Association meeting planners' perceptions and intentions for five major US convention cities: the structured and unstructured images

Association meeting planners get actively involved in site selection process and influence association decision-makers in terms of determining the consideration set of convention sites as well as the selection of final site(s). This study assesses and compares association meeting planners' structured (cognitive, affective, and global impression) and unstructured (open-response elicitation) perceptions as well as behavioral intentions for five major US convention cities: Las Vegas, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and Orlando. The study found that association meeting planners have differentiated images and intentions for the convention cities. The identified strengths and weaknesses, coupled with qualitative evaluations and importance of perceptual dimensions, provide important implications for the convention cities in terms target marketing, positioning, and communication strategy.