Interpreting Special Event

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12 Interpreting and ManagingSpecial Events and Festivals

Marian H. Wooten1 and William C. Norman21Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois, USA;2Clemson University,

Clemson, South Carolina, USA

SynopsisThe special event, one form of which is the festival, presents opportunities for both the host community andthe visitor. The host community can display itself in a chosen manner to visitors, who have the chance toengage in a novel recreational experience while viewing the message put forth by their hosts. An events mes-sage likely is conveyed through its theme and the physical entities and activities undertaken to highlight the

theme. While the theme does provide information about an events message, more information can begleaned from an investigation of objects and settings (Forster-Hahn, 1995). This distinction posits that thephysical environment includes objects (whether animate or inanimate) and settings (or physical spaces) whichmutually influence the reception of the other. This chapter describes the utility of the object and settingdichotomy to the understanding of symbolic meanings of an event. Personal construct theory (Kelly, 1955)informs the use of object and setting the theory proposes that an individual constructs his/her own mentalspace for use in predicting future events. Two tests applicable with personal construct theory the repertorygrid and the ratings grid enable the researcher to understand a persons psychological space. This chapterdescribes both tests and illustrates the use of the ratings grid through a case study. In the case study, respon-dents rate setting and object components (called elements in personal construct theory) based on a series ofadjectives (called constructs) to ascertain symbolic meanings of festival attendance. The chapter concludes bydiscussing implications of this example and future uses for personal construct theory, the repertory grid andthe ratings grid in measuring meanings of specific events or tourist attractions.

Introduction

The special event

Investigation of meaning allows organizers ofspecial events, including festivals, and other

tourist attractions to understand better why vis-itors attend and what they take from the experi-ence. In order to study meanings that visitorsascribe to experiences, this chapter addressesthe physical environment, as comprisingobject and setting, through the use of personalconstruct theory and the ratings grid. The

ratings grid is a test designed in conjunctionwith the theory. Individuals attend specialevents, whether as locals or tourists, in searchof, or as a part of leisure and recreational activ-ities and derive meaning from these activities.However, the special event and festival litera-

ture has given primacy to visitor behaviour,motivation and economic impact on the hostcommunity and lesser attention to visitor per-ceptions of festivals and special events (Kimet al., 2002). This chapter advances the under-standing of visitor perceptions though the studyof meanings associated with a special event or

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festival. If success of a festival or special eventcan be conceptualized as determinant on therelay of meaning to the attendees, this study

provides a new way to assess event and festivaldesign, marketing and success.The special event occupies a unique posi-

tion through its appeal to both tourists andlocal visitors because it provides an opportu-nity for leisure, social, or cultural experienceoutside the normal range of choices or beyondeveryday activities, and as such the specialevent occurs infrequently or on a one timebasis (Getz, 1991, p. 44). While special eventsexist in many forms, one of which is the festi-val, all share a common goal to mark a nota-ble moment in time with ceremony and ritualto satisfy specific needs. (Goldblatt, 1997, inDerrett, 2004, p. 33). The term festival denotes apublic, themed celebration (Getz, 1997, p. 8) orsocial phenomenon (Falassi, 1987, p. 1). For anevent to be classified as a festival, it must: beopen to the public, showcase a specific theme,occur once a year or less, occur only during apredetermined time span, not own permanent

structures and contain all activities within a spec-ified area or region (Getz, 1991).

Festivals occur in virtually all human cul-tures (Falassi, 1987, p. 1) and have occurredsince the formation of civilization (Arnold, 2001).Although they began as a means for a commu-nity to entertain and communicate with its mem-bers, over time festivals expanded to encompassoutsiders, thereby facilitating social interactionwith other communities, traders, explorers and

travellers (Arnold, 2001). Historically, festivalsallowed host communities the opportunity forexpression because the festivals social func-tion and symbolic meaning are closely relatedto a series of overt values that the communityrecognizes as essential to its ideology andworldview, to its social identity, its historicalcontinuity, and to its physical survival (Falassi,1987, p. 2). In contemporary society, festivalscontinue to exhibit a strong tradition of com-

munity orientation and remain related to thehost community, which may be united by manydiffering characteristics, among them religion,language, ethnicity, geographic regions orworldview (Falassi, 1987).

While festivals allow host communitiesthe chance to increase civic pride, they offerthree other benefits by drawing tourists into the

community (Derrett, 2004). First is the minimi-zation of negative impacts caused by masstourism. Second, festivals may lengthen the

tourism season for a community or region. Forinstance, a town popular for snow skiing in wintermonths may encourage summer visitors by hold-ing a large music festival during the summer.Finally, the interactions between the commu-nitys residents and festival visitors may improvehostguest relationships. Festivals facilitate rela-tionships between residents and visitors byallowing communities to express their culture through festival theme, location, authenticityconveyed and advertising (Derrett, 2004). Forthe visitor, the festival or special event offers anovel option for recreation and leisure experi-ences due to its temporal nature (Getz, 1991).

Conveyance

Despite the novelty offered by festivals andother forms of special events, they faceincreasing competition due to rapidly expand-ing offerings for leisure experiences leading toan increasingly specialized market reflected inthe development of niche travel (Getz, 1991).Recognition of this trend has led to the growthin the number of festivals and special events,which arose to satisfy the increasingly seg-mented market. While events do aim to caterto a broad, generic market through some basicofferings such as food and entertainment, theyalso now focus on interests of specific groups

and endeavour to attract these groups to attend.One way to achieve this goal is the use of theme.

The theme is the umbrella concept used tounify a festivals image and should comple-ment the festival and its goals (Salem et al.,2004). While a festivals theme does encom-pass the object of celebration, common historyor ethnicity (Salemet al., 2004), the theme alsoreflects the philosophies and ideals guiding thefestival and distinguishing it from others (Getz,

1991). The festivals theme is conveyed to thepublic in the following ways: festival name;logos and/or mascots; event dcor; settingand/or spatial layout; attractions; activities;available food and beverages; staff clothing;merchandise; music; advertising content, styleand format; and benefits emphasized (Getz,1991; Salemet al., 2004).

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Despite festival and event organizersconscious conveyance of theme, they cannotcontrol all aspects of theme and its understand-

ing by visitors. Many components of the themedo not fall under the control of organizersbecause these components are public parts ofeveryday life and take on a special significanceand symbolic meaning for visitors during the fes-tival or event (Getz, 1991). Old Home Week inMount Forest, Ontario, Canada, illustrates thispoint. During the yearly event, town ideologyand myth assume an elevated position (Farber,1983). Special events attended by currentresidents, former residents and visitors occurpublicly throughout the town and support themessage of Community Solidarity, CommunityContinuity, and Community Equality (Farber,1983, p. 39). Each year the events main parade,the Mammoth Parade, processes the length ofMain Street, and the parade route and entriescontribute to the celebration of a tradition ofcommunity values and unification. Throughthe route, which traverses the heart of MountForest, and the exclusion of new, large-scale

corporations as float sponsors, the town reaf-firms its links to the past (Farber, 1983). For theduration of the Mammoth Parade, Main Streetceases to be a public shopping and businesscentre and becomes one element in the cre-ation of the overall events theme, celebratingthe official town values and ideology.

Object and setting

As Old Home Week demonstrates, many festi-vals and special events emerged due to theintention to celebrate a communitys cultureand its linkage to a specific location (Brownand James, 2004). According to Derrett (2004,p. 44) festivals and special events provide amedium for interpretation of place. Indeed,[f]or places to achieve distinctiveness and sta-

tus as places to go, to be seen in, they have tobe created (Derrett, 2004, p. 44). By bringingpeople into an area and providing the objectsand settings for the attraction, festivals andevents shape the visitors experiences andunderstandings of their host destinations.

According to Forster-Hahn (1995), an arthistorian who discusses the meaning of display

for an art museum or gallery, the special event orfestival environment composed for visitors canbe described in terms of objects and settings.

Forster-Hahn (1995) recognizes that a number ofindividual objects, among them paintings, sculp-tures, pedestals and display cases, within thecontext of the art museum comprise and occupythe environment. However, the symbolic mean-ing of these objects, found in many placesother than the museum, varies according to thesetting in which they are placed. Objects donot need to be inanimate; people may serve asobjects, as the Hawaiian hula show exempli-fies (Desmond, 1999). Because the Hawaiiandancers body is the object of importance forluau attendees, the dancer is not identified as acomplex multidimensional person but as oneof many tourist objects, representing unindivi-duated examples of the Hawaiian hula girl(Desmond, 1999, p. 24).

Since a reciprocal relationship between theobject and the setting exists and since both aresubjected to the gaze of viewers, object and set-ting cannot be considered as being mutually

exclusive (Urry, 2002). Therefore, one elementinforms the reception and conception of theother element, and conscious arrangement ofobjects allows organizers to create and to con-vey a given message. A collection consists ofobjects taken from their original environmentsand recontextualized as points of reference withsome intended meaning for viewers (Stewart,1992). For example, an arts and crafts festivalcan be conceived of as a temporary collection

assembled by the organizers, bringing togetherobjects typically not displayed en masse or nearother types of objects. In this case of the tempo-rarily amassed collection, the original functionsof the objects selected for inclusion are gone,and the original functions and symbolic mean-ings are replaced by new meanings created inpart by the objects themselves. Thus, objectscan transform their own environment, and theycan, in turn, be transformed by the environment

(Forster-Hahn, 1995).The spatial setting is the context within

which the objects are encountered and shapesthe reception of individual objects. Like objects,spatial setting matters to visitors because whensurveying the setting there is the seeing of par-ticular signs that indicate a certain other objectis indeed extraordinary, even though it does

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not seem to be so (Urry, 2002, p. 13). The dis-tinguishing of an environment in terms of itsobjects and settings has been applied by

Wootenet al. (2004) to investigate the impor-tance of locally harvested and prepared shrimp,an object, and coastal setting to visitors to theBeaufort Shrimp Festival, held each October ina small town on the coast of the AtlanticOcean in the south-eastern USA. When used topredict respondents satisfaction with the festival,coastal setting was found to be more importantto visitors than was shrimp, the object aroundwhich the festival and its theme centred. Asevidenced at the Beaufort Shrimp Festival, set-tings cannot be thought of as secondary toobjects. The relative importance assigned toeither varies with the situation, and both arenecessary to create and shape the attraction.

While Wootenet al. (2004) demonstratethat object and setting distinction can be usedto measure satisfaction successfully, the dis-tinction has not been used to measure themeaning of a special event or festival. The fol-lowing discussion of meaning and personal

construct theory (Kelly, 1955) explains the util-ity of object and setting in ascertaining thesymbolic meanings attributed to a festival orother form of special event by visitors. In addi-tion, the chapter presents the results of a studyof the 2005 Kentuck Festival of the Arts, heldannually in Northport, Alabama, examining thesymbolic meaning of a special event thoughthe lens of the object and setting didactic.

Meaning and symbolic meaning

The American Heritage College Dictionary(1993,p. 842) defines meaning as [s]omething con-veyed or signified; sense or significance. Mean-ing research relevant to this chapter comesfrom the social sciences and semiotics. Analy-sis of meaning has been employed by cultural

anthropologists and consumer behaviour theo-rists to investigate both verbal and nonverbalsystems of signs and symbols used to defineobjects (Snepengeret al., 2004, p. 109). Cul-tures develop and share meanings through lan-guage, gestures, documents, time allocation, art,religion, leisure, attire, architecture, and othersocial symbols (Snepengeret al., 2004, p. 109).

Semiotics studies the systems of signs usedto create and convey meaning (Echtner, 1999,p. 47). Signs consist of, but are not limited to,

[l]anguage, gestures, documents, art, religion,and dress and convey meaning (Echtner,1999, p. 47). Semiotics, as described by Peircein 1934, utilizes three types of signs: icon, indexand symbol (Echtner, 1999). The symbol, mostcommonly in the form of a word, exists becauseof social agreement, and language is oftenregarded as the most important symbolic semioticsystem (Echtner, 1999, p. 49). However, objectscan act as symbols as well, and Echtner (1999)provides an example in the Statue of Libertyssymbolic meaning of freedom and American life.

The notion of symbolic meaning wasintroduced in 1959 in a discussion of con-sumer goods. Symbolic meaning is a generalterm for all instances where experience ismediated rather than direct; where an object,action, word, picture, or complex behavior isunderstood to mean not only itself but someotherideas or feelings (Levy, 1959, p. 119).Thus symbolic meaning presupposes the

importance of objects and settings to the cre-ation of meaning. In addition, humans indicatesymbolic meaning to themselves and to eachother through interactions (Shaw, 1985). Com-munication, one form of interaction, allowsindividuals to identify, define and redefinesymbolic meaning, which changes from situa-tion to situation and must be redefined througha process of examination and deliberation(Shaw, 1985, p. 5).

Research on meaning with respect to spe-cial events primarily comes from two sources:leisure research and travel and tourism research.Both these fields encompass the study of spe-cial events and festivals, which proves signifi-cant because the discussion of meaning doesnot occur in special event research, with theexception of Falassis (1987) explanation of thedevelopment of festivals and their importanceto host communities. Within the study of lei-

sure, the meanings ascribed to leisure havebeen investigated in terms of meanings derivedfrom leisure and non-leisure activities (Shaw,1985; Henderson, 1990; Brook, 1993; Kelly andKelly, 1994). In a comparison of leisure andnon-leisure activities, Shaw (1985, p. 1) reportsthat they can be differentiated by enjoyment,freedom of choice, relaxation, intrinsic motivation,



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and lack of evaluation. Brook (1993) investi-gated leisure meaning within the context ofwork and non-work activities and found that

respondents grouped non-work activities intotwo categories of meaning: similarity to work(involving challenge, creativity and routine)and personally important activities (involvingother people and solitary pursuits, control ofthe activity and discretionary time). Kelly andKelly (1994) examine the meanings of commit-ment, satisfaction, social relationships, pro-ductivity, development/learning, experience,involvement and disengagement in leisure,work and family. Work by Henderson (1990),Ragheb (1996) and Watkins (2000) addressesthe study of meaning in leisure without a con-sideration of work or other areas of life.Henderson (1990) reviews previous studiesconcerning the meaning of leisure for womenand concludes that more research is needed.Ragheb (1996) deals with measurement ofmeaning and advocates the development of apsychometric scale to measure search formeaning in leisure pursuits (p. 245). Watkins

(2000) also proposes a mechanism, phenom-enology, to examine the multiple meanings ofleisure, after identifying problems associatedwith research into leisure meanings.

Past research illustrates that while research-ers question universal meanings of leisure (Shaw,1985; Kelly and Kelly, 1994), prior researchdoes not investigate the symbolic meaningassignments of particular or specific leisureexperiences. Although Henderson (1990) rec-

ognizes that the need exists to examine sepa-rately the meaning of leisure for men andwomen, no attempt has been made to discernspecific meanings at attractions or of given lei-sure/recreational activities for the participant.According to Henderson (1990), experiencematters and has become a common way tounderstand leisure, so that the experience con-ceptualization suggests that what a persondoes or when one does it, does not make

any difference; what is important is how theindividual feels about the experience.

Available research does not investigatemeaning in travel and tourism to the extent thatstudies investigate meaning in leisure research.However, the work of Borrie and Birzell (2001),Obenour (2004) and Snepengeret al. (2004)illustrates the importance of understanding the

meaning of travel and tourism experience.Borrie and Birzell (2001) evaluate four ways tomeasure perceived experience satisfaction

importance-performance measures, benefits-based approaches, experience-based approachesand meaning-based approaches. They con-clude that meaning-based approaches provethe most useful because in recreational experi-ences, like travel, people want to amass storiesto enrich their lives and history of experiences.In recognition of this, Borrie and Birzell (2001)recommend that researchers should investigatethe fulfilment produced by the event as consis-tent with the broader context of a persons lifeand experiences, that is, the meaning of thetravel to the participant. Indeed, Obenour(2004) reports that an understanding of individ-uals meanings proved useful in identifying theimportance of the journeys undertaken by bud-get travellers. Snepengeret al. (2004) examinemeaning of public places from the perspectiveof four types of meaning: consumption, hedonic,utilitarian and social. Consumption meaningdeals with meanings assigned to advertising,

goods, services and shopping opportunities.Hedonic meanings address the excitement andpleasantness possessed by tourism/leisure space;whereas, conversely, utilitarian meaning addres-ses practicality and usefulness possessed bytourism/leisure space. Lastly, social meaningconcerns the social interactions perceived.

Personal Construct Theory

Personal construct theory, which emerges fromKellys (1955) psychology of personal con-structs, offers a way to conceptualize and mea-sure symbolic meanings created for visitors at atourist or local attraction, such as a festival orevent, through the consideration of objects andsettings. According to the theory, the worldcontinually happens, but experience is the por-tion happening to and construed by an individ-

ual (Kelly, 1955). Thus, a persons experienceconsists of a set of personally construedevents which is not necessarily valid (Kelly,1955, p. 171) given its subjective nature; how-ever, the events appear real and true to theindividual experiencing them. Based on pastexperiences, an individual anticipates andpredicts future experiences.



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Terminology deriving from personal con-struct theory explains how an individualsconstrual occurs. Within personal construct

theory, the construct is bipolar and, for thesake of simplicity, can be considered an adjec-tive used to describe the way in which somethings are construed as being alike yet differentfrom others (Kelly, 1955, p. 105). A constructemerges by comparing three nouns, such asthe heights of three individuals. Tall maydescribe two individuals. Because the adjec-tive applies to the majority of the individualsunder consideration, the adjective is the like-ness end of the construct, and the third is theopposite of tall, or the contrast pole of the con-struct. Although short defines this contrasttypically, the contrast does not need explica-tion, except in opposition to the likeness polein many cases. However, both tall and shortare part of the overarching construct of height,and other individuals, yet to be considered,can be assessed in terms of this construct.Once defined by the individual, constructs pre-dict future events. Elements are things or

events which are abstracted by a construct(Kelly, 1955, p. 137), such as individuals to beconsidered based on their height. Therefore, anelement is conceivable as a noun that a con-struct describes or categorizes. In some uses ofpersonal construct theory, a person comparesthree elements (known as a triad) to identifyconstructs.

While constructs allow the individual toorder and perceive his/her existence mentally,

the individual may find difficulty in communi-cating these perceptions to others. Kelly (1955)thus assumes that constructs are abstract (andcan never be concrete). Their abstract naturemakes the transmission of constructs to othersdifficult, if not impossible. Part of this impossi-bility is found in the representative nature ofcommunication, which endeavours to conveythe symbolic element to another person forthe purpose of eliciting a parallel construct in

this person (Kelly, 1955, p. 140). The easiestway to achieve this goal is to use a word as asymbol (Kelly, 1955, p. 140). However, aproblem arises because [m]any of ones con-structs have no symbols to be used as conve-nient word handles [or convey symbolicallythe information the speaker means to transmitto his/her listener(s)] (Kelly, 1955, p. 110).

Use of personal construct theory alleviatessome problems encountered in both humanis-tic, qualitative methodologies and traditional,

quantitative methodologies. Walmsley andYoung (1998, p. 66) cite the following problemswith a humanistic approach: reliance on anec-dotes, use of an arcane vocabulary, difficultyin verification and difficulty in ascertaining theactual mind-set of the individual tourist understudy. When considering quantitative methodol-ogies, the bipolar nature of constructs preventsattempts by traditional consumer research(which categorizes experiences as either cog-nitive or conative) to observe behaviours asisolated and unrelated instances (Marsden andLittler, 2000); instead, personal construct the-ory emphasizes the interconnectedness of anindividuals psychological processes.

Repertory Grid

Following Kellys (1955) development and expla-nation of personal construct theory, Fransella andBannister continued to write about personalconstruct theory and its applications includingits most widely used and well-known test, therepertory grid (Bannister and Fransella, 1974;Fransellaet al., 2004). Fransellaet al. (2004) dis-cuss practical implications of repertory grid test-ing and explain thoroughly how to undertake useof the grid. What follows is an overview of therationale for repertory grid testing. While the rep-

ertory grid test was intended originally to allowthe psychologist to understand the way an indi-vidual handles and relates to other individuals(Kelly, 1955), repertory grid testing does allowthe researcher to explore the personal constructsystem of both one individual and a group ofindividuals by analysing a number of gridssimultaneously.

Six assumptions underlie the repertory gridtest. First, constructs elicited are permeable, or

open to the addition of new elements, or ele-ments beyond those upon which [the construct]has been explicitly formed (Kelly, 1955, p.229), so that existing constructs are thought tobe applicable to situations the individual hasnot encountered yet. Second, repertory grid test-ing elicits an individuals pre-existing constructs.Although constructs are forming and evolving



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as new events occur, some degree of perma-nence is found in the individuals constructs.

