This study examined the impact of motivation factors on spending at cultural events organized by a local authority (LA) in Southborough, UK. Surveys of 579 event attendees collected data on demographics, motivations for attending, and spending. Regression analysis found that being motivated to meet new people increased average spending by £20.71, while motivations to spend time with family or because it was a local event decreased spending. The findings suggest event motivations should inform how public sector events are designed, marketed, and prioritized to increase economic impacts but not alienate citizens. Further research is needed using more sophisticated motivation scales and qualitative research.

1. The impact of motivation factors on
spending at a public sector festivals
programme
Denise Hawkes, James Kennell,
Paul Booth & Emma Abson
Institute of Education, University of London, UK
&
University of Greenwich, UK

2. Public sector support for Tourism and
Events in the UK
• 1980s – 2000s LA develop
‘entrepreneurial orientation’ in a
neoliberal context (Pugh & Wood 2009,
Harvey 2010)
• ‘Eventful Cities’ (Richards & Palmer
2010)
• Post 2008 crisis- Austerity programme
from UK coalition government
• 2010 – commitment to reduce public
sector spending by 13% in 5 years
• Dramatic impacts on public sector
support for tourism and cultural events
(Kennell & Chaperon 2013)

3. “Southborough Festivals”
• Multiple event programme
• LA decision – stop funding
smaller, community events,
concentrate on those with
greatest economic impact
• Commissioned study to
‘demonstrate’ assumed
economic impact
• Study showed £1.6m LEI
• 6.6:1 ROI

4. A six month programme of cultural
events

5. Methodology
• Visitor surveys (579
completed – 1,310 people)
– Demographic
– Motivations (Beard &
Ragheb 1983)
– Spending
• Organizational spending
• Multipliers used to
calculate impact

6. Median spending at the events
To Meet New People To Spend Time with
Family
To Learn more about
the content
Because it as a local
event
To see the acts General Entertainment All
Total Spending £5.00 £2.50 £6.00 £2.50 £5.00 £2.50 £5.00
Travel £5.00 £1.67 £2.50 £1.25 £2.50 £2.50 £2.50
Food £5.00 £2.50 £5.00 £1.13 £1.67 £2.50 £2.50
Keepsakes £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Accommodation £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Totals
£15.00 £6.67 £13.50 £4.88 £9.17 £7.50 £10.00

7. Regression Analysis to Explore the Determinants of Spending at Local Authority
Events * p<0.05; ** p<0.01

8. Key results
• If one of the attendee motivations was ‘to meet
new people’ – this increases average spending by
£20.71 per person
• If one of the attendee motivations is ‘to spend
time with family’ this reduces average spending
by £6.31pp
• If one of the attendee motivations is ‘because it is
a local event’ this reduces average spending by
£10.59pp
• Repeat attending and key demographic factors
were found to have little impact on expenditures

9. Event motivations
• The majority of events
motivation studies focus on
psychological factors and and
link to marketing and
satisfaction behaviours (Uysal et al
1991, Crompton & McKay 1997, Nicholson & Pearce
2001, Lee et al 2004, Bowen & Daniels 2005,
Thompson & Schofield 2009, Kim et al 2010 )
• Most studies of determinants of
expenditure only explore
demographic and behavioural
factors (Thrane 2002, Thomson & Schofield 2009, Kim
et al 2008 & 2010, Kruger et al 2010, Chang & Yuan 2011)
• Our findings link expenditure to
motivation

10. Implications
• Public sector events priorities
– Pre 2010: Inclusion, accountability, public policy goals
– Post 2010: commercially viable and create local economic
impacts
• Understanding event motivations now central –
research gap?
• To increase £ - Public sector must design and market
events with the needs of motivational segments in
mind
• New tension – designing and marketing public sector
events to increase £, but without alienating citizens
and other stakeholders

11. Limitations and further research
• Limited opportunities for spending – these events
have a non-commercial orientation
– Test at other public sector events with more
developed commercial activity
• Motivation was not the focus of the study –
measurement of this was simplistic
– Employ more sophisticated scales in future studies
• Qualitative research needed to understand more
about these groups, why they spend, what on
and what they want from events

12. References
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Management, 9, 155-164
• Chang, W. & Yuan, J. (2011) ‘A Taste of Tourism: Visitors’ Motivations to Attend a Food Festival’ in Event
Management, 15, 13-23
• Crompton, J. L., & McKay, S. L. (1997) ‘Motives of visitors attending festival events’ in Annals of Tourism Research,
24(2), 425–439.
• Harvey, D. (2010) A Brief History of Neoliberalism, Oxford: Polity
• Kennell, J. & Chaperon, S. (2013) Analysis of the UK Government’s 2011 tourism policy. Cultural Trends. 22 (3-4),
278-284
• Kim, S.S., Han, H. & Chon, K. (2008) ‘Estimation of the Determinants of Expenditures by Festival Visitors’ in Tourism
Analysis, 13, 387-400
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Determinants of Festival Particpants’ Expenditures’ in International Journal of Hospitality Management, 29, 297-
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• Richards, G. & Palmer, R. (2010) Eventful Cities, Abingdon: Routledge
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Motivation’ in Event Management, 13, 1-15
• Thrane, C. (2002) ‘Jazz Festival Visitors and Their Expenditures: Linking Spending Patterns to Music Interest’ in
Journal of Travel Research, 40, 281-286
• Uysal, M., Backman, K., Backman, S., & Potts, T. (1991) ‘An examination of event tourism motivations and
activities’ in Bratton, R.D., Go, F. M., & Richie, J. R. B. (Eds.), New horizons in tourism and hospitality education,
training, and research (pp. 203–218). Calgary: University of Calgary.