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Price is a major influence on travel purchases; however, traveler reviews have also become a prevalent source of influence. Theories of social influence and cognitive dissonance provide insight into consumer decisions. This research investigated the effect of social influence in the form of traveler reviews and price on consumer decisions and postdecision dissonance. Student subjects evaluated two resorts for a Spring Break vacation in Cancun using a 2 (valence: positive or negative) × 2 (unanimity: unanimous or nonunanimous) × 3 (price: same, slightly lower, much lower) experimental design. The results reveal that social influence had a strong effect on both resort evaluations and postdecision dissonance. Nonunanimous reviews reduced the prevailing valence of reviews, but increased dissonance. The lack of results for price suggests that price may not be the predominant influence on decisions, as previously thought. This research provides new insight into the effect of traveler reviews on decisions by evaluating the unanimity of social influence, the effect of price differences, and the extent to which consumers engage in postdecision dissonance reduction.

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For many conferences and events, increased attendee registration leads to increased profits for the hosting organization. Food functions, in particular, can be an effective tool to satisfy attendees and build attendance, as it empowers an attendee's sensory memory of an event. Nutritiously balanced food can enhance an attendee's learning ability. The purpose of this research was to identify factors that impact the attendee's satisfaction with conference food functions, and further, to understand an attendee's return intention based on the satisfaction level at a corporate conference. It is concluded that the quality of food content is the leading determinant of an attendee's satisfaction with the food function performance and that food function predicts an attendee's intention to return. This research provides insights into how important food functions are to conference attendees' intent to return to future conferences.