Shane Pegg

Rethinking music festivals as a staged event: Gaining insights from understanding visitor motivations and the experiences they seek

Event managers are increasingly under pressure to develop new strategies that will optimize any competitive advantages that their event may have, while, at the same time, minimizing their operations vulnerability to external threats and emulation. Yet, for all this, little research has been done to date with respect to visitor engagement in events, such as music festivals, in the Australian setting. With this in mind, the principal aim of this study was to profile visitors who attended the Tamworth Country Music Festival to determine their main motivations for attendance and what aspects of the event have differentiated it from others of its type. Overall, over 1,500 visitor surveys were collected, with results showing that there was a significant difference among festival visitors with respect to their activity engagement, reasons for attending the festival, and assessment of it when comparisons across key study variables were determined. These findings provide clear insights into the changing nature of visitor engagement in the experience economy and the importance of servicing the diverse needs of discrete niche groups who might congregate at a particular event.

Accessible tourism and sustainability: a discussion and case study

This paper explores the concept of accessible tourism and its links with triple-bottom-line (TBL) sustainability. Accessible tourism is reviewed through some of its central features including dimensions of access, universal design and the nexus between ageing and disability. The TBL is then examined to better understand the financial, environmental and social considerations that arise from accessible tourism. The research design used in this explorative research incorporated a case study approach, where a business case study instrument was developed. Methods included a Delphi group, review of management information systems, in-depth interviews with key informants, observation and participant observation. The study results revealed that rather than accessible tourism being a single construct, it forms one critical dimension of a series of interrelated, overlapping and interdependent business arrangements that extend beyond the business entity through a series of social networks within the destination region. It is argued that to properly satisfy the accessible tourism market, a more sophisticated understanding of accessible destination experiences is needed by tourism operators. The case study illustrates the considerable size and multi-niche markets served by accessible tourism destinations, the good fit between accessible tourism and TBL sustainable tourism, and the need for further research.

Serious leisure and people with intellectual disabilities: benefits and opportunities

Can people with intellectual disabilities use serious leisure activities in a similar context to people without disabilities as a substitute for their paid work? In the past, western societies have tended to devalue people with disabilities, and as a consequence they were less likely to have valued social roles through paid work. However, for many people with disabilities, serious leisure should be valued as it encourages active participation in either formal group structures, or informal networks of devotees, for the sharing of common leisure interests as an amateur, hobbyist or volunteer. This study has used a qualitative methodology incorporating semi‐structured interviews with a small purposive sample of adults with disabilities who were living independently in the community. They were selected as prospective respondents by key staff in several disability service agencies in Brisbane, Australia, because of their successful participation in community‐based leisure activities that were classified as ‘serious’. The results of this study found that people with disabilities have the ability to participate in serious leisure activities and to successfully engage at such a level so as to enable them to develop increased levels of confidence, skills and self‐esteem.

Marketing the Leisure Experience to Baby Boomers and Older Tourists

Tourism is big business, especially for the increasing numbers of baby boomers who are becoming increasingly targeted by marketers and travel companies as a growing market. This is because many baby boomers are healthier, financially well off, better educated and have a greater desire for novelty, escape and authentic experiences than previous cohorts of retirees. The baby boomer generation is a prime example of a niche market firmly embracing the notion that the next wave of successful tourism businesses will be those geared towards the experience economy. In recent years, ‘boomers’ have demonstrated that they are willing participants in new and adventurous forms of leisure and are opting for more physically challenging and ‘adrenalin driven’ experiences. Because of this emerging trend, marketing campaigns need to be tailored to emphasize the leisure experience and to include actual statements from older people based on their perceived feelings about the tourism experience. In seeking to bring greater attention to this issue, this article seeks to first detail the changing leisure interests of todays older tourists before concluding with a discussion of key marketing considerations for this growing cohort group.

Issues of access: what matters to people with disabilities as they seek leisure experiences.

Recreation and leisure providers are ideally placed in the community to enhance the health, wellness and quality of life of people with disabilities but their full potential in this regard has yet to be realised (Dattilo, 2002; Stumbo & Pegg, 2004; Stumbo, Pegg, & Lord, 2008). Many authors have noted that leisure experiences and participation provide unique and valuable opportunities that may result in a variety of positive physical, social and psychological benefits, as well as enhance ones overall quality of life (Payne, 2002). When people with disabilities participate in leisure experiences, they obtain benefits on a par with their non-disabled counterparts. However, in order for these benefits to be realised by people with disabilities, leisure and recreation services must be both accessible and inclusive (Anderson & Brown Kress, 2003; Dattilo, 2002). To date, a number of authors have been critical of the lack of accessible and inclusive leisure services and the resultant reduced participation rates of individuals with disabilities (Darcy, 2001; Dattilo, 2002; Devine & McGovern, 2001; Edwards, 1995; Kennedy & Smith, 1990; Schleien & Ray, 1988). When leisure services are inadequate or absent, the potential of the leisure experience for these individuals remains elusive (Darcy, 2001). The purpose of this paper therefore is to demonstrate that a significant number of individuals across the globe do have disabling conditions and that their involvement in leisure and recreation services is often variable at best. As such, an exploration of the nature of accessible and inclusive leisure and recreation services is deemed warranted, as is the effort to detail the diverse range of benefits that people with disabilities may derive from such services. The paper then concludes with a discussion of some of the basic guidelines for the proper provision of accessible and inclusive leisure services.

