Optimising Big Friday Event: Motive and Journey Mapping Based Insights
Makurina, Iuliia (2024)
2024
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024051612679
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024051612679
Tiivistelmä
This thesis explored attendee motivations at the Big Friday event, employing the Customer Journey Mapping (CJM) approach and personas to propose improvement ideas to the client, Kainuun Yrittäjät. The event aims to promote local networking and encourage participants to ‘Think Big and Dare to Dream’ in a relaxed yet productive atmosphere. The importance of this research derived from the lack of understanding regarding the expectations and experiences of the event’s attendees by the event organisers. The objective of this study was to explore attendees' experiences at the Big Friday event through the application of CJM and personas, highlighting pain points and positive experiences.
The study was guided by three research questions aimed at identifying reasons for attendees' participation, capturing, and representing participants' experiences using CJM, and creating personas based on demographic, psychographic, and behavioural characteristics. They were answered by deploying the mixed research method of creating a post-event survey and conducting interviews with four company representatives attending the event as exhibitors.
The study employed theoretical concepts and frameworks such as attendee motivations to identify potential participants' motivations and variables for the survey. The four realms of experience framework enhanced understanding of attendee behaviour, particularly in networking events such as the Big Friday. Integration of business events and networking concepts provided insights into the impact of COVID-19 on current trends and essential elements for successful networking event organisation. Incorporating event planning and design theory helped to validate improvement ideas for the client and extended knowledge in event organisation. Additionally, the integration of user experience design concepts facilitated the interpretation of research results and the effective implementation of customer journey mapping (CJM) and personas.
The research findings revealed that key attendee motivations are networking, inspiring speakers, and free admission. These insights could lead to actionable outcomes for enhancing attendee satisfaction and attracting a larger audience. The final output of the thesis is an infographic with specific improvement recommendations for the Big Friday Event 2025 based on personas and CJM for three distinct attendee groups: entrepreneurs, company representatives, and professionals from other backgrounds. These recommendations are feasible for the client within the organisation’s financial scope leading to enhanced event appeal, memorable experiences, and a unique environment to combine networking, learning, and a relaxed atmosphere. Future research should explore the motivations, expectations, and experiences of student attendees to broaden the audience and better understand their journey at the event.
The study was guided by three research questions aimed at identifying reasons for attendees' participation, capturing, and representing participants' experiences using CJM, and creating personas based on demographic, psychographic, and behavioural characteristics. They were answered by deploying the mixed research method of creating a post-event survey and conducting interviews with four company representatives attending the event as exhibitors.
The study employed theoretical concepts and frameworks such as attendee motivations to identify potential participants' motivations and variables for the survey. The four realms of experience framework enhanced understanding of attendee behaviour, particularly in networking events such as the Big Friday. Integration of business events and networking concepts provided insights into the impact of COVID-19 on current trends and essential elements for successful networking event organisation. Incorporating event planning and design theory helped to validate improvement ideas for the client and extended knowledge in event organisation. Additionally, the integration of user experience design concepts facilitated the interpretation of research results and the effective implementation of customer journey mapping (CJM) and personas.
The research findings revealed that key attendee motivations are networking, inspiring speakers, and free admission. These insights could lead to actionable outcomes for enhancing attendee satisfaction and attracting a larger audience. The final output of the thesis is an infographic with specific improvement recommendations for the Big Friday Event 2025 based on personas and CJM for three distinct attendee groups: entrepreneurs, company representatives, and professionals from other backgrounds. These recommendations are feasible for the client within the organisation’s financial scope leading to enhanced event appeal, memorable experiences, and a unique environment to combine networking, learning, and a relaxed atmosphere. Future research should explore the motivations, expectations, and experiences of student attendees to broaden the audience and better understand their journey at the event.