Collaborative innovation: catalyst for a destination’s event success
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
ISSN: 0959-6119
Article publication date: 11 June 2018
Issue publication date: 6 July 2018
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to contribute to theory concerning collaborative innovation through stakeholder engagement with reference to Glasgow City Marketing Bureau’s (GCMB’s) management strategies, which represent UK best practice in events procurement, leveraging and destination branding.
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopts a case study design to facilitate an in-depth evaluation of the destination marketing organisation’s (DMO’s) critical success factors. Multiple perspectives on GCMB’s collaborative innovation are achieved through semi-structured interviews with senior managers from the bureau, key stakeholders and other DMOs.
Findings
GCMB’s success results from long-term, extensive, collaborative engagement, a unique institutional structure and sustained political and financial support through to transformational leadership, strategic event selection and targeted marketing through “earned” distribution channels.
Research limitations/implications
The study takes a single case study approach and focusses on GCMB’s event-led branding strategy. Given the importance but relative neglect of long-term inter-personal relationships in collaborative innovation, future research should focus on the development of social capital and adopt a longitudinal perspective.
Practical implications
The paper provides insights into the collaborative innovation process with a range of stakeholders, which underpins GCMB’s events strategy and its leveraging of the city brand. In particular, the study highlights the need for entrepreneurial leadership and the development of long-term relationships for effective engagement with stakeholders.
Originality/value
Previous research has focussed on outcomes and neglected pre-requisites and the process of collaborative innovation between destination stakeholders. This study examines this issue from the perspective of a successful DMO and presents a conceptual framework and new engagement dimensions that address this gap in knowledge.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the senior managers of GCMB, its stakeholders and other DMOs for their contribution to the study and the three anonymous reviewers for their critical insights and suggestions for improving the quality of the manuscript.
This paper is dedicated to our co-author and esteemed colleague, John Heeley, who passed away in June 2017.
Citation
Schofield, P., Crowther, P., Jago, L., Heeley, J. and Taylor, S. (2018), "Collaborative innovation: catalyst for a destination’s event success", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 30 No. 6, pp. 2499-2516. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2016-0396
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited