۱- Introduction

۲- Conceptual framework and development of hypotheses

۳- Method

۴- Discussion

References

Abstract

Despite widespread recognition of trade shows as a vehicle to provide services to visitors by exhibitors, there is a paucity of research in this area of special interest. Drawing on the resource-based view, we develop a research framework to examine the effects of service-related resources on exhibitor’s personnel attitudes and visitor responses. We collected on-site data from 151 exhibitor’s personnel and 366 visitors during a trade show. These responses were matched at the exhibitor level to test the research framework. We found a positive effect of service leadership and service technology in developing a customer-oriented service strategy with satisfied employees. Additionally, we demonstrate that service leadership positively moderates the effect of service technology on customer orientation. In contrast, service leadership negatively moderates the effect of empowerment on customer orientation. This suggests that similar firm resources do not complement each other perhaps because they are substitutable. Finally, we show that service-related resources not only affect customer orientation but also influence job satisfaction of exhibitor personnel and visitors responses such as interaction quality, satisfaction, and word-of-mouth intentions.

Introduction

Trade shows are an important marketing vehicle for business-tobusiness organizations. Exhibitor’s personnel perform several functions at a trade show such as conducting market research, identifying prospects, and strengthening relationships with existing customers (Geigenmüller & Bettis-Outland, 2012; Gottlieb, Brown, & Ferrier, 2014; Munuera & Ruiz, 1999). Additionally, trade shows facilitate the exchange of information about each exhibitor’s products and innovations between their personnel and visitors (Kim & Mazumdar, 2016). Thus, exhibitors’ personnel perform a crucial role in improving visitor reactions through service interactions when engaging with visitors at trade shows (Baron, Harris, & Harris, 2001). Providing resources to exhibitor’s personnel is particularly important because resources enable them to offer value-added services by facilitating interactions and fostering close relationships with the visitors (Rinallo, Bathelt, & Golfetto, 2017; Sarmento & Simões, 2018). The trade show literature has argued that firm resources are likely to enhance trade show performance (Ling-Yee, 2007a). Organizations generally provide tangible and intangible resources to employees to enhance firm performances (Lee & Grewal, 2004). Because personnelvisitor interaction episodes at trade shows play a crucial role in determining trade show performance (Rinallo et al., 2017), this study considered firm resources relevant to personnel attitudes and engagement with visitors and in implementing trade show strategy. We focus on service leadership and employee empowerment as intangible resources and service technology as a tangible resource. Thus, we examine the impact of both tangible and intangible resources on exhibitor’s personnel’s ability to develop customer orientation in a trade show context.