Examining the motivation, perceived performance, and behavioral intentions of convention attendees: Evidence from a regional conference

This study assessed convention attendee motivations, performance evaluation, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions in a regional conference setting. Data was collected from conference attendees in the southeast United States. The findings revealed a five-dimension conference motivation: (1) activities and opportunities, (2) networking, (3) convenience of conference, (4) education benefits and (5) products and deals. Furthermore, the relationships between attendee's evaluation of conference performance, satisfaction judgment, and behavioral intention were examined. The relationships between educational activities, overall satisfaction, word-of-mouth, and intent to return were found to be significant. Recommendations to the meeting planners for conferences are provided based oil the results. (c) 2006 Published by Elsevier Ltd.