Third, elements are representative of all

elements whose relationships to the subjecthelp him/her with role construal. The fourthassumption is that the constructs elicited by thesubject account for (at least partially) the wayelements are constructed. Fifth, the constructselicited by the subject rule over his/her role,meaning that the subject cannot disassociatehim/herself entirely from the role constructionshe/she perceives in others. Lastly, the researcher/test administrator understands the meaning ofthe words chosen by the subject to explainhis/her perceptions.

One benefit of repertory grid technique isthat, while other types of questionnaires use cat-egories formed by the researcher, the repertorygrid allows respondents to form categories, sothat the researcher can find out how the respon-dent structures and perceives his/her environ-ment (Embacher and Buttle, 1989; Coshall,2000; Caldwell and Coshall, 2002). Addition-ally, structured approaches to research do not

account for individualistic components of imageconstruction (Coshall, 2000). Finally, personalconstruct theory and the repertory grid enablethe researcher to try to understand an individualrespondents construction of the world (Fransellaet al., 2004). While this allows an idiographicapproach to research, Kelly (1955) also foundmerit in the grid being used across a population(a nomothetic approach), which can allow theunderstanding of a sample population in order to

understand one individual.The repertory grid can pose potential

problems with reliability and validity (Read,1994). Because of the individualized nature ofrepertory grid testing and its use to cater to spe-cific individuals and specific populations, thesame repertory grid test may not yield the sameresults across administrations (Babbie, 2002).Repertory grid testing may generate problemswith validity, the degree to which the test used

actually measures the real meanings of theitems under consideration (Babbie, 2002), dueto the difficulty for respondents to verbalizecomplex values and emotions and the highdegree of structure imposed on respondentsin terms of how their meanings are elicited,analyzed and represented (Marsden and Littler,2000, p. 140). Additionally, studies employing

repertory grid testing may be subject to resear-cher bias due to the interpretation of constructs(Middleton and Spanias, 1999) because the resear-

cher must attempt to interpret another individualsor groups psychological space. Lastly, interpre-tation can be difficult, so well-articulated modelsare needed to guide interpretation (Middletonand Spanias, 1999).

Personal construct theory and its mostcommonly employed method of testing therepertory grid test have been used by tourismresearchers to uncover tourism meanings.Walmsley and Young (1998) extended Walmsleyand Jenkins (1993) work on destination imageat the local scale to the international scale.Researchers sampled individuals from the gen-eral population of Gosford, Australia nottourists as did Walmsley and Jenkins (1993) due to the feeling that constructs about desti-nation image would be held by the entire pop-ulation; however, they did use the constructsidentified by Walmsley and Jenkins (1993),thereby demonstrating the utility of previouslydefined constructs for repertory grid analysis.

Tourism studies by Embacher and Buttle(1989), Coshall (2000), Caldwell and Coshall(2002) and Hankinson (2004) employ reper-tory grid testing to investigate the images heldby tourists. Embacher and Buttle (1989, p. 4)use the repertory grid to study tourists imagesof Austria as a destination because they felt thatthe test was evidently well suited to exploringthe individual perceptions which compromisedestination image. The recognition that tour-

ism marketers need a better understanding ofthe importance of brand images to tourism des-tinations guides Hankinsons (2004) research,for which he obtained both repertory grid test-ing and in-depth interviewing to study the per-ceptions held by respondents of 25 tourismdestinations based on image attributes.

Coshall (2000) and Caldwell and Coshall(2002) investigate a particular type of touristattraction, the museum. Coshall (2000) employs

repertory grid analysis as one component of astudy of the images held by international andnational tourists to 11 museums and art galler-ies located in London. Caldwell and Coshall(2002) investigate museums in London asbrands because brands have become bearersof emotional and symbolic meaning (p. 383).Within this context, branding refers to the



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images consciously created by museums toattract visitors. The researchers endeavour tomake explicit the associations (attitudes, impres-

sions, dispositions, or mental constructs) thathave grown up around and become attachedto some important museum brands (Caldwelland Coshall, 2002, p. 384).

Ratings Grid

The ratings grid is another form of testingdeveloped as a part of personal construct the-ory where respondents rank elements usingeach personal construct. While typically theratings grid supplies both constructs and ele-ments for an individual to consider, a case canbe made for not providing constructs to indi-viduals when using repertory grid techniques.Constructs must be understandable to respon-dents, and people usually understand othersconstructs, as is necessary to facilitate commu-nication (Fransella et al., 2004). Constructsgenerated by researchers may not employ ter-

minology easily understandable to or widelyused by the sample population and cause diffi-culties in grid administration and comprehen-sion. However, if researchers want to find outwhether or not certain constructs are importantto respondents and feel that respondents wouldnot generate these constructs themselves, pro-viding constructs proves useful (Fransellaet al.,2004). Ultimately, Fransellaet al. (2004) con-clude that much of the debate over provided or

elicited constructs depends on the ability of thegrid designer to supply meaningful constructs.When asking respondents to rate elements interms of constructs, Fransellaet al. (2004) rec-ommended that the researcher employ a 17scale with which the respondent can rate anelement in terms of the likeness (1), the con-trast (7) or the location between the two ofthem (26). The following section appliespersonal construct theory and the ratings grid

to measuring meaning at a special event.

Case Study: KentuckFestival of the Arts

The Kentuck Festival of the Arts is held inNorthport, Alabama, USA, on the third weekend

of October each year in Kentuck Park, a largetree-covered public park that forms part of alarger public recreation area. This event main-

tains a special and elevated position within therealm of art festivals due to its strong represen-tation of renowned outsider art. This genre ischaracterized by its creation by individualsoutside the Western tradition of art productionand often displays a primitive quality, an inclu-sion of text and divine (or supernatural) inspi-ration (Diepeveen and Van Laar, 2001). Theterm outsider artists normally refers to thoseindividuals who have received no formal arteducation. Furthermore, the festival organizerclaims that the experience created at theKentuck Festival of the Arts is unlike that of anyother art festival based on visits to other festi-vals and the comments of festival visitors madeat the Kentuck Art Center, (S.A. Gibson, per-sonal communication, 16 September 2005).

The Kentuck Festival of the Arts wasselected for this study based on the fame of theartists at the festival each year, the size of theevent and media attention that the festival

receives in publications includingSmithsonian(Notes, 2003) andNational Geographic Trav-eler(2005). The portrayal of the Kentuck Festi-val of the Arts inSmithsonianis summarizedbest by Kentuck artist Woodie Long, calling thefestival really a big ol party of Southern hospi-tality (Notes, 2003). The article describes thefestival as Southern and unique in the access toartists and crafts people allowed to visitors. In aspecial feature on the Appalachian region of

the USA,National Geographic Traveler(2005)identifies the festival as an attraction worthy ofvisitation. Both articles and materials put forthby the festival itself describe the festival experi-ence for potential visitors. Unlike these infor-mational sources, this research focused on thesymbolic meanings identified by actual festivalvisitors.

