EVENT TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE AND CONFERENCE ENGAGEMENT: A PROPOSED CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v7si4.1571Keywords:
event technology, experience economy, conference engagement, event management, post-event behavior, technological integrationAbstract
Despite the growing integration of digital tools into conference settings, existing literature remains insufficient in conceptualising how event technology shapes attendees’ experiential perceptions and subsequent behavioural responses, particularly within the Malaysian Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry. This conceptual study addresses the identified gap by proposing a theoretically grounded framework that adapts Pine and Gilmore’s Experience Economy model to the context of conference event technology. Grounded in a systematic review of extant literature, the framework positions four experiential realms, such as entertainment, education, esthetics, and escapism, as independent variables that collectively shape attendees’ event technology experiences. Eight directional hypotheses (H1–H8) are proposed, positing that each experiential realm positively influences two post-event behavioural outcomes: intention to reattend and intention to recommend. The original contribution is a realm-specific mapping between technology-mediated experiential value and behavioural outcome, which supplies a qualitative differentiation that current technology-adoption and stimulus-organism-response models lack and complements, rather than competes with, those models. Practically, the proposed framework gives conference organisers a diagnostic for evaluating technology investments by the specific experiential gap each one closes, rather than by a single composite satisfaction score. The framework also establishes a basis for future empirical validation and the creation of measurement scales.
References
[1] Abd Latif, N.H., Zamzuri, N.H. (2024): Enhancing attendee engagement: A study on designing successful hybrid events in Malaysia. – Information Management and Business Review 16(3(I)): 65-72.
[2] Ariza-Montes, A., Quan, W., Radic, A., Yu, J., Han, H. (2023): Human values and traveler behaviors: Metaverse for conferences and meetings. – Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 40(6): 490-511.
[3] Assaker, G. (2020): Age and gender differences in online travel reviews and user-generated-content (UGC) adoption: Extending the technology acceptance model (TAM) with credibility theory. – Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management 29(4): 428-449.
[4] Chen, J., Jung, S. (2024): Event technology and attendee experience: A systematic review and research agenda. – ICHRIE Research Reports 9(1): 12p.
[5] Ellis, R., Goodacre, T., Mortensen, N., Oeppen, R.S., Brennan, P.A. (2022): Application of human factors at hybrid meetings: Facilitating productivity and inclusivity. – British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 60(6): 740-745.
[6] Flavián, C., Ibáñez-Sánchez, S., Orús, C., Barta, S. (2024): The dark side of the metaverse: The role of gamification in event virtualization. – International Journal of Information Management 75: 13p.
[7] Habachi, S., Palau-Saumell, R., Matute, J. (2024): Transforming event experiences: The role of application technology in shaping behavioral intentions and attachment to places. – International Journal of Tourism Research 26(5): 13p.
[8] Hashemi, S., Marzuki, A., Mohammed, H.J., Kiumarsi, S. (2020): The effects of perceived conference quality on attendees’ behavioural intentions. – Anatolia 31(3): 360-375.
[9] International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) (2025): ICCA GlobeWatch: Business analytics – Country & city rankings 2024. – International Congress and Convention Association 16p.
[10] Jung, S., Lee, S.A., Leitch, S. (2024): Examining the effect of gamification mobile app on conference engagement: An integration of S-O-R framework and UGT. – International Journal of Event and Festival Management 15(3): 339-357.
[11] Lee, S. H. (2025): The significance of event technology adoption to increase the effect of convention in the hospitality and tour industry. – East Asian Journal of Business Economics 13(2): 23-29.
[12] Manthiou, A., Lee, S., Tang, L., Chiang, L. (2014): The experience economy approach to festival marketing: Vivid memory and attendee loyalty. – Journal of Services Marketing 28(1): 22-35.
[13] Mhlongo, S., Mbatha, K., Ramatsetse, B., Dlamini, R. (2023): Challenges, opportunities, and prospects of adopting and using smart digital technologies in learning environments: An iterative review. – Heliyon 9(6): 16p.
[14] Oh, H., Fiore, A.M., Jeoung, M. (2007): Measuring experience economy concepts: Tourism applications. – Journal of Travel Research 46(2): 119-132.
[15] Pine, B.J., Gilmore, J.H. (1999): The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre and Every Business a Stage. – Harvard Business School Press, Boston 254p.
[16] Ramli, N., Hamdan, A.N., Mohd Razani, S., Ramli, E.E., Salsagap, S., Nasaruddin, F.A., Hazizan, M.N. (2023): Factors influencing technology usage among event attendees. – Information Management and Business Review 15(3(SI): 126-131.
[17] Şeker, F., Unur, K. (2022): The experience economy analysis of distinct destinations. – Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Tourism 7(2): 31-43.
[18] Severt, D., Wang, Y., Chen, P.J., Breiter, D. (2007): Examining the motivation, perceived performance, and behavioral intentions of convention attendees: Evidence from a regional conference. – Tourism Management 28(2): 399-408.
[19] Talantis, S., Shin, Y.H., Severt, K. (2020): Conference mobile application: Participant acceptance and the correlation with overall event satisfaction utilizing the technology acceptance model (TAM). – Journal of Convention & Event Tourism 21(2): 100-122.
[20] Wong, I.A., Wan, Y.K.P., Sun, D. (2023): Understanding hospitality service aesthetics through the lens of aesthetic theory. – Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management 32(3): 410-444.
[21] Yeşil, D., Özmen, B. (2024): Examining the intention to participate in professional forum events in the context of participant satisfaction. – TABAD Journal 1(1): 77-94.
[22] Zhou, C., Li, J. (2024): The development of aesthetic experience through virtual and augmented reality. – Scientific Reports 14: 12p.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 NUR FARHANA MOHD SAH, AIDA AZLINA MANSOR, NOROL HAMIZA ZAMZURI, SYUKRINA ALINI MAT ALI
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
