Developing and testing a model of exhibition brand preference: The exhibitors' perspective

Successful exhibition branding is essential to ensure that an exhibition organizer attracts a critical number of both exhibitors and visitors to profitably operate in an ever more competitive marketplace. However, the process of developing a strong exhibition brand, and indeed, what constitutes an exhibition brand, is not well understood. This paper first presents an argument for an exhibition brand being unique and more complex than various other types of brands discussed in the literature so far. It then extends existing branding theory in the exhibition context by advancing a model of exhibition brand preference, from the perspective of exhibitors, which examines the impact on brand preference of the various components of an exhibition brand. Drawing on a survey of 600 exhibitors, study findings reveal that it is the quality of the supplier-buyer (organizer-exhibitor) relationship that primarily determines exhibition brand preference rather than the attractiveness of an exhibition destination/venue. Theoretical and managerial implications of study findings are discussed, and directions for future research provided.