Construct and Element Identification

The ratings grid was selected for use because itallows applying terms that the Kentuck Festivalof the Arts uses to describe itself in its advertis-ing materials and media kit. Furthermore, theratings grid could be administered quickly;



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whereas, the more commonly used repertorygrid is a time-consuming process. The ratingsgrid aided in ease of interpretation due to a

fixed number of constructcontrast pairs forconsideration. Since the researcher wanted tofind out whether festival attendees viewed thefestival in the terms used to describe it by festi-val organizers, providing constructs forcedrespondents to consider certain dimensions ofsymbolic meaning which they may not haveelicited on their own.

Familiarity with the festival and the festi-val director aided the researcher in the devel-opment of the ratings grid. This consisted ofidentifying the appropriate constructs and ele-ments. A construct is composed of two poles:the likeness end and the contrast end. Becausenot all things and events can be described bythe likeness end, some things and events mustbe described by its opposite (contrast), whichis still part of the overarching construct. Ele-ments are things and events an individual pre-dicts or describes in terms of constructs withinpersonal construct theory and repertory grid

testing. An unstructured interview with the fes-tival director generated festival meanings fromthe organizers point of view. Extensive notesfrom the interview allowed the researcher tocompare terms used by the festival director toinformation from the 2005 media kit, currentbrochures and the 2003 festival programme.Then, a code and retrieve method wasemployed to generate constructs for use inrepertory grid testing (Richards and Richards,

1994). In this method, a text is labelled accord-ing to items of interest (coding) and sorted intocategories for retrieval. Although this can bedone using computer software, the researcherundertook this process manually using descrip-tive terms applied to the festival overall, festi-val products, festival exhibitors and festivalprogrammes. Constructs emerged, and volun-teers helped generate corresponding contrasts.The seven resulting constructs and correspond-

ing contrasts were traditionalnon-traditional,contemporaryclassic, southernnon-southern,folkcosmopolitan, uniqueordinary, ruralurban and avant-gardemainstream.

In order to generate elements, the researcherrelied on the designations assigned to the festi-val components on the Kentuck Festival ofthe Arts web site (www.kentuck.org, 2004).

The elements entitled childrens art activities,10-minute plays and music came from the website. Food and the town of Northport, Alabama,

featured prominently on the web site, as did adescription of Kentuck Park. The 2005 mediakit, the 2003 programme and the web site alldevoted much attention to artists, their art, craftspeople and their crafts, providing a biographyof each artist and craftsmen and a descriptionof their work (www.kentuck.org,2004).

Object and Setting Distinction

Figure 12.1 presents the relationship conceptu-alized after investigation of festival literatureand thus summarizes the proposed creation ofsymbolic meaning tested at the Kentuck Festi-val of the Arts. Symbolic meaning of the festi-val experience can be viewed in terms ofelements, defined as object or setting. Objectsare people (artists and crafts people) and prod-ucts (art and crafts items). The setting consists

of the community (Northport, Alabama) andon-site setting components: Kentuck Park andprogrammes (food, 10-minute plays, musicand childrens art activities). Both Northportand Kentuck Park are permanent; whereasfood, 10-minute plays, music and childrens artactivities only exist in conjunction with the fes-tival each year. Visitors evaluate each of theseobjects and settings in terms of existing mentalconstructs (or ideas about each object and set-

ting) and modify constructs as needed toproduce meaning for the experience of festivalattendance.

Data Collection Procedures

Pre-testing of the ratings grid occurred at tworegional arts and crafts festivals in September

and October 2005 and in a graduate-level classat a regional university. At the Kentuck Festivalof the Arts, four survey administrators stationedat the two festival exits intercepted visitors as theyleft the festival grounds via a systematic samplingprocedure with a randomized starting point andcollected data via an interview format from 142individuals. Respondents completed the ratings

http://www.kentuck.org/http://www.kentuck.org/http://www.kentuck.org/http://www.kentuck.org/


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grid (see Fig. 12.2) as an interview with the aidof a handout with a printed list of constructcontrast pairs for consideration (see Fig. 12.3).To account for respondent fatigue toward theend of the grid administration, three formsof the grid were produced, so that likeness

contrast pairs were not considered in the sameorder by all respondents.

Findings

Mean scores for the rating of all elementsacross the seven constructs are described in

order to reveal potential symbolic meaningsassociated with the Kentuck Festival of the Arts,and mean scores for each element based onlikenesscontrast pairs as Table 12.1 shows. Ascore of four represented the middle, whereboth likeness and contrast described the ele-

ment equally strongly. A score of one indicatedthat the element exhibited the likeness only,and a score of seven indicated that the elementexhibited the contrast only. Values betweenthese poles and centre point were dividedaccordingly. Each element can be describedbased on the seven likenesscontrast pairsusing the descriptive terms detailed above.


Meaning

Object Setting

Person Product On-site Community: Northport

Artist

Crafts person

Art

Craft

Grounds: Kentuck Park

Programmes

Food

10-minute plays

Music

Childrens artactivities

Fig. 12.1. Diagram of festival elements.


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Fooa

fe

Music

youheard

10-Minute

playsyou saw

Childrensart

activitiesyou saw

Crafts

yousaw

Art you

saw

Craftsmen

you saw

Artists you

saw

1. TraditionalNon-traditional17 scale

2. ContemporaryClassic

17 scale

3. SouthernNon-Southern

17 scale

4. FolkCosmopolitan17 scale

5. UniqueOrdinary17 scale

6. RuralUrban17 scale

7. Avant-gardeMainstream17 scale

Instructions for Grid Completion: Please think about your visit to the Kentuck Festival of the Arts today. You will components of the festival. To help you describe the festival using these adjectives, one adjective will be assigneassigned the number 7. You can rank anywhere between 1 and 7 depending on how much of either adjective youNeither adjective is good or bad; this is purely descriptive. For example, if kind is an adjective ranked 1, and the o

you could use the numbers 17 todescribe how kind or mean someone is.

Fig. 12.2. Version of the ratings grid used at the Kentuck Festival of the Arts.


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Description of elements is grouped into objectand setting elements. Because not all respon-dents elected to rate each element, Table 12.1includes the sample size for each element.

Object elements

Artists. Respondents (n= 139) perceived theartists at the Kentuck Festival of the Arts as:slightly non-traditional, somewhat contempo-rary, somewhat Southern, somewhat folk,somewhat unique, slightly rural and slightlyavant-garde. Aside from traditional, all like-nesses used by the Kentuck Festival of the Arts

were used by respondents to describe artists.Crafts people.Based on their perceptions ofthe crafts people at the Kentuck Festival of theArts, respondents (n= 140) described them as:slightly traditional, slightly contemporary, some-what Southern, somewhat folk, somewhatunique, slightly rural and slightly avant-garde.All likenesses used by the Kentuck Festival ofthe Arts manifested themselves in respondentsperceptions of crafts people to some degree.

