A Practitioner-Based Instrument to Assess Factors That Influence Spectator Behaviors

Sport spectators are the lifeblood of minor league sports. Sport marketing and management practitioners are looking for research they can utilize to better serve the sport spectator, and their organization. The characteristics of spectators at professional and collegiate sport events have been examined throughout the literature (Wann, et. al., 2008; Trail, Anderson, & Fink, 2005); however few studies have identified these findings in terms that can be effectively utilized by sport marketers and managers in the field.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence spectators who attend minor league sport events from the perspective of the practitioner through the analysis of longitudinal data and the development of an instrument.

Methods

A survey was developed through an analysis of research conducted over a seven year period (2001-2008) with a minor-league (AHL) hockey team (Bogle & Blais, 2007). This research utilized surveys, focus groups, and interviews to examine specific factors which influenced purchase decisions; satisfaction surrounding the product and the organization; levels of consumption; awareness of the product; and demographic information (Blais & Bogle, 2008).

Analysis/Results

The survey instrument developed was administered via an electronic survey platform to 3512 spectators who attended minor league hockey contests and voluntarily submitted their email address to the organization. Responses were collected from 415 season/partial season ticket holders and 902 single game consumers (N=1317). This cross-sectional survey included scaled response (Likert scale), closed-ended (multiple-category), and open-ended questions. The responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics to identify factors that consumers stated influenced their purchase and experience with the sport product.

Conclusions

Results from this survey provided sport marketers and managers with functional information regarding consumer behaviors, marketing/communication, management, and operations; differences between season/partial season ticketholders and single game consumers were also demonstrated. Overall, the results indicated several factors which influenced attendance including who was the most influential individual in purchase decisions, and what factors had the greatest impact on consumer satisfaction. Each category directly represented an operation within the organization, and utilization of such an instrument to influence management behavior along with measurement over time could dramatically affect the understanding of spectator behaviors. Similarly, the use of this instrument in other minor league organizations would assess the continuity of fans across minor league sport. Therefore, the results from this study have demonstrated the need for further practitioner-based research regarding spectator characteristics and behaviors at minor league sports.