EMBOK

EventManagement,Vol.12,pp.19–251525-9951/08$60.00+.00PrintedintheUSA.Allrightsreserved.Copyright©2008CognizantComm.Corp.:519-831-1925;Fax:[phone];E-mail:[e-mail]NOWLEDGE(EMBOK):THEFUTUREOFEVENTINDUSTRYRESEARCHLINDAM.ROBSONRecreation&LeisureStudies,UniversityofWaterloo,Waterloo,CanadaQuantitativemethodshavedominatedtourismresearchformanyyears,soitshouldcomeasnosurprisethattheyareprominentineventindustryresearch.Surveys,inparticular,areusedfrequentlyinbothacademicandindustryresearch.Theygarneragreatdealofinformation,butisthistheonlyoption?TheInternationalEventManagementBodyOfKnowledge(EMBOK)Committeebelievestheyhavedevelopedamodelthatisaimedspecificallyatresearchingissueswithintheeventindustry.Itincludesparadigms,definitions,anddomainsthatcanbemixedandmatchedtocreatethousandsofpotentialresearchtopics.ThisarticlelooksatthestatusoftheEMBOKModelandhowwellitaccomplisheswhatitsaysitcando.Keywords:EMBOK;Eventindustry;Research&EventTourism)wasfounded,providingtwopublica-tionscommittedtotheadvancementofeventindustryknowledgeandresearch(Lee&Back,2005).Table1breaksdownthenumberofarticlesthathavebeenwrit-tenabouttheeventindustrybyspecificjournals.Marketingdominatedresearchintheeventindustry(Lee&Back,2005;Ladkin,2002;Yoo&Weber,2005).Thisisnotsurprisingconsideringthefactthattheeventindustryispartofthetourismsectorandmarketingre-searchhasbeenadominatethemeinthisfieldaswell.AnelectronicsearchofSCIRUS()in2007using“marketing”and“tourism”resultedin1,785articles.InFormica(1998),acontentanalysisof83articlesrelatedtofestivalsandspecialeventswasexaminedtodiscovertheresearchtopicsinvestigatedandthemethodologicalandstatisticaltechniquesused.Hefoundthateconomic/financialimpactandmarketingdominatedthearticles(Table2).Thefocusoneconom-IntroductionTheeventsindustryincludespeople,places,andactivities.Itisadynamicandevolvingindustrywithmanyindustriesinvolvedinitsproduction.Researchhasproducedknowledgeinseveralareas,aswellasarticlesthatsummarizethisresearch(Abbey&Link,1994;Formica,1998;Lee&Back,2005).Severalotherarticlesmentionthedominantresearchthemeswhilesuggestingnewavenuesforfutureresearch(Getz,2000;Ladkin,2002;Yoo&Weber,2005).Priorto1993,withthefoundingofFestivalManagement&EventTourism(nowtitledEventManagement),eventindustryresearchcouldbefoundinhospitalityandtourismjournalssuchasAnnalsofTourismResearch,TourismManagement,andJournalofTravelResearch(Formica,1998;Lee&Back,2005).In1998,theJournalofConvention&Ex-hibitionManagement(nowtitledJournalofConvention20ROBSONic/financialimpactandmarketingisunderstandableastheaccommodationssectorsinitiatedmuchoftheeventindustryresearch.Withadesiretomaketheirmarketingprogramsmoreeffective,theaccommodationssectorhasbeentheleaderinresearchintheindustry.LeeandBack(2005)conductedacontentanalysisof137conventionandmeetingarticlesintheperiod1990–2003(Table3).Intheirstudy,researchareaswerefurtherelaboratedtoconnecttheindustryplayerwiththeresearchtopic.Forexample,researchthatfocusedon“Attendees”wasconcernedwiththosefactorsthatcouldpotentiallyinfluencetheirdecisiontoparticipateinanevent.LeeandBackfoundthatresearchfocusedonMeetingBuyers(planners)dominatedthearticles,withsiteselectionandperceivedevaluationofmeetingservicesanddestinationsastheleadingthemes.Thesestudiesaresupportedbyothersummariesofeventindustryresearch,albeitnotasdetailedorlongi-tudinal.Forexample,AbbeyandLink(1994)notetheimportanceofsiteselectionintheirreviewofacademicandindustry(associationsandtradepublications)re-searchonevents.Accordingtotheiranalysis,researchbyindustryassociationswasprimarilyconductedbytheInternationalAssociationofConventionandVisitorBureaus(IAVCB).Thisresearchwasconcernedwithconventionexpenditures.Othertradepublicationre-searchexploredthecharacteristicsofmeetings(type,numberofattendees,leadtimeinplanning,etc).Ladkin(2005)alsolooksatthesamethreegroupsconductingresearchasAbbeyandLink.Shesuggeststhatacademicresearchhasfocusedoneconomicimpactsandsiteselectionissues.Theindustryasso-ciationresearchhasbeenconductedbytheUnionofInternationalAssociations(UIA)andtheInternationalCongressandConventionAssociation(ICCA).Findingsfromthisresearchhavebeeninternationalinnature,centeredoncharacteristicsofthemeetings(size,types,services,andvenues),andprofilesofcorporatemeetingplanners.LadkinalsomentionstheIACVBresearchreferredtobyAbbeyandLink.Ladkinsuggeststhatresearchbytradepublicationsisgenerallyconcernedwithdestinationandfacilitypromotion.Asmentioned,therehavebeenonlytwopublicationsdedicatedtoresearchspecifictotheeventindustrysince1993.Usingtablesofcontents,acursoryscanofthetitlesofarticlespublishedinEventManagement(formerlyFestivalManagement&EventTourism)andtheJournalofConventionandEventTourism(formerlytheJournalofConventionandExhibitionManagement)wasconductedusingtheperiod1998–2007.TopicsfromEventManagementusedfestivals,sportingevent