컨벤션개최지에 대한 자아일치성이 참가자 충성도 형성에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구-기능적일치성, 신뢰, 감정의 매개변수를 중심으로

Abstract

This study showed how self-congruity reflecting the degree of congruity between convention destination image and participant’s self-image affects participant’s loyalty to a destination through mediated effects as functional-congruity, destination trust and destination emotion. All the while, one of the biggest reasons why there has been no progress in studies on the behavior of convention participants is that the purpose of convention attendance is a prerequisite for attendance or nonattendance. Convention participants, however, like tourists, have an opportunity to choose their participation in convention held in other regions considering time and place and decide voluntarily whether they participate or not. The participation scale depends on a destination. These enable to take the importance of a convention destination into consideration and suggest the necessity of an in-depth study on the main causes influencing the attitude and behavior of convention participants. Though, the existing studies on a convention destination have focused on a destination’s physical environment and functional attributes. Additionally, unlike many studies on consumer behavior, few studies on the behavior of convention participants consider cognitive and affective factors together as the main causes affecting the attitude and behavior of convention participants. Therefore, this study being different from the existing studies on a convention destination aims to take participant’s cognitive and affective factors together into consideration and reveal its effect on the attitude and behavior and the relations between two factors. Besides, in order to deeply understand the participant’s emotion and cognition in the destination, self-congruity theory and functional-congruity concept being applied as major concepts of social psychology and customer behavior field are introduced. This is the first study to empirically analyze these two concepts’ effect on the attitude and behavior of the participants and whether this is understood in the same context as customer behavior theory was examined. Also studies related to self-congruity applied to tourism focused on showing the important role of congruity on tourism behavior, but studies on what process is used to effect are unsatisfactory. Therefore, this study examined validity as integrative model leading to participant’s loyalty to a destination through such mediated effects as functional-congruity, destination trust and destination emotion. For empirical analysis, a survey of convention participants was conducted. A total of 446 questionnaires were collected and used for analysis using descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and covariance structure analysis. The research results are these. First, when convention participants feel that convention destination image matches with self-image, that is, the higher self-congruity makes them have more positive feelings toward a destination, have more trust and have stronger participants’ loyalty to a destination. Also, self-congruity which is emotion factor is an important preceding factor in judgement of functional-congruity which is cognitive factor highly affecting the behavior of convention participants. In short, in information processing related to the choice of a convention destination of the participants, emotional urge highly influenced on practical motive, showing the importance of emotion part other than function part which is the attribute affecting the decision of a convention destination and behavior. Second, it showed that well-established self-congruity theory and functional-congruity theory in the existing customer behavior theory are possible to be applied to convention sector. Functional-congruity compared to self-congruity more strongly expects customer behavior. Also like customer behavior theory saying functional-congruity gets effect from self-congruity, functional-congruity of convention participants highly influenced on the behavior of the participants and gets strong effect from self-congruity. However, self-image of the participants in a convention destination has not a direct effect on participant’s loyalty. This showed that unlike the ordinary customer’s choice of products and brand, match between convention destination image and self-image has not generated participant’s loyalty. The participant’s loyalty has been formed through emotional and rational flow such as functional-congruity, destination trust and destination emotion. In addition, unlike conceptual model which says travel behavior is directly influenced by self-congruity of travelers toward the destination (Sirgy and Su, 2000), a convention destination affects the behavior of the participants through functional-congruity which is participant’s more satisfaction than their expectation for functional attribute related to a convention destination as a business destination and through forming participant’s positive attitude including positive emotion and trust. Third, validity is examined as integrative model of relationship between participant’s self-image and functional-congruity and destination trust and destination emotion and participant’s loyalty to a destination. The higher match between self-image of participants and destination image helped form positive emotion such as pleasure, happiness, enjoyment, comfort and familiarity and increased destination trust, affecting judgement of functional-congruity toward the destination. Also, participant’s positive emotion toward a convention destination helped enhance destination trust and increase participant’s loyalty. Functional-congruity of a convention destination influenced by self-congruity enhanced destination trust and increased participant’s loyalty. In addition, self-congruity, functional-congruity and destination trust influenced by destination emotion increased participant’s loyalty. With these results, based on physical environment and functional superiority of a convention destination, emotion marketing, event contents and production of emotional space emotionally appealed to the participants are needed. Instead of using similar emotion and experience shared by participants as the marketing promotion standard, stimulus and providing service on the basis of participant’s psychological level could be more effective. Also in consideration of types of meetings and inclination of participants, much more effort should be put into customer segmentation, differentiated marketing strategy for the target market and presiding over events. In other words, more efforts for target marketing tailored to every customer’s needs, namely customized marketing should be made.

Key Words : Self - Congruity, Functional-Congruity, Participant's Loyalty