­nants of academic conference attendees’ satisfaction is essential for organ­izers of academic conferences and tourism organizations in the destination of the conference because in this way they gain opportunities to improve future business relationships with clients and business performance.

Keywords:   MICE; Congress tourism; Academic conference; Academic conference attendees; Satisfaction

​REFERENCES
Aktas, G., & Demirel, B. (2019). The genuine needs of conference attendees: An analysis by the
modern quality function deployment. International Journal for Quality Research, 13, 13–22.
https://doi.org/10.24874/IJQR13.01-02
Alananzeh, O., Maaiah, B., Al-Badarneh, M., & Al-Shorman, A. (2018). The geographic distribution
of conferences in Jordan from 2014 to 2016 using predictive GIS modeling. Journal of
Convention & Event Tourism, 19(2), 167–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/15470148.2017.1406832
Baloglu, S., & Love, C. (2005). Association meeting planners’ perceptions and intentions for five
major US convention cities: The structured and unstructured images. Tourism Management,
26(5), 743–752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2004.04.001
Bjeljac, Ž. (2006). Teorijsko-metodološke osnove manifestacionog turizma, Posebna izdanja knj.
67 (I. Popović, Ed.). Beograd: SANU – Geografski institut “Jovan Cvijić.”
Bučić, A., Dragićević, V., & Cimbaljević, M. (2015). Komparativna analiza kongresnog turizma
Beograda i Praga. Zbornik Radova – Geografski Fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu, 63,
119–146.
Campos, R., Leon, F., & McQuillin, B. (2018). Lost In the Storm: The Academic Collaborations
That Went Missing In Hurricane Issac. The Economic Journal, 128(610), 995–1018. https://
doi.org/10.1111/ecoj.12566
Chalvatzis, K., & Ormosi, P. L. (2021). The carbon impact of flying to economics conferences: Is
flying more associated with more citations? Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(1), 40–67.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1806858
Cieślikowski, K., & Brusokas, A. (2020). Selected attractiveness factors of academic conferences
as a product on the international tourism market. Tourism, 30(1), 13–20. https://doi.
org/10.18778/0867-5856.30.1.13
Crouch, G. I., Del Chiappa, G., & Perdue, R. R. (2019). International convention tourism: A choice
modelling experiment of host city competition. Tourism Management, 71, 530–542. https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.10.002
Crouch, G., & Louviere, J. (2004). The Determinants of Convention Site Selection: A Logistic
Choice Model from Experimental Data. Journal of Travel Research, 43(2), 118–130. https://
doi.org/10.1177/0047287504268233
de Leon, F. L. L., & McQuillin, B. (2020). The Role of Conferences on the Pathway to Academic
Impact: Evidence from a Natural Experiment. Journal of Human Resources, 55(1), 164–193.
https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.55.1.1116-8387R
Dragićević, V. (2008). Stanje i perspektive kongresnog turizma u Novom Sadu. Prirodno-matematički
fakultet, Departman za geografiju, turizam i hotelijerstvo, Novi Sad, Serbia.
Dragićević, V., Plavša, J., Štetić, S., & Stankov, U. (2009). Destinacije kongresnog turizma u svetu
i Srbiji. Collection of the Papers, 57, 199–214. Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade.
Edelheim, J. R., Thomas, K., Åberg, K. G., & Phi, G. (2018). What do conferences do? What is
academics’ intangible return on investment (ROI) from attending an academic tourism conference?
Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 18(1), 94–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/153
13220.2017.1407517
Ficarelli, S., Sendra, S., Parra, L., & Lloret, J. (2013). Congress and Meetings Tourism and Destination
Brand. The Fifth International Conference on Creative Content Technologies, 7–15.
Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.
Field, A. (2000). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS for Windows: Advanced Techniques for the
Beginner. Sage Publications.
Fowler, B., Cardon, P., Marshall, B., & Elder, K. (2021). What do conference attendees want from
academic presentations? A study of an information systems professional organization. Issues
in Information Systems, 22(3), 96–106. https://doi.org/10.48009/3_iis_2021_107-119
Gorodnichenko, Y., Pham, T., & Talavera, O. (2021). Conference presentations and academic publishing.
Economic Modelling, 95, 228–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2020.12.017
Grado, S. C., Strauss, C. H., & Lord, B. E. (1997). Economic Impacts of Conferences and Conventions.
Journal of Convention & Exhibition Management, 1(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1300/
J143v01n01_03
Gür, Ş., Hamurcu, M., & Tamer, E. (2016). Selection of Academic Conferences Based on Analytical
Network Processes. Multiple Criteria Decision Making, 11, 51–62.
Han, H., Lee, S., Al-Ansi, A., Kim, H.-C., Ryu, H. B., Kim, J. J., & Kim, W. (2019). Convention
Tourism and Sustainability: Exploring Influencing Factors on Delegate Green Behavior That
Reduce Environmental Impacts. Sustainability, 11(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11143903
Hauss, K. (2021). What are the social and scientific benefits of participating at academic conferences?
Insights from a survey among doctoral students and postdocs in Germany. Research
Evaluation, 30(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvaa018
Hobson, J. S. P. (1993). Not another conference. International Journal of Hospitality Management,
12(2), 115–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/0278-4319(93)90002-Q
Holloway, C., Humphreys, C., & Davidson, R. (2009). The Business of Tourism, Eight edition.
Pearson Education Limited, England.
