A conjoint analysis of attributes influencing attendance of academic conferences

Muhittin Cavusoglu, Seden Dogan, Ozen Kirant Yozcu, Meng Jun Hsu, Cihan Cobanoglu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the relative importance of various attributes (i.e. the total cost of attending, conference organizer, publishing opportunities for an academic career and personal development, reputation as measured by the number of conferences held, location and size) in terms of their ability to impact the decision of attendees in their selection of which academic conference to attend. Design/methodology/approach: Conjoint analysis was used to examine the relative importance of various attributes to impact an attendee’s decision to select an academic conference (i.e. the total cost of attending, conference organizer, publishing opportunities for an academic career and personal development, reputation as measured by the number of conferences held, location and size). Findings: The choice-based conjoint analysis revealed that the most crucial attributes for attending an academic conference were the total cost of attending the conference (28% of relative importance) and the conference organizer (28%). Practical implications: Since the total cost of attending a conference is one of the top two attributes, conference organizers should reduce the costs as much as possible. Recommendations include choosing a university venue instead of a hotel or conference center and offering multiple options for registration passes (i.e. one-day pass). However, organizers should be careful about meals provided during the conference program, as meals have a positive effect on attendees’ decisions. Originality/value: This study introduces to the literature a new indicator for selecting an academic conference – the reputation of the conference as measured by the number of times it had been held. In previous studies, this variable was not considered in the context of selecting an academic conference.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3263-3284
Number of pages22
JournalInternational Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Volume35
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2 2023
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Conference location
  • Number of times the conference was held
  • Organizer
  • Publication opportunity
  • Size of the conference
  • Total cost of conference

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A conjoint analysis of attributes influencing attendance of academic conferences'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this