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Who goes to events: A comparative analysis of the profile characteristics of visitors to four South Island events in New Zealand

Douglas G. Pearce

School of Business and Public Management, Victoria University of Wellington, Douglas.Pearce{at}vuw.ac.nz

This paper presents a systematic comparative analysis of the profile characteristics of visitors to four events in the South Island of New Zealand in 1998: two food and beverage festivals, an air show and a country music festival. A comparative methodology for the study of events tourism is outlined and the results are presented in two stages; firstly, by means an element-by-element comparison of each of the characteristics; secondly, by way of a summary matrix. This comparative analysis emphasises the heterogeneity of the demand for events. While some similarities are found, especially between the two food and beverage festivals, the general picture to emerge from the findings is one of difference. Event-goers do not appear to constitute a single homogeneous market; rather, different events appear to attract different audiences. The implications of these findings are discussed and suggestions for further research are outlined.

Key Words: events • festivals • comparative research • market segmentation • profile characteristics • visitor surveys

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