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Experience dimensions vary significantly depending on the sporting event.
Entertainment is always the most important dimension of the sports experience.
Perceived experience significantly influences the intention to participate again.
Marketers emphasize experiences to encourage viewer loyalty.
Abstract of the study
The combination of sports event tourism and the experience economy has led to an experience-based explanation of the behavior of sports tourists and the creation of "experiencescapes". The aim of this study is to analyze the interdependence of perceived experiences and revisit intentions at three different events.
A survey was used to collect data from spectators at the Ice Hockey World Championships, the Table Tennis World Championships and motorsport events. Entertainment, aesthetics, escapism and education served as dimensions that defined the experience at sporting events and their relationship with the intention to revisit. The models were tested using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.
The four dimensions of the experience were confirmed, but they differed depending on the sporting event. For example, entertainment showed the highest factor loading on the experience at all events. Education had the second-highest factor loading at the table tennis event, while aesthetics had the second-highest factor loading at the ice hockey and motorsport events.
Marketers of sporting events need to understand the spectator experience and its influence on post-consumption behavior. For motorsports, the promotional material should emphasize the aesthetics of an experience, for ice hockey the entertainment and for table tennis education is at the heart of the experience.
The novelty of this study lies in the fact that it is the first to apply the four realms of experience to the context of sporting events. The results suggest that the three sporting events examined offer spectators different "experiencescapes".
Key findings of this study
- The four dimensions of experience (entertainment, aesthetics, escapism, education) were confirmed as relevant for sports experiences.
- However, the importance of these dimensions differs considerably depending on the sporting event (ice hockey, table tennis, motor sport).
- Entertainment was the most strongly defining dimension of the experience for all sporting events studied.
- The perceived sports experience has a significant and positive influence on spectators' intention to return.
- Marketers of sporting events should adapt their marketing strategies by emphasizing the most important experience dimensions for each sport (e.g. aesthetics for motorsports, education for table tennis, entertainment for ice hockey).