The influence of service quality and trade show effectiveness on post‐show purchase intention

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test an integrative services framework to investigate the role of perceived trade show effectiveness on overall trade show service outcome, conceptualised as the intention to purchase a related product after, rather than during, a show.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the services marketing and trade show literature, the authors test a model of trade show effectiveness with data collected from 592 attendees at a major automotive trade show in a large metropolitan centre.

Findings

Results show that improving trade show visitors' perceived service quality positively affects visitor perceptions of trade show effectiveness. Furthermore, both trade show effectiveness and service quality directly influence future purchase intention.

Research limitations/implications

Employing a services theoretical framework to evaluate trade show visitor experiences provides an alternative to the traditional marketing communications approach. By viewing such visits as service encounters, managers must inevitably consider the effects of service quality and service outcomes in determining the likely success of their shows. The study primarily focuses on one large consumer show and therefore does not constitute a complete, nor necessarily representative, sample of the trade show industry.

Originality/value

The original contribution of the paper stems from the paucity of research conceptualising trade shows as services and the comparative lack of emphasis placed on visitors rather than exhibitors in the literature. The research not only has utility for trade show organisers but also provides necessary theory‐based research in the trade show domain.

Citation

Gottlieb, U.R., Brown, M.R. and Drennan, J. (2011), "The influence of service quality and trade show effectiveness on post‐show purchase intention", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 45 No. 11/12, pp. 1642-1659. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090561111167324