Towards a Model of Wine Event Loyalty

Abstract

The current research investigated factors that motivate attendance and produce loyalty to the UNLVino™ wine tasting event in Las Vegas. A model was developed to explain how attendance motivators, event satisfaction and emotional commitment contribute to wine event loyalty. Models were constructed for three behavioral loyalty indices: revisit intention, recommendation, and willingness-to-pay. Three factors were found to be primary attendance motivators: wine experience, enjoyment and social recognition. The importance of these factors did not differ between first-time and repeat visitors. The results showed that emotional commitment was the strongest predictor of behavioral loyalty, and served as a mediating variable for attendance motivated by the wine experience. Attendance motivated by enjoyment influenced loyalty directly and through its impact on satisfaction. The findings suggest that festival and event planners should seek ways to build emotional commitment and increase social capital among constituents.