David J. Shonk

Model of service quality in event sport tourism: development of a scale

The primary purposes of this study were to develop a scale and test a model of service quality in sport tourism. The model was tested using data collected from spectators travelling to a major league All-Star sporting event in the USA. The data from the 215 usable cases were analysed using structural equation modelling. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the CFA measurement model and structural model were an acceptable fit. The findings from this study point to support for a multi-dimensional model of service quality in sport tourism. The most important dimension was found to be the quality of the contest itself. The results suggested that there is an overall perception of sport tourism quality (ST Quality) which significantly contributes to a tourists perceptions of satisfaction. Moreover, Satisfaction was found to significantly contribute to a tourists decision to return to a sporting event and/or to a particular destination.

Service quality and satisfaction within campus recreation: the moderating role of identification.

The current study integrated the services marketing and social identity literature to examine the moderating effect of Identification on the relationship between service quality factors (i.e., Program Quality, Interaction Quality, Outcome Quality, Physical Environment Quality) and Satisfaction. The study was administered using a modified version of Ko and Pastores (2007) Scale of Service Quality in Recreational Sports (SSQRS) and Wann and Branscombes (1990) team identification questionnaire. Data were collected from more than 4,000 campus faculty and undergraduate student recreational users attending a university within the Middle Atlantic region of the United States. Results of the regression analysis demonstrated that Identification had a significant interactive effect when added to Outcome Quality, F(1, 3663) = 105.869, p < .001, such that higher Identification is related to higher Satisfaction. Identification also had a significant interactive effect with Program Quality, F(1, 3850) = 25.281, p < .001, such that higher Identification is related to lower Satisfaction. There was no significant interactive effect between Identification and Interaction Quality, F(1, 3692) = 1.464, p = .226; and Physical Environment Quality, F(1, 3721) = 1.977, p = .160. The findings have important implications for campus recreation professionals.

Site Selection, Satisfaction, and Intent to Return: An Exploratory Study of the Perceptions of Rights Holders of Small-Scale Sporting Events

The study examined sporting event rights holders’ perceptions of factors related to their last event and identified factors germane to intentions to return. Results showed that event facility (M = 6.24, SD = .62), accommodations (M = 6.08, SD = .51), security (M = 6.04, SD = .82), supportiveness (M = 5.82, SD = .95), and travel/access (M = 5.50, SD = .91) were important site characteristics for rights holders. Discriminant analysis suggested returners rated higher than doubters on security (M = 6.31), facility (M = 6.36), accommodations (M = 6.18), and supportiveness (M = 5.77). This study was exploratory and has implications for destination marketers.

Event satisfaction, leisure involvement and life satisfaction at a walking event: the mediating role of life domain satisfaction

Abstract Given the rising popularity of mass-participant sport, such as walking and running events, research has started to address whether these types of events could promote life satisfaction for participants. Nevertheless, the theoretical link between event participation and life satisfaction has not been fully elaborated. Using bottom-up theory of life satisfaction, this study examined the role of event satisfaction and the three facets of leisure involvement – attraction, centrality and self-expression – in people’s life domain satisfaction and life satisfaction. Participants (N = 236) were recruited from a walking event held in western Japan. The results of the study revealed that event satisfaction had positive, indirect effects on life satisfaction through satisfaction with family life and personal achievement. Attraction in walking also had positive, indirect effects on life satisfaction through satisfaction with family life, personal achievement and social life. In contrast, centrality and self-expression in walking were not associated with satisfaction with any life domains and life satisfaction. Findings from this study highlight the importance of life domain satisfaction in the relationship between event satisfaction, leisure involvement and life satisfaction. These findings also suggest that walking events can promote life satisfaction by providing the enjoyment of walking as physically active leisure.

Measuring Event Quality, Satisfaction, and Intent to Return at an International Sport Event: The ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study is to examine event quality, satisfaction, and intent to return of spectators attending an international sport event. A modified version of the Scale of Event Quality in Spectator Sports (SEQSS) was used in the current study. We added an additional dimension, parking, that was not included on the SEQSS. Skill, operating times, information, valence, and design explained 58.4% of the variance in satisfaction for spectators attending the event. Of this total, more than 30% of this variance was explained by valence. The results also revealed a significant correlation between parking and satisfaction and the fit of the overall model for event quality was good. The study advances the literature on event quality as applied to sport events, provides further development and refinement for measuring event quality, as well as providing a standardized way to measure event quality within multiple types of sport events.

Conceptualizing Sport Mega-Events

This chapter provides a broad conceptualization of sport mega-events (SMEs), including various definitions, characteristics, and classifications. The impacts and legacies of SMEs are explored, thus referring to the short-term consequences and more long-lasting factors such as economic growth and well-being of the population. Structural dimensions, size, and categories such as first-, second-, and third-order SMEs are also examined. We argue that no two types of SMEs of the same order are alike, neither are two emerging economies. Therefore, it is imperative to put attention to contextual differences when examining SMEs to help determine how these differences might affect the outcomes and processes of these events.

The Context of the South American Games

This chapter explores the origins and evolution of the Games in the context of a region that had experienced important political, cultural, and economic changes. Due to an increased awareness within the public sector of the role of sport, the last decade has witnessed the passage of sport legislation and the establishment of public agencies in many South American countries. Both have contributed to justify public investment in sport. While the future of the South American Games lies in the hands of the governing body ODESUR, growth and sustainability depends on governments’ willingness to fund and support these initiatives. The rise of the South American Games provides evidence of the critical role sport plays as a part of the public policies of the countries in South America.

Santiago 2014: Stakeholders’ Appraisement

This chapter discusses the media’s reaction to the South American Games, focusing on the promotion of this event, the strategies used for reaching the public, and the self-evaluation by those who were directly involved with the organization. Overall, media coverage of the games had a positive connotation with a focus on the achievements of Chilean athletes, the presence of high caliber international athletes, the quality of the sport infrastructure, and the high attendance and overall response from the public. The chapter also discusses criticism levied by some stakeholders, including a legal setback experienced by the Government Accountability Office which rejected expenses submitted by the local organizing committee. The setback revealed the inherent risks that countries face when local organizing committees possess too much freedom to operate without much accountability.

Bidding, Planning, and Organizing

This chapter describes several milestone events within the organization of the South American Games, including the local organizing committee’s (LOC’s) ability to manage the organizational complexities of staging such a venture. It also provides a historical account of the Chilean government’s failed attempts to bid and host SMEs and offers plausible explanations as to why recent government officials have changed their approach to bidding on these events. Arguably, the South American Games have served as the ignitor for bringing more and larger events to Chile. Recent success of the Santiago bid over the 2023 Pan American Games shows how the South American Games have played an important role in the current arms race for bringing larger and more challenging SMEs to Chile.

Emerging Economies and Sport Mega-Events

Most studies on SMEs have focused primarily on first-order events hosted in the global north and/or BRICS economies. Second- and third-order SMEs have received significantly less attention despite their popularity and rise in emerging economies. This chapter provides context for understanding what constitutes an emerging economy and the terms scholars have used to describe less-developed nations. It also describes Chile’s path to development and its aspirations for hosting SMEs. Because leaders of emerging economies are increasingly interested in hosting mega-events to gain international visibility, we explore the role of nation branding and soft power. This chapter helps the reader to understand the meaning of emerging economies and how this factors into the case of the 2014 South American Games in Santiago.