The serious leisure career hierarchy of Australian motorcycle road racers

The academic study of motorcycle racing represents a relatively new area of research. While numerous studies have been conducted on motorcycle gangs, no studies have investigated the serious leisure world of the motorcycle racer, a sport in which motorcyclists may reach speeds in excess of 200 km/hour, with accidents likely to result in serious injury or death. A small sample of eight motorcycle road racers who, at the time of this research, were competing at the national level of the sport in Australia were interviewed by telephone with the conversations recorded for transcription and content analysis. An exploratory qualitative research design underpinned by grounded theory and involving the use of an interview schedule composed of open-structured interviews gave each rider the freedom to outline their own understandings and interpretations of how they engaged in their chosen sport. Common themes that emerged from their personal stories included a discussion of what one racer referred to as a “rider hierarchy” within the motorcycle road racing fraternity, which recognised different skills and experience levels among riders. The novice rider was placed at the bottom, entry level with the factory rider at the top. After analysis of the study data, a model was developed to describe the rider hierarchy as it was perceived by the study respondents.

Identifying the Satisfactions Derived from Leisure Gardening by Older Adults

Abstract Gardening is a popular leisure activity among older adults in most Western countries. However, few systematic academic studies have focused on the benefits of gardening engaged in by this cohort. The purpose of this study was to identify the contribution of gardening to the leisure and life satisfaction of older adults. Self‐administered questionnaire surveys were completed by 433 older adults who were recruited at a ‘Gardening Australia Expo’ held in Brisbane, Queensland in April 2009. Findings of this study indicated that older adults obtained high levels of leisure satisfaction specifically from the relaxation, psychological and physiological aspects of gardening. Those whose engagement in gardening was at the level of serious leisure received the greatest satisfaction. Most participants reported that gardening contributed to their overall life satisfaction. Implications for future studies and leisure providers are discussed.

Choices and Challenges: Physical Activity and People with Disabilities

Abstract While it is widely known that physical activity is a prerequisite to maintaining good health, few Australians and Americans meet the recommended guidelines of 30 minutes of moderate activity per day, for five or more days per week. It is also widely accepted that, if individuals were to adhere to these guidelines, significant physical, social and psychological benefits would be achieved. The same two facts, although not as well researched as in the general population, are becoming more evident for people with disabilities. This article reviews concepts and statistics related to physical activity and people with disabilities in Australia and the United States, highlights the most crucial yet overlooked barriers to physical activity for people with disabilities and reviews considerations for physical activity programming for people with disabilities that have previously gone unrecognised by leisure service providers. The paper seeks to challenge leisure providers to create more and improved and inclusive physical activity programs and discusses various program considerations that would greatly enhance such services. It is argued that, if the health and well-being of individuals with disabilities is truly of concern and if this concern is to be reflected in practice, then leisure and recreation professionals will need to improve their programs in significant ways.

Creating opportunities and ensuring access to leisure and recreation services through inclusion in the global community.

Abstract There is no greater challenge to the global community than to optimize opportunities for all persons. Integral to creating opportunities is the necessity of assuring access and inclusion of all persons to education, health care, employment, recreation, and leisure services. Ericsson (2001) and Cross (1999) have suggested that we are not seeking to integrate our populations into society, but rather to create conditions wherein one can be included in the mainstream or fabric of society. This requires different ideological, political, and strategic policy formulation than currently exists. We can no longer remain focused on physical solutions to address the broad socio-political needs of a diverse society. It is incumbent upon those who will forge policy, law, and rule to become sensitive to the needs of individuals and their families as we craft a vision of full inclusion, which also includes social inclusion. We must vigorously advance the importance of involvement of all people in socal, recreation, cultura, sport, outdoor, and leisure pursuits. This paper advances the proposition that the global community must improve quality of life through the provision of inclusive recreation services, advancement of full social integration, and creation of broad based leisure opportunities for all.

Service Recovery Readiness in Australian Hospitality and Leisure Operations: A Conceptual Framework and Findings from an Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT Hospitality and leisure operations across Australia have experienced phenomenal growth over the past few decades. This growth can be attributed to globalisation, deregulation, increased household disposable income, and technological advancements. As organisations continue to strive for a competitive edge, increased attention is given to consistency and reliability of service delivery. However, given the significant human element in the production and consumption of services, mistakes are inevitable (albeit not intentional). Service recovery is therefore a central ingredient in maintaining quality of service delivery. It facilitates customer satisfaction, increases loyalty and repeat patronage, and fosters positive word-of-mouth recommendation. The present paper develops an integrated model of the key concepts of service delivery-illustrating the importance of the relationships among service quality, empowerment, and service recovery. To obtain a better understanding of the importance that organisations place on service recovery, an exploratory study is presented. This consisted of interviews and questionnaires across selected hospitality and leisure operators in Australia. The findings show that service recovery is viewed as an important component of business practices. However, there are noticeable gaps-particularly in relation to organisational readirecovery.