The art of tastings: enhancing the arts festival experience
International Journal of Event and Festival Management
ISSN: 1758-2954
Article publication date: 9 August 2018
Issue publication date: 17 October 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The role and importance of arts festivals are well documented within the festival and events literature. Art and culture, as well as the subsequent enhancement thereof, are especially significant in multicultural societies. However, little is known regarding the role of culinary experiences within an arts festival setting. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The case study was a well-known and popular Afrikaans national arts festival held annually in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Visitors to three distinct tasting experiences (brandy, whisky and sparkling wine, including Méthode Cap Classique), offered as part of the festival programme, were surveyed.
Findings
In the analyses, 292 completed questionnaires were included, which revealed three managerial factors for a successful tasting experience, as well as six tasting experience dimensions. In all cases, the experiences exceeded the expectations. This research greatly contributes towards the body of knowledge regarding tasting experiences at national arts festivals, an aspect that has not been researched to date.
Practical implications
Based on the results, practical implications are provided to enhance the current tasting experiences as well as visitor loyalty. This research is a stepping stone towards understanding the needs and preferences of the visitors, as well as identifying how the festival can capitalise on delivering these experiences.
Originality/value
This research identified for the first time the factors that contribute to a memorable tasting experience, as well as evaluated the tasting experience dimensions.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance from the National Research Foundation (NRF). The authors are also grateful towards the organisers of Aardklop for allowing the research to be conducted, to all the fieldworkers and all the respondents who were willing to form part of the research.
Citation
Viljoen, A., Kruger, M. and Saayman, M. (2018), "The art of tastings: enhancing the arts festival experience", International Journal of Event and Festival Management, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 246-265. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-03-2018-0023
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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