Literature review methodology and interview-based findings analysis

¶ … ROLE OF SOUND AS AN ELEMENT OF GUEST SATISFACTION WITHIN TH E. EVENT INDUSTRY

A SPONSOR PERSPECTIVE

The field of event management recognizes that events are more than the featured action; they encompass the sum total of the experiences that the customers and employees experience while at that event. Therefore, while there might be a limited number of purposes for an event, the different variables that contribute to an event mean that there are an infinite number of ways that an event can occur. One of the emerging ideas in event management is the idea that these secondary characteristics can contribute as much to the event as the actual purpose. Moreover, successful event managers have to be aware of the competition that occurs because of these secondary characteristics. The environment of an event is often referred as the Servicescape. One part of the Servicescape is the sound of an event. Sound and sound quality can make up an important part of an event, even for events that do not obviously depend upon sound quality and acoustics.

This paper involves an extensive literature review looking at the impact of sound on an event. Not surprisingly, the results suggest that sound is an integral part of events, even those events that are not based on sound (such as concerts). Moreover, sound is critical in different areas of events. Sound can help crowds hurry up or slow down, which can encourage purchasing decisions and wait times. Moreover, sound can help set the tone for an event. The sound in a waiting line can literally help determine a consumer's experience at an event.

The findings and analysis section of this paper focus on an interview with an individual event consumer. The consumer was asked to detail how ambient sound helped impact the event experience. Not surprisingly, the consumer did not even realize how much of a role these secondary sounds played in the experience, until asked to focus upon them. However, once attention was placed on the sounds, the consumer concluded that sound played a major role in tone-setting for the event.

One of the more interesting aspects of the findings was how much sound was linked to the individual's experience. For example, the interviewee described how a sound evoked a feeling of nostalgia. Therefore, it is critical for event managers to realize that the same sound may evoke different feelings in different audiences. Therefore, the recommendation is that event managers consider specific target audiences when developing the Servicescape for specific events.