MASTER’S THESIS

Master thesis: sport spectator preferences
But then, what if the judo spectators cannot show emotions due to restrictions of
the judo federation during the judo sport competition (cf. p. 13)? Are they less
satisfied or involved with the competitors? If fan emotions and fan satisfactions
highten the quality of event experience, should these key indicators for event
success not be influenced, by planning judo sport events by the rules of the international
judo associations? The following chapter 2.2. provides more explanations
for event experience, to understand more about key indicators for event
success.
2.2 Event Experience
An event as environmental input or stimulus on sport spectator as consumer influences
the internal evaluation of the sport product. This evaluation creates experiences
and influences a person’s consumption behavior (Funk, 2008, p. 40).
The quality of experience determines, whether the spectator becomes a repeat
consumer or not. Sport managers need to understand the key indicators of event
and factors, that may affect a consumer’s desire of the sport product. Planned
events have a defined beginning and end; they take place in specific locations
and might be similar in form. But every event is unique and experientially different,
that is what makes events attractive for people and make them spend time
for it (Getz, 2007, p. 18).
2.2.1 Consumer value of events
Time can be a pressure, if interpreted as “mechanical sense” (Gertz, 2007, p.
19). This perspective of time can become stressful and, in the internal evaluation,
end up with negative effects. An event linked to positive effects can help people
to escape from time pressure. As discussed in chapter 2.1.2, the majority of sport
spectator motive researchers use the motive construct escape (Wann 2001,
Funk, 2008) in their classifications. Pine and Gilmore (1999) speak about escapist
experiences in their experience model.
Theoretical foundation of sport spectators and event experience page 29