Art.Respondents (n= 139) perceived the art atthe Kentuck Festival of the Arts as: slightly non-traditional, slightly contemporary, slightlySouthern, slightly folk, somewhat unique, slightlyrural and slightly avant-garde. Aside from tra-ditional, respondents used all likenesses foundin the Kentuck Festival of the Arts literature todescribe art at the festival.

Crafts.Based on their visit to the Kentuck Festi-val of the Arts, respondents (n= 140) describedcrafts at the festival as being slightly traditional,slightly contemporary, somewhat Southern,somewhat folk, somewhat unique, slightlyrural and slightly avant-garde. As was the case

with crafts people, respondents used all like-nesses appearing prominently in the festivalsliterature to describe festival crafts.

Setting elements

Childrens art activities.Few respondents optedto rate childrens art activities, even though

they were told that they could do so withouthaving witnessed the activities. Less than one-halfof the sample rated childrens art activities (n=52). However, the respondents did not perceivethe activities to be contemporary or avant-garde,as evidenced by descriptions of childrens artactivities as: slightly traditional, slightly classic,slightly Southern, slightly folk, slightly unique,slightly rural and slightly mainstream.Ten-minute plays. Like childrens art activi-

ties few respondents (n= 5) opted to rate10-minute plays. The five individuals whorated the plays perceive the plays more in termsof contrasts than likenesses, rating the 10-minuteplays as: slightly traditional, slightly contempo-rary, slightly non-Southern, slightly cosmopoli-tan, slightly ordinary, slightly urban and slightlymainstream.


Traditional 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Non-traditional

Contemporary 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Classic

Southern 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Non-Southern

Folk 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cosmopolitan

Unique 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ordinary

Rural 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Urban

Avant-garde 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Classic

Fig. 12.3. Example of a guide used by respondents at the Kentuck Festival of the Arts.


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Elementa

Construct Contrast Artists Craftsmen Art CraftsChildrensart activities

Ten-minuteplays Mu

Traditional Non-traditional 4.66 3.92 4.66 3.9 3.42 3.80 3.2Contemporary Classic 2.89 3.54 3.03 3.7 4.09 3.40 3.9

Southern Non-Southern 2.99 2.92 3.30 2.9 3.21 4.80 2.6

Folk Cosmopolitan 2.82 2.64 3.09 2.7 3.35 4.60 2.7

Unique Ordinary 2.21 2.67 2.31 2.9 3.44 5.00 3.6

Rural Urban 3.51 3.16 3.16 3.1 3.44 5.00 3.

Avant-garde Mainstream 3.05 3.84 3.91 3.9 4.30 5.20 4.2

aBased on a scale where 1 = construct and 7 = contrast.

Table 12.1. Summary of mean scores for ratings grid.


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Music. Slightly over one-half of the sample(n= 85) rated music heard at the Kentuck Fes-tival of the Arts. The individuals who rated fes-

tival music described it as: slightly traditional,slightly contemporary, somewhat Southern, some-what folk, slightly unique, slightly rural andslightly mainstream. Therefore, respondentsdescribed music in terms of all but one of thelikenesses (avant-garde) provided by theKentuck Festival of the Arts.Food.As was the case with music, only slightlymore than one-half of respondents (n = 81) ratedfestival food. These respondents described theirperceptions of festival food as: somewhat tradi-tional, slightly classic, slightly Southern, slightlyfolk, slightly ordinary, slightly rural and slightlymainstream. Thus respondents viewed food interms of four likenesses and three contrasts.Northport. Respondents (n = 135) perceivedNorthport, Alabama, home of the Kentuck Festi-val of the Arts, as: somewhat traditional, slightlyclassic, somewhat Southern, slightly folk, slightlyunique, slightly rural and slightly mainstream.Respondents view Northport as classical and

mainstream, two contrasts, and used five like-nesses derived from festival literature to describethe town.Kentuck Park. Based on their visit to theKentuck Festival of the Arts, respondents(n= 139) described Kentuck Park as: some-what traditional, slightly classic, somewhatSouthern, slightly folk, slightly ordinary, some-what rural and slightly mainstream. The sam-ple population perceived the festival grounds

in terms of the likenesses provided by the festi-val, except for the samples description of thegrounds as ordinary and mainstream.Kentuck Festival of the Arts.Finally, respon-dents (n= 139) rated the symbolic meaningassociated with the festival as a whole interms of the seven likenesscontrast pairs anddescribed the festival as: slightly traditional, bothcontemporary and classic, somewhat Southern,somewhat folk, somewhat unique, slightly rural

and slightly avant-garde. Thus, festival literaturereflected respondents perceptions of the festival,except for the description of the festival in termsof being contemporary or classic. Analysis ofeach element in the repertory grid revealeddescriptive, symbolic meanings of each elementconstructing the Kentuck Festival of the Arts.Generally, the constructs identified by the

promotional literature produced by the festivalcoincided with respondents perceptions offestival elements. However, the degree to

which each construct described the festivalcomponents (elements) did vary.

Applying Personal ConstructTheory to Future Special Events

and Tourism Problems

Full form of repertory grid

Testing methods informed by personal constructtheory encompass a variety of forms. While themost popular is the repertory grid, this test isuseful in a variety of forms from asking respon-dents to identify people fitting into certain pre-determined categories and randomly selectingitems for consideration to controlling all itemsfor consideration and order of consideration inadvance (Kelly, 1955). In each form, the testaims to make a direct approach to the elicita-

tion of such constructs in the subjects whosepersonal-social behavior is under investiga-tion (Kelly, 1955, p. 219). Further discussionof the technical procedures involved in con-ducting repertory grid testing in its many formscan be found in Kelly (1955), Bannister andFransella (1974) and Fransella et al. (2004).Furthermore, repertory grid data can be ana-lysed in a quantitative manner, similar to thatdescribed via use of the ratings grid at the

Kentuck Festival of the Arts, or the repertorygrid can be employed in a qualitative mannerand can provide the structure for in-depth inter-views (Kelly, 1955; Bannister and Fransella,1974; Fransellaet al., 2004). If used in a quali-tative study, the sample size requirements arevery small, perhaps a single case.

Ratings grid

The Kentuck Festival of the Arts example dem-onstrates applying the ratings grid to a specialevent or festival where expectations for theexperience have been outlined for the visitorthrough promotional materials. If these materialsare unavailable, respondents can be used togenerate elements and/or constructs to be



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tested in the ratings grid through interviewingor repertory grid administration. In this manner,the ratings grid serves as a large quantitative

data collection procedure following a smallerquantitative or qualitative analysis of repertorygrid testing. More information about the multi-phase data collection procedure that this chaptercovers is available in Kelly (1955) and Fransellaet al. (2004).

In addition to the utility and possible appli-cations discussed here for the repertory gridand the ratings grid, an added benefit for tour-ism research is the potential to use photographs,rather than words/verbal phrases (Coshall, 2000).