International Congress and Convention Association. (2019). ICCA Statistics report country & city
rankings. Amsterdam. Retrieved from https://www.iccaworld.org/newsarchives/archivedetails.
cfm?id=3189909
Jae Lee, M., & Back, K. (2005). A review of economic value drivers in convention and meeting
management research. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,
17(5), 409–420. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110510604832
Kadaifci, C., Asan, U., & Topcu, I. (2020). A Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping Approach to the Conference
Selection Problem. International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making,
19(6), 1451–1484. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219622020500352
Kim, S., Lee, J.-S., & Kim, M. (2012). How different are first-time attendees from repeat attendees
in convention evaluation? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(2), 544–
553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2011.07.014
Kim, S. S., Chon, K., & Chung, K. Y. (2003). Convention industry in South Korea: An economic
impact analysis. Tourism Management, 24(5), 533–541. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1016/
S0261-5177(03)00006-2
Lawson, F. (2000). Congress, Convention And Exhibition Facilities: Planning, Design And Management.
Architectural Press.
Lee, J.-S., & Back, K.-J. (2008). Attendee-based brand equity. Tourism Management, 29(2), 331–
344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2007.03.002
Lewis, C., & Kerr, G. (2012). Towards the Development of an Evaluation Questionnaire for
Academic Conferences. Event Management, 16(1), 11–23. https://doi.org/10.3727/1525995
12X13264729827514
Lovelock, C., & Wirtz, J. (2007). Services marketing: People, technology, strategy. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
Mair, J., Lockstone-Binney, L., & Whitelaw, P. A. (2018). The motives and barriers of association
conference attendance: Evidence from an Australasian tourism and hospitality academic
conference. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 34, 58–65. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2017.11.004
Marinković, V. (2012). Marketinški aspekti satisfakcije i lojalnosti – Orijentacija na potrošače u
savremenom bankarskom poslovanju. Ekonomski fakultet, Kragujevac.
Marques, J., & Pinho, M. (2021). Collaborative research to enhance a business tourism destination:
A case study from Porto. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 13(2),
172–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2020.1756307
McCarthy, J. F., McDonald, D. W., Soroczak, S., Nguyen, D. H., & Rashid, A. M. (2004). Augmenting
the Social Space of an Academic Conference. Proceedings of the 2004 ACM Conference
on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 39–48. New York, NY, USA: Association
for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/1031607.1031615
Mihajlović, M., & Stošić Mihajlović, L. (2017). Preduzetništvo u sektoru usluga sa akcentom na
poslovna putovanja i kongresni turizam. Zbornik Radova ITOP17, 155–162. Fakultet tehničkih
nauka u Čačku, Univerzitet u Kragujevcu.
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). An Overview of Psychological Measurement. In B. B. Wolman (Ed.), Clinical
Diagnosis of Mental Disorders: A Handbook (pp. 97–146). Boston, MA: Springer US.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2490-4_4
Oppermann, M., & Chon, K.-S. (1997). Convention participation decision-making process. Annals
of Tourism Research, 24(1), 178–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(96)00049-7
Otto, J. E., & Ritchie, J. R. B. (1996). The service experience in tourism. Tourism Management,
17(3), 165–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/0261-5177(96)00003-9
Pavluković, V., & Cimbaljević, M. (2020). Factors affecting conference participation decision-making.
Journal of the Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijic”, SASA, 70(1), 31–43. https://doi.
org/10.2298/IJGI2001031P
Pavluković, V., Vuković, S., & Cimbaljević, M. (2021). Determining success factors for business
tourism destinations: Evidence from Zlatibor (Serbia). Turizam, 25(3), 110–120. https://doi.
org/10.5937/turizam25-28201
Pizam, A., Neumann, Y., & Reichel, A. (1978). Dimensions of tourist satisfaction with a destination
area. Annals of Tourism Research, 5(3), 314–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-7383(78)90115-9
Rabotić, B. (2013). Selektivni oblici turizma (Special Interest Tourism), 2nd edn. Visoka turistička
škola strukovnih studija Beograd.
Rittichainuwat, B. N., Beck, J. A., & Lalopa, J. (2001). Understanding Motivations, Inhibitors,
and Facilitators of Association Members in Attending International Conferences. Journal of
Convention & Exhibition Management, 3(3), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1300/J143v03n03_04
​Severt, D., Wang, Y., Chen, P.-J., & Breiter, D. (2007). Examining the motivation, perceived performance,
and behavioral intentions of convention attendees: Evidence from a regional conference.
Tourism Management, 28(2), 399–408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2006.04.003
Sikošek, M. (2020). Congress Destination Attractiveness: The Case of Supply-Side of Business
Tourism in Slovenia. Academica Turistica, 13(1), 81–95.
Štetić, S. (2006). M.I.C.E. industrija—Budućnost razvoja turističke destinacije. Turizam, 10,
21–24.
Štetić, S. (2007). Posebni oblici turizma. Beograd.
Šušić, V., & Mojić, J. (2014). Kongresni turizam kao tržišna niša poslovnog turizma. Ekonomske
Teme, 52(4), 523–539.
Swarbrooke, J., & Horner, S. (2001). Business Travel and Tourism (1st Edition). London: Routledge.
Weber, K., & Ladkin, A. (2003). The Convention Industry in Australia and the United Kingdom:
Key Issues and Competitive Forces. Journal of Travel Research, 42(2), 125–132. https://doi.
org/10.1177/0047287503257489
Whitfield, J. (2007). Why build purpose-built conference venues? Forecasting new build. Journal
of Retail and Leisure Property, 6(1), 47–60. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.rlp.5100045
Whitfield, J. E. (2009). Why and How UK Visitor Attractions Diversify Their Product to Offer
Conference and Event Facilities. Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, 10(1), 72–88.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15470140902768210
Yoo, J. J.-E., & Chon, K. (2008). Factors Affecting Convention Participation Decision-Making:
Developing a Measurement Scale. Journal of Travel Research, 47(1), 113–122. https://doi.
org/10.1177/0047287507312421