The Role of Purchase Decision Involvement in a Special Event

Abstract

The concept of purchase decision involvement (PDI) in a special event setting (regional air show) is explored here. PDI is a type of involvement that has not received as much attention in the event management or tourism literature as other types of involvement, thereby leaving a gap that is addressed in this study. A regression analysis was used to evaluate the cause-and-effect relationships among two psychological constructs (i.e., PDI and satisfaction), two objective measures (i.e., prior attendance and travel distance), and the likelihood of returning to the event. Based on the results of the regression analysis, the metric independent variables (i.e., PDI, prior attendance, and travel distance) were recoded into categories for use in an ANCOVA model to further examine the relationships. The level of satisfaction was used as a covariate based on its linear relationship with the dependent variable (i.e., likelihood of returning to the event).