Conclusions

This chapter examines the meaning of a specialevent through the perspective of the object andsetting dichotomy, personal construct theory, therepertory grid and recent research that measuredthe symbolic meaning of an arts and crafts festi-val through the application of the ratings grid.Recognition of the contribution of objects andsettings to the Kentuck Festival of the Arts pro-vided a recent example of meanings researchthat has implications for future special event andfestival research. Meanings at a special event ortourist attraction may affect an individuals set ofpersonal constructs (Kelly, 1955) and may influ-ence perceptions related to future events in suchas way as to affect participation. Furthermore,meanings may contribute to overall perceptions

of the self and of the travel or leisure activitycareer (Borrie and Birzell, 2001).

Findings from the Kentuck Festival of theArts indicate that special event and festivalresearch should consider the investigation ofthe relative contributions of objects and set-tings to an individuals experience. Objectsand settings create all environments, from acoffee shop (composed of coffee mugs, coffeegrinders, employees, chairs and tables, which

taken together create the setting) where onegoes to read for pleasure to a vacation in Yel-lowstone National Park (composed in part of

rocks, geysers and buffalo, which signal thesetting to be set apart from other national parksand daily existence). An understanding of themeaning created by objects and settings pro-vides a new way to investigate the leisure,tourism and special event experience, andcontribute to all three bodies of research.

From an applied perspective, researchreveals that objects and settings do contributeto the symbolic meaning of a special event orfestival. Therefore, festival and event organiz-ers should consider carefully all components ofthe festival experience for visitors, including(but not limited to) festival merchandise,objects on display (whether for sale or not),food vendors, music, festival volunteers, festi-val location and festival reputation. The find-ing of the importance of objects and settings indetermining meaning applies to the organizersof the other types of festival and special events.

Finally, the research findings demonstrate

the contribution that can be made by symbolicmeaning of special events. As a result, tourismmarketers, organizers and event plannersshould be cognizant of all components of thespecial-event experience and the symbolicmeaning of the events elements. Object andsetting do provide one way to understand whatshapes the visitors meaning of a special event.In addition, understanding symbolic meaningcan be used by destinations and attractions to

discern what is important to visitors for the pur-poses of: (i) enhancing the visitor experienceby providing more of what is preferred; (ii) pro-viding more satisfying and meaningful leisureand tourism experiences; and (iii) understand-ing the meanings visitors ascribe to specificenvironments. This information can informmarketing decisions, as special event and festi-val managers strive to create unique images inthe minds of current and potential visitors.

References

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Executive Training Exercises

Exercise 1

A research company completed a study for theBig River Festival and has provided you with itsfindings for interpretation. The festival directorSandy Jones was concerned about: (i) percep-tions of community centredness and cost forcertain festival components; and (ii) quality oftraining for volunteers who serve as re-enactors,leading tours of and participating as actorswithin the Big River Settlement. Therefore, sheasked that this information be obtained. Thefirm provided you with this piece of informa-tion and the press release from the Big RiverFestival, which aided in the creation of the gridbelow. The press release reads as follows:

Festival Press Release Text:

Fiftieth annual Big River Festival to beheld this weekend

Big River, Mississippi: The fiftieth annual BigRiver Festival, a celebration of the Big Rivercommunity, will be held July 35 at RiversidePark, off Route 55. The festival is best knownfor its bass fishing tournament and historical

re-creation of the Big River Settlement. Additionalactivities include the fish cook-off, raft race, Tasteof Big River, evening concerts and Tall TailsFish Story competition. The festival showcasesthe best the rural South has to offer, boastsdirector Sandy Jones. Locals and visitors alikewill be impressed with our commitment to cel-ebrating the heritage of the rural South.

Fridays activities include the annual raftrace for teams of individuals between the agesof 14 and 18 (at 9:00 a.m.), tours of the histori-cal Big River Settlement and the Taste of BigRiver (featuring dishes from local restaurants in

accordance with this years theme Our South-ern Heritage).

On Saturday, the all day bass fishing tour-nament kicks off at 7:00 a.m. Saturday nightoffers music by Southern acts and the fishcook-off. Throughout the day, tours will beoffered of the Big River Settlement.

On Sunday music begins at 2:00 p.m.Throughout the day, tours will be offered of theBig River Settlement.

For more information, including registra-tion fees for the bass fishing tournament andraft race, contact Sandy Jones at 217-555-9876or visit www.bigriver.org.

The following grid contains mean scoresfor each cell (based on a scale of 1 = Likenessand 7 = Contrast). How did respondents describe

http://www.bigriver.org/http://www.bigriver.org/


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the festival? What does the festival mean to itsattendees? Draft a memo to the festival direc-tor, Sandy Jones, interpreting your results andprioritizing what should be done with thisinformation. Make recommendations concern-ing: new product development, marketing and

promotions, and volunteer training.

Exercise 2

The Stockton River Festival Association hascontacted your consulting firm, Expert EventEvaluations, Inc. (EEE), about conductingresearch to find out what the festival means tovisitors. To do this, you decide to employ the

ratings grid, as described in the chapter. Usingthe press release and postcard text below bythe Festival Director, conduct the followingexercises:

Festival Press Release Text:

Stockton River Festival Association

announces annual festival

Stockton, Alabama, September 1214: Theeighth annual Stockton River Festival, a cele-bration of the river and its history for the entirefamily, will be held on September 1214. Thefestival will be held at Riverside Park. Each dayoffers a showcase of the finest local and regional

musical acts and local fish specialties cookedand served in historical and traditional styles, aswell as the finest in regional cuisine!

Fridays activities include demonstrationsof local fishing techniques historically usedon the Stockton River, a childrens costume

contest featuring historical clothing from the19th century and storytelling by talentedindividuals, including famed regional writer/storyteller Elizabeth James. Music begins at5:00 p.m.

Saturdays activities include a one-milecanoe race at 9:30 a.m., a demonstration oftraditional river raft-building techniques andfree raft rides across the river, highlighting theimportance of the river to local heritage and

development. Music begins at 5:00 p.m.Sunday features a picnic style lunch at

noon (cost $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for childrenunder 10) catered by local restaurants and a1:30 p.m. auction of fishing merchandise. Allproceeds benefit river restoration and thedevelopment of a centre to showcase local his-tory and culture related to the Stockton River.Music begins at 2:00 p.m.

The Stockton River Festival begins at 9:00

a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 12:00 p.m. onSunday. Entrance is $5.00 per person per day(or $10.00 for the entire weekend), andSundays lunch is $8.00 ($5.00 for childrenunder 10).

For additional information on the StocktonRiver Festival, contact Jim at 864-555-0101 orvisit www.riverfestival.com.


Elements

Constructs

BigRiver

Settlement

BassFishing

TournamentFish

Cook-offRaftRace

Tasteof BigRiver Concerts

Tall TailsFish Story

Competition

RuralUrban 2.1 3.1 1.7 3.3 1.8 3.9 5.7

SouthernNon-Southern

3.5 3.1 1.8 3.6 2.6 2.6 6.7

CommunityorientationNo orientation

4.5 2.7 3.2 1.5 4.0 6.0 6.2

Affordable

Too expensive

1.2 5.0 1.9 2.4 3.4 1.0 1.0
http://www.riverfestival.com/http://www.riverfestival.com/


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Text in Postcards Created by the Stockton River Festival Association:

Using the information obtained from the pressrelease and postcard text, complete the follow-ing exercises. Asterisks () denote the provisionof suggested answers.

