Abstract
Purpose - The aims of the study are threefold. The first is to discuss the practice of Corporate Hospitality (CH) at special events used by Australian businesses as a relationship marketing technique to engage with their customers. The second aim is to investigate how marketing practitioners judge their CH programs in a business-to-business (B2B) context. A third aim is to determine the key benefits and uncover contemporary issues faced by marketing practitioners in the operation of CH programs. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative method was employed in this the first phase of a broader research program. The research design sought to attain exploratory insights from marketing executives that employed CH at sports and cultural events as part of existing B2B marketing programs. The intention of this qualitative study was to investigate and uncover key issues and establish themes that could be tested in future research. Fifteen (15) in depth interviews including a pilot of two interviews were conducted with marketing practitioners who held managerial responsibility for CH programs in four states of Australia. These interviews were electronically recorded and subsequently transcribed for coding purposes.Findings - An analysis identified several key issues regarding the role and deployment of CH within marketing programs. Key benefits of programs included gaining market intelligence, improving channel communication and creating a competitive advantage through building existing relationships with a firm’s customers. The research found that there were specific differences within both the application and management of CH among practitioners and highlighted several pressing issues regarding the practice. Events offering mass appeal to both genders such as tennis and horse racing were considered more appealing to a corporate audience and spectacular, big-ticket events were favoured. The research identified that no two organisations operate their programs identically, some use the programs to reward past loyalty and others leverage special events for face-to-face time with new clients. The lack of consistency in measurement included an inability to disengage CH programs from other marketing elements operating simultaneously. It was evident that the lack of objective setting by many organisations coupled with often a short-term view of CH programs impeded effective measurement of expected outcomes. Research limitations/implications - This exploratory study provides greater insights into the little researched topic of Corporate Hospitality in the special events sector. Implications stemming from the study include the implementation of recommended changes to CH design and delivery including optimising special event selection to match intended guests and their preferences, setting micro and macro objectives for CH programs and ensuring they are measurable. In addition, such objectives need to be made explicit to internal stakeholders in order to maximise return on investment for marketing practitioners. For CH to continue to grow as a major revenue stream for special event organisers, more certainty with regards to the outcomes of these programs are required, along with ensuring the CH special event products offer corporate appeal.Practical implications - Research findings can contribute to greater academic and practitioner knowledge in this growing area within special events. Applied research into CH can assist not only the events sector but also the marketing discipline.Originality/value - This research adds to event and marketing practitioner knowledge through the exploration of a practice that has so far received little academic attention.
Purpose - The aims of the study are threefold. The first is to discuss the practice of Corporate Hospitality (CH) at special events used by Australian businesses as a relationship marketing technique to engage with their customers. The second aim is to investigate how marketing practitioners judge their CH programs in a business-to-business (B2B) context. A third aim is to determine the key benefits and uncover contemporary issues faced by marketing practitioners in the operation of CH programs. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative method was employed in this the first phase of a broader research program. The research design sought to attain exploratory insights from marketing executives that employed CH at sports and cultural events as part of existing B2B marketing programs. The intention of this qualitative study was to investigate and uncover key issues and establish themes that could be tested in future research. Fifteen (15) in depth interviews including a pilot of two interviews were conducted with marketing practitioners who held managerial responsibility for CH programs in four states of Australia. These interviews were electronically recorded and subsequently transcribed for coding purposes.Findings - An analysis identified several key issues regarding the role and deployment of CH within marketing programs. Key benefits of programs included gaining market intelligence, improving channel communication and creating a competitive advantage through building existing relationships with a firm’s customers. The research found that there were specific differences within both the application and management of CH among practitioners and highlighted several pressing issues regarding the practice. Events offering mass appeal to both genders such as tennis and horse racing were considered more appealing to a corporate audience and spectacular, big-ticket events were favoured. The research identified that no two organisations operate their programs identically, some use the programs to reward past loyalty and others leverage special events for face-to-face time with new clients. The lack of consistency in measurement included an inability to disengage CH programs from other marketing elements operating simultaneously. It was evident that the lack of objective setting by many organisations coupled with often a short-term view of CH programs impeded effective measurement of expected outcomes. Research limitations/implications - This exploratory study provides greater insights into the little researched topic of Corporate Hospitality in the special events sector. Implications stemming from the study include the implementation of recommended changes to CH design and delivery including optimising special event selection to match intended guests and their preferences, setting micro and macro objectives for CH programs and ensuring they are measurable. In addition, such objectives need to be made explicit to internal stakeholders in order to maximise return on investment for marketing practitioners. For CH to continue to grow as a major revenue stream for special event organisers, more certainty with regards to the outcomes of these programs are required, along with ensuring the CH special event products offer corporate appeal.Practical implications - Research findings can contribute to greater academic and practitioner knowledge in this growing area within special events. Applied research into CH can assist not only the events sector but also the marketing discipline.Originality/value - This research adds to event and marketing practitioner knowledge through the exploration of a practice that has so far received little academic attention.