Perspectives of event leveraging by restaurants and city officials

Abstract

Purpose: Hosting events can attract visitors to an area and provide an opportunity for local businesses in the host community to benefit economically. Restaurants, in particular, have an opportunity to benefit as food is a necessary expenditure. However, previous research suggests that the intentional attraction of event visitors by local businesses has been minimal. The purpose of this study was to explore perspectives of event leveraging held by restaurant owners/managers and a destination marketing organization. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with owners/managers of 16 local restaurants and from three destination marketing organization (DMO) executives in one medium sized city in Ontario, Canada. Data were analyzed using initial and axial coding. Findings: Findings indicate that restaurants did not engage in event leveraging. Three common reasons emerged to explain their lack of engagement in leveraging, including: (a) a lack of a belief in benefits from leveraging; (b) inconvenient proximity to event venue; and (c) not being prepared for event leveraging opportunities. The DMO had a desire to assist local business in leveraging, but their ability to do so was negatively impacted by a lack of awareness of events being hosted, disengagement by local businesses, and limited resources. Originality/value: Findings suggest there is a need for DMO’s and local businesses to create stronger and more supportive working relationships that address financial and human resources constraints preventing the adoption and success of event leveraging. As part of this approach there is a need for cities to make stronger financial investments in supportive agencies such as a DMO.