Virtual site visits for meeting and event planning: are US convention facilities ready?

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to explore virtual site visit adoption patterns of US convention facilities based on the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory. Additionally, it offers predictive models of virtual site visit tool adoption by applying probability distributions.Design/methodology/approachThe study used content analysis of 369 US convention facility websites. Data collected from the websites recorded the presence or absence of the following tools facilitating virtual site visits: photos, floor plans, videos, 360-photos, 360-tours and virtual reality (VR)-optimized tours. The website content analysis was followed by application of the DOI theory and predictive modeling.FindingsAccording to the DOI theory, the use of VR-optimized tours (4.34%) is still in the early adoption stage, followed by 360-degree tours (12.74%) and standard videos (17.89%) that have transitioned into the early majority stage of adoption and photos (72.09%) and floor plans (84.82%) that represent a late majority stage. Three predictive models with shifted Gompertz, Gumbel and Bass distributions forecasted that convention centers would achieve a 50% adoption rate of 360-degree tools (photos and tours) in 4.67, 4.2 and three years, respectively. The same models predicted a 50% adoption rate of 360-degree tours in 6.62, 5.81 and 4.42 years.Practical implicationsThe research indicates that most US convention facilities have not taken full advantage of their websites as a sales and marketing tool.Originality/valueThis study is the first comprehensive attempt to evaluate the adoption rate of VR and other technologies enabling virtual site visits by using content analysis of US convention facility websites. Additionally, it is the first attempt to apply probability distributions to predict technology adoption in the convention industry context.

Virtual Reality for Convention Sales and Marketing: Fad or Trend?

“…With all the proposed benefits of VR applications, it is notable that convention centers have shown to be slow to adopt this technology in their sales and marketing efforts and for site visits. For example, a study conducted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic showed that over 70% of convention center websites utilized floor plans and photos to provide information for prospective clients, while under 20% percent employed 360-degree tours and videos, and only approximately 4% offered a VR-optimized tour (Soifer et al, 2021).…”

“…Convention centers use different media to showcase the facility and communicate vital information to meeting and event planners on their websites: photos, floor plans, videos, 360-degree photos and videos, and VR-optimized tours (Soifer et al, 2021). Boyd and Koles (2019) proposed the following definition of VR:…”

Guest editorial forJHTIVol 4 Issue 2 2021

“…The third paper by Soifer et al (2021) is entitled “Virtual site visits for meeting and event planning: are US convention facilities ready?”. This timely study examined the rate of VR and other technologies adopted by convention facilities to enable virtual site visits.…”