A: Identify the festivals constructs.Step #1: What are the likeness poles?Step #2: What are the corresponding

contrasts?B: Identify the festivals elements.C: Using the constructs and elements identi-fied, fill in the blank grid below with elementsacross the top row and likenesscontrast pairsdown the left column.D: Practice administering this grid, using thefollowing instructions:Please think about your visit to the StocktonRiver Festival today. You will be given pairs of

adjectives to describe components of the festi-val. To help you describe the festival usingthese adjectives, one adjective will be assignedthe number 1 and the other will be assignedthe number 7. You can rank anywherebetween 1 and 7 depending on how much ofeither adjective you feel describes a compo-nent of the festival. Neither adjective is good orbad; this is purely descriptive. For example, iftall is an adjective ranked 1, and the opposite

of tall is short (which is ranked 7), you coulduse the numbers 17 to describe how tall orshort someone is.E: Following the collection of data via theratings grid, interpretation would be under-taken. This could be done by finding meanscores for each cell in the ratings grid. To simu-late this, place numbers in each cell to repre-

sent mean scores and interpret what thesescores reveal about each element in terms oflikeness and contrast poles for each construct.What does the festival mean to its attendees?

Answers

Exercise 1

(Note that recommendations given are sugges-tions developed by the researcher for thisexercise and may differ from those developedthrough this exercise.)

TO: Sandy Jones, Director, Big River FestivalFROM: Isabelle McMillanDATE: 15 May 2007SUBJECT: Visitor Meanings of Big River Festival


Front of card Back of card

Mark it on your calendar:The 8th Annual Stockton RiverFestivalSeptember 1214

The finest in local cuisine, including traditional specialtiesRegional storytellersTraditional raft-building demonstrationsLocal fishing technique demonstrationsFree raft ridesA costume contest of historical costumeLocal and regional musical actsAn auction of fishing merchandiseAnd, of course, the beautiful and historic Stockton River!

Gates open at 9:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 12:00 p.m.Sunday; $5.00 daily admission or $10.00 for weekend pass

Elements

Constructs


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In an effort to discern the meanings visitorsassigned to various components of the BigRiver Festival, the following analysis was under-

taken. To do so, seven components (or ele-ments) of the Big River Festival were rated byattendees using four adjective pairs (likenessand contrast poles) via a data collection toolknown as the ratings grid. This memo presentsa description of the current situation based onratings grid analysis and my recommendationsfor the future of the event.

Ratings grid analysis of festival compo-nents revealed that visitors viewed the mean-ings of each component as follows:

Visitors perceived the Big River Settlementas rural and affordable. While they did findthe meaning of the Big River Settlement tobe slightly Southern and offering very littlecommunity orientation, each of thesemean values was near the centre, meaningthat the meaning was not strong withrespect to: (i) Southern or non-Southern; or(ii) community-oriented or non-community-

oriented. The meanings of the bass fishing tourna-

ment were described by visitors as slightlyrural, slightly Southern, some communityorientation and a little expensive.

Visitors viewed the fish cook-off as rural,Southern, some community orientation andaffordable.

Visitors perceived the raft race to be slightlyrural, very slightly Southern (near midpoint),

community orientedand affordable. Becausethe value for Southernnon-Southern was sonear the centre, meaning was not strong interms of Southern or non-Southern.

Festival attendance led visitors to derivethe following meanings from the Taste ofBig River: rural, somewhat Southern, neithercommunity-oriented nor not community-oriented and slightly affordable.

Visitors described concerts as neither ruralnor urban, somewhat Southern, lackingcommunity orientation and affordable.

For visitors, the Tall Tails Fish Story Compe-tition had the following meanings: urban,non-Southern, no community orientationand affordable.

Findings are summarized. Following the sum-maries, recommendations are made.

The fish cook-off and raft races both weredescribed in terms of likeness poles (but tovarying degrees).

Visitors perceived the Big River Settlementto have a very slight Southern meaning. The meanings of the bass fishing tourna-

ment were described in terms of three like-nesses; the exception was affordable.

Visitors viewed the fish cook-off as rural,Southern, some community orientationand affordable.

Because the value for Southernnon-Southern was so near the centre, meaningof the raft race was not strong in terms ofSouthern or non-Southern.

The Taste of Big River was viewed as neithercommunity-oriented nor not community-oriented.

Concerts were not perceived as Southern.This may be due to band choice and musi-cal styles featured.

The Tall Tails Fish Story Competition wasperceived in terms of all contrasts (exceptexpensive). This finding indicates a prob-

lem since the competition is featured as amain component of the festival which issupposed to showcase the rural South andthis years festival theme was Our South-ern Heritage.

Recommendations for the festival are as follows:

Current products are all viewed as afford-able, except for the Big River Fishing Tour-nament. Therefore any future products and

events to be added should keep with theoverall affordability of the festival.

Current festival offerings are not perceivedas being strongly Southern, which is aproblem, since the festival characterizesitself as Southern. To change this, newproducts should feature a strong Southerninfluence.

Festival marketing and promotions mightconsider downplaying the Southern

aspects of the festival unless the festivalis willing to focus more strongly on itsSouthernness.

Conversely, if Southern heritage is to bemaintained as a central component of thefestival, all aspects of the festival should bemade to reflect this, including marketing,promotions and all on-site activities and



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interactions, which includes volunteertraining.

Due to its perception as being expensive,

the benefits of participating in the Big RiverFishing Tournament should be highlightedto reassure participants of the value theyare receiving.

Because the Big River Settlement is per-ceived as having only a slight Southernorientation, volunteers working within thesettlement should be trained in strategiesto enhance the Southern meaning of thesettlement visit. Examples may include:concern for accurate dialect and clothingspecific to the period and the region andmore information recounted to visitors onthe forces in the region affecting the BigRiver Settlement.

Overall, the festival appears to be headed inthe direction envisioned by its directors.

Exercise 2

A: Step #1: Local, Regional, Historical, Tradi-

tional.Step #2: Contrasts could be generated byproviding likeness poles to individualsjudged to be similar to those to be inter-viewed at the festival and asking theseindividuals to come up with contrasts. Theresearcher could choose to develop con-trasts, but, in this case, he/she needs toensure the terminology chosen is under-standable to the sample population. (Note

that contrasts generated may vary fromthose to be suggested based on familiarterminology used in an area or region.)

B: Stockton River, Fishing, Storytelling, Raft,Food, Music, Costume contest

C: Stockton River, Fishing, Storytelling, Raft,Food, Music, Costume contest


Elements

Constructs

Stockton

River

Fishing Storytelling Raft Food Music Costume

contest

LocalNon-local

RegionalGeneric

HistoricalContemporary

TraditionalNon-traditional

Interpreting